I whacked out the top of the stern "tube" (box, actually). The drive shaft is clearly visible as is the stock to the trim tab. I then spent several hours yesterday afternoon removing the PSS seal, Aquadrive, drive shaft, and trim tab stock. The Aquadrive is a a wonderful device, but it is a real pain to remove (and reinstall) as it has more stuff to unscrew than one can imagine. Aboard Yankee one does all of this unscrewing, knuckle smashing, swearing, sweating, etc. while hanging down into the bilge. Such a fun afternoon. Next up is to trim off more of the edges of the box, grind everything smooth, glass in the hole for the trim tab stock, and then figure out what to do with the old bronze shaft log. The replacement will likely be a fiberglass tube.

So as not to let the reciprocating saw get cold, I cut through the 1" stock to remove the trim tab. The tab will be glassed in once the cavity in the keel and the tab are cleaned.

As is so often the case, I am now completing a task that was not in the immediate plan. I was working on the new dinette. That required relocating house batteries to be sure everything would fit properly. Relocation exposed an old inspection port that led to exploration...and so on. In many ways I really enjoy this sort of project with its multiple threads. As a scientist, my research frequently works like this. I will be in the field trying to figure out a problem when a new piece of evidence will completely redirect the investigation. Lots of "ah, ha" moments. Time for a margarita.