[C320-list] Shaft coupling and alignment question

[surprise thompson87.com]

This spring I asked the boatyard to replace the stuffing in my stuffing box (a job I hate). It appears (from the invoice) that they went overboard and disconnected the shaft, removed the stuffing box, cleaned it up, then reassembled everything. I noticed when I was closing the engine thru-hull that the safety wire on the bolts that secure the shaft had been removed and not replaced very neatly. (A six inch tail was hanging from the coupling.) I'm going to redo the wiring, but I'm wondering whether it's necessary to realign the shaft with the engine after disconnecting the shaft from the coupling. My intuition is that the answer is no, but perhaps that is wishful thinking. I thought I would consult all of the experts here for a reality check. Let me know if you have some thoughts.

T. Scott Thompson
Catalina 320 "Surprise," #653 (1999)
surprise at thompson87.com<mailto:surprise at thompson87.com>