Cruisers have a saying, “Sailboat cruising is simply boat repair in exotic places.” That may be slightly tongue-in-cheek but boy what I wouldn’t give to be in an exotic place right now. This time last year I was reinstalling Billabong’s motor. Unfortunately the shaft seal failed shortly after and became progressively worse over the summer.

I had a chance today to look at the Tohatsu 9.8 outboard on the dinghy. It has not been turning. A bit of a bummer when you are trying to motor along and direction other than straight. Flipped the motor over and was greeted by the sight of a thickly rusted tube. The tube that