Steve: I am going to take your advice and remove the Drivesaver using the Spurs spacer you mentioned. That spacer gets bolted between the transmission output flange and the propeller flange. How does one go about checking alignment?
SDA: If the couplings can be brought together without the spacer, the process is how I described it in the article. Once the alignment is complete the spacer is inserted. If there is no room to do this the spacer will be retained in place by the pilot bushing and recess, with light forward pressure in the shaft coupling (you would do this in any event without the spacer), holding the spacer in place.
How would a mechanic secure the spacer either to the shaft or the transmission such that precise measurements could be made between the final mating surfaces? The spacer can't be bolted in place temporarily to one or the other lest the bolt heads prevent mating. What am I missing here?
SDA: It does not need to be secured per se, just held there sandwich-like by fwd pressure on the shaft coupling during alignment, and again you'd do this anyway.
I am having the props pulled and the cutless bearings replaced so eliminating the Drivesaver at the same time seems the way to go. I did read your articles the you posted a link to. In one of them you mentioned that you surveyed a boat the props of which you could not turn without Herculean effort. Mine are just the same and I am hoping that the source is swelled bearings and not misaligned bearing housings. The boat is a 1983 DeFever 44 so it's my guess that the bearings are swollen. Or, I suppose that both sides are severely out of alignment but that just doesn't make sense to me.
SDA: If the bearings are swollen that should be obvious when looking at them, there must be some clearance between the bearings and shaft, if there is none, and the bearing rubber seems compressed, it's likely a swelling issue. However, if the bearings are original this is unlikely, the problem usually manifests itself within the first year or two afloat. If they have been this tight all along I would be prepared for the possibility of shaft wear, the max allowable is 0.001".
The other possibility is this is a shaft to strut/bearing alignment issue, also discussed in the two part article. If the shaft is not centered in and parallel with the strut bearing that can lead to substantial shaft drag, especially if there is more than one shaft bearing (some Hatteras Yachts had four per shaft and it could be quite a chore to get them all lined up, there's a photo of one of those in the article, with the guy with one finger on the prop).
For prop installation this article may be helpful
https://stevedmarineconsulting.com/propeller-installation/
SDA: Keep us posted on what's found.
And thanks for all the free expert advice you provide to the folks on this forum. I am certain it valued by all.
SDA: Thank you and happy to know the material is useful.