Pearson 365 and 367

Update - the removal of the center zinc (one further away from the strut) did not solve the problem. 
I am going to try to loosen up my stuffing box hose on both ends, rotate them around a little bit before re-tightening them in case there is some sort of bind.  If that doesn't fix it, I probably have a bent shaft. 

I think I figured this one out.  Its my zinc.  I have 2 zincs on the shaft.  One is by the strut, other mid point of the shaft, to help protect the engine better.  This is probably what is causing the wobble at higher RPM.  It makes sense now, since there is no wobble or any perceptible movement at lower rpms.  Its whipping the shaft as the forces increase by the imbalance caused by the zinc. 

thanks for the response.  By coupler, I meant the part that bolts into the V drive and interfaces with the shaft via key and surface friction.  I aligned it using the 0.003 feeler gauge.  I had a buddy move around the V drive until I felt equal resistance all around the coupler and flange.  I will give it another shot - go with 0.002 feeler gauge, until I can feel equal resistance all around, and until I cannot insert a 0.003 feeler gauge at any spot. 

1850 RPM is when my vibration starts.  At full throttle the engine will rev to something like 2800rpms.  At 2100 rpms I am getting 6 knots at flat seas.  Prop is a max prop, balance checked at the factory, set at 17x10.4 pitch (the 3 blade I removed was 17x10). 

I do have a zerc fitting at my U joint, but I am not sure if it will lube the pins.  I haven't taken a good look at it because its underneath a piece of the cabin floor.  I suppose I should take it all apart and inspect, lubricate. 

Hi,
Over the winter, I fixed a loose strut and replaced the shaft bearing.  Also installed a max-prop.  But like a dumb a** I reused the old coupler.  I also didn't check the shaft for any bends, except for a very casual look down the shaft where it looked straight. 

When I re-launched, the shaft had absolutely no movement at idle, so I thought I was good to go.  But at cruising RPMs and above, there is enough vibration to shake both the shaft and the V drive itself.  Its not much, but its visible.  I'd say about 1.5mm of play.  I don't think there is any discernable movement at the U joint, but with the V drive itself shaking, I can't tell which part of the drivetrain is causing the shake.

I re-aligned the V drive the best I could, and I can now get it up to 1850rpms without any visible movement.  I imagine a bent shaft or a bad coupler will show up at any RPMs.  So now I am wondering if I have a worn out U joint. 

How could I check the U-joint?  Any chance that lubing it will fix the problem?  Any way to check it without removing the U joint?  Thank you in advance. 

Thanks. The strut is already moving. Its almost a rattle though still a if that makes sense. Would I still be able to get away with not re-sealing the holes? I put up a video on the p365 owners Facebook group. I didn't notice a leak in particular - the hull under the engine was dry. I wonder if the seal can still be good if the movement of the strut is that bad. Maybe i am misunderstanding how the seal is done from the factory.

The screws themselves appear to be badly corroded or fused to the strut. Maybe it's just the growth and patina that makes it look like that.

Oh gosh, thank you so much.  I am hoping I can tighten it up from the top and the bolts aren't too messed up, and cleaning the area for filler (I'm just going to use waterproof fiberglass bondo) is the most annoying part of the job. 

Hauled out and blocked my boat without incident today.  Good news - everything except for the strut seems to be in ok condition!  Bad news - the strut is not.  No, its not from improper haul out - the sling stayed half on the rudder skeg, half on the hull, and it was blocked properly at the fore 1/3 of the keel.

I had a slight vibration on the propshaft visible from my cabin and I always thought it was the shaft bearing. 

turns out, the strut itself is loose.  I can wiggle it around with about an half of movement at the very bottom  (prop tip).  From what I understand, the strut is bolted into the grounding plate under the engine.  There was no fairing compound left in the cavity. 

The bolts seem to be badly corroded and bonded to the strut.  I can't even see where the heads are.  I think I made out a flat head slot on the bolt head.

Could you tell me more about how its installed?  Is the grounding plate threaded?  Is it accessible without removing the engine?  Do I need to cut it off and pull out the studs from the engine side?  Is there a way to bypass the bolts and secure the strut sufficiently without messing with the bolts? 

thank you!

Update - it was just jammed forward due to old oil full of clutch sludge.  I unjammed it by tapping the shift lever (at the transmission) lightly with a rubber mallet then pulling it hard by my hand.  Then did an oil change, adjusted it a bit and its been working flawlessly. 

Hi,
I did a search and I couldn't find an answer.  I've heard about boat yards putting keel blocks in the incorrect spot on the keel, aft near where the bilge is where its the weakest.  This causing the fiberglass on the hull in the affected area to weaken, later leading to oil-canning. 

I was wondering what is the proper placement of the keel blocks then?  Should the boat be tilted forward with a flat block near the front of the keel?  Or a different arrangement?

Thanks in advance. 

I recently delivered a new-to-me P365 back closer to my home waters in the Chesapeake bay.  We had a 150nm offshore passage down the jersey coast.  About 110nm of that was under motor-sail. 

During the cruise, among other things, the transmission stopped getting out of foward.  No neutral or reverse.  Full range of motion at the pedestal lever.  The shifter linkage arm at the transmission was moving when the pedestal lever was moving.  I don't think the clamp at the shifter nub is slipping. 

I am 2 hours away from the boat and I'm unable to go check it, but what are some places that I can start looking to diagnose the issue?  Is there a manual with adjustment procedures?  I don't have the model number off the top of my head, but it appears to be a SOAD transmission.  Sorry for the low-res pic and thank you in advance.