strut issues! Please help.

I ordered new strut bushings from skidim to replace my worn bushings. I froze them and they pushed right in but now the shaft won't go back in through the log. It is straight side to side but it is 1/4" low. It will go through if I push it up and force it in but that won't do any good. Is it possible for the strut to bend backwards bringing the shaft down in the front? I hammered the old bushing out with a socket but I find it hard to believe that would have been enough force to bend the strut. I was thinking of shimming the strut in the rear to bring the front up but I don't know if it will seal correctly with the shims in there. I don't want to buy a new strut but I am wasting precious time on the water. Any advice would be appreciated.

Is it going through the rear part of the shaft log but not through the packing gland? If so have someone get inside the boat and move the packing gland around until it lines up with the shaft. Remember the gland is attached with a flexible hose. Then mount the hub on and check alignment with a feeler gauge. Check between the two hubs (top, bottom and both sides) with a .003" feeler gauge while pulling the hubs together with the other hand. Feeler gauge should be gripped tightly by the two hubs in all four locations. It's normal for the gland to sag a bit if the shaft is not in place. If your alignment is good,...bolt the hubs together and check how easy the shaft/prop turns by hand. Should turn fairly easy but not free spin. If all this is good your strut is fine.

Hey guys, to answer your question the shaft won't even enter the bottom part of the log. It is 1/8 to 3/16 low and simply hits the bottom of the log and will not go in unless forced. I do have room to move the engine around but I have to get the shaft in through the log before I can even worry about aligning the engine. I got some really thin stainless washers today that I am going to try to shim it with. If you guys think it will seal with 5200 then I'll try anything once.

Well, I used the stainless washers as shims and they were exactly what it needed to center the shaft in the log. This is probably the first lucky break I've had with this boat. I put a bunch of 5200 to seal it and aligned the engine. With the couplers aligned, bolted up, and the packing nut tight I can turn it by the coupler with two fingers. Much better than before! I am an extremely impatient person and want to use the boat saturday. The 5200 package says 48 Hrs to dry tack free and 7 days to completely cure. If I use the boat after 48 Hrs is it going to ruin the seal? Like I said I am very impatient but I don't want to have to do this job twice.

5200 is a one part polyurethane compound that relies on moisture in the air to cure it. Without moisture the stuff will not cure. After 48 hours you can completely submerge it and it will still cure just fine,...maybe even faster. Go ahead and use the boat this weekend.