shaft and strut questions

I was out on the lake the other day (I'm spending the winter down in Mexico) and I hit a fishing trap that was built with rebar. I was only going about 10mph and stopped immediately after having hit it and was able to get towed into shore.

Once I got home I cut away the rebar. a 18" section was completely wrapped around the prop and shaft. The only damage that I could see was a small fingernail sized nick in the prop and no other visible damage to the boat or the shaft, etc. That was a great relief.

However, when I was checking things out I noticed that there is a little side to side play in the shaft at the strut. You have to wiggle it with a moderate amount of force to get the play, but it's there none-the-less.

My question is, is this normal or should there not be any amount of play at all? If there is play, what do I need to do?

Also, could my shaft have possibly gotten bent after having hit something like that? how can I check to see if my shaft is straight?

Oh, I forgot to say: I have a 1983 SN2001. I bought it about 6 months ago for cheap, but it's needed a fair bit of work. Mostly small things, but not much is new on it.

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.

It's been my experience that inboard drive components don't react very well to sudden changes in direction. I hope Joe's post is all the help you need, but I would investigate further. I recently had a prop with a slightly bent blade that could only be seen on the workbench....at least by me. The strut and shaft may also be slightly out.

There are several posts here on prop/shaft damage and on alignment. There's a couple of ways to check things, but I'm not really the guy to describe it. This is a long thread but super good info within!
Eric's alignment thread

JoeinNY wrote: Its a wear item probably nothing to do with your rebar hit.

As noted, this wouldn't be from an impact. The thread I mentioned has some info in it on a possibly bent shaft. I think I've also read that bent shafts/props can be hard on the tranny.
Try sighting down the keel...is everything that's supposed to be straight down still that way? Is the end of the prop shaft on one side of the rudder of the other? If you can turn the prop by hand, does the shaft end maintain center? This is not the preferred way to check, but it might help you notice something.

Datim wrote: BTW, if there is play in the prop strut, would that cause vibration at all?

Yes, it will as Joe said. Did it have the same vibration before the rebar? Has it gotten worse? Some vibration should be expected if your cutlass bearing is worn, but if it's gotten worse you probably have something bent. Some here say that if you hit something harder than a dead fish, you'll surely have bent something.

Datim, A bent shaft forward of the cutlass can be checked at the coupling halves and is explained in Eric's alignment thread. If it is bent aft of the cutlass around the prop taper, then a dial indicator clamped to the strut while the shaft is rotated will tell. The dial indicator can be used forward as well. If you could borrow one, I would use it. The only other way is to remove the shaft from the boat and put it between V blocks. I wouldn't trust the naked eye. You do not want to end up with trans problems.

Pete its not nice to talk about reid like that during the holiday season.

JoeinNY wrote: Pete its not nice to talk about reid like that during the holiday season.

Joe, That's Reids boat????

Datim, Just like the shaft, it is really hard to tell by eye if the prop is bad. If you have the time, sending it to a prop shop may not be a bad idea.

TRBenj wrote: Yup. From this thread. You cant even remember where youre stealing your pictures from Pete?

Tim, I remember the thread very well. That's how I knew where to steal the picture!

Just in case anyone hasn't seen or used a dial indicator, here's a picture. The contact point is placed on whatever you want to measure. As the surface moves this point up or down (as in the case of a bent shaft) the dial indicates the movement. Typically in .001" increments