What's happening

Things have been so busy at work that I haven't had time to move the project along. I did install the original propeller shaft on Sunday, thinking that I would mark the locations for the engine mounts, then drill and tap them. With the shaft attached, I tweaked the engine position a bit to get the shaft centered in the deadwood. Alignment looked very good, but as I began to think about finalizing the engine position I got nervous because I have no guarantee that the shaft is true and properly positioned in the coupling. Rather than take the gamble, I decided to begin the process of getting a new shaft and coupling so I can be confident that the engine position is as good as it can be.

At this point I haven't heard back from a Michigan propeller shaft shop, so I've contacted Hamilton Marine and begun working with them for an estimate. This evening I drew up some of the shaft/coupling details to get the ball rolling: