Scored shaft

Although it's hard to see in a photo, this shaft is badly scored in the area of the p-bracket. Similar scoring and grooving can be seen (and felt) in the area of the packing gland. It's inevitable that a shaft would wear in normal use, but the mechanic who replaced it suggested that destructive wear was caused by a worn cutless bearing in the p-bracket and an over-tight packing gland, with a little mis-alignment thrown in for good measure.

This shaft was also very slightly bent, suggesting that the boat had been picked up with a sling under the shaft. This would also hasten wear.