Some boats there is a cutlass in the end of the shaft tube. Looks like yours is one.
When I built my boat, the span between bearings was too far so I needed a bearing between the strut and the tranny. Span about 9'. So I put a brg in the tube end just like the OP's pic.
Easier to do and less drag than mounting a strut to hull bottom.
Since loads were very low there, I bandsawed the brg in half and kept the other half as a spare.
|