I agree that is a strange place to locate a shaft, but you will never access it unless you are doing a repair & on the lift. The cap on the flange should have sealed the water out just like a drain plug. I guess I just thought that option availability was a little odd. When you're buying a boat, who thinks "Oh, I gotta have that", or was it the final sales incentive during the negotiation. I can almost hear a salesman say, "Alright Chuck, final offer, sign that purchase order today, and I'll give you the shaft!" One final thought, if it does get pulled out, what a great place to hide something.

