Metal showing above propeller shaft support strut: normal?

[jameswilson29]

After stripping the paint above the propeller shaft support strut, I noticed metal showing, photo attached:SailNet Community - jameswilson29's Album: Propeller shaft support strut - Picture

Is this normal? Should I cover this with additional fiberglass?

[rugosa]

Not sure what boat you have - If it's like C & C construction the flange is through bolted in a molded recess in the bottom of the hull and what you are seeing is a crack in the cosmetic fairing material. You don't want to fibreglass it as it will make and future service to the strut installation diffucult. We had same thing this year on '82 boat. To fix it you should grind away a bit to expose the filler and assess if you need to go any further. Also check to see if the through bolt installation has leaked. Our's doesn't leak but the filler was wet and weeping water so we easily popped it out with a screw driver and will let it dry out over the winter. If your shaft is not aligned correctly or your prop is not balanced you can get excess vibration that will work the filler joint, and possibly premature strut bearing wear. In the big picture it should be a small repair.