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All - thanks for all your kind advice. 

Just a quick update to close this thread...I opened the coupling and the shaft has broken right where the set screws are :-(  There is some evidence of corrosion (some green) in there so it looks like it was fatiguing slowly over time (its a 15 year boat with 820 hours on the engine).

Going to need a new shaft...a mechanic friend of mine is going to help me with this.  It is (or sadly was) a brass shaft.  Going with stainless steel this time around.

Anyway - thanks again.

Stu (and everyone) - thanks - good advice.  It may well be the key - but don't I need to open the coupling to access the key?

If I remove the coupling, will the shaft pull through the hull?  Do I need to secure the shaft prior to removing the coupling?  If yes - how to secure it?  Put an extra anode on it?  Would a simple hose clamp with some para-cord attached on the shaft do the trick?  Just don't want to open a can of worms.

thanks in advance.

Well - turning the shaft itself turns the coupling.  turning the coupling does not turn the shaft - only the coupling turns.  I did not try turning the shaft and holding the coupling, but I agree with your assessment that the shaft seems loose in the coupling.

I am a bit new to diesels...I will first see if I can turn the set screw on the back half.  if that does not fix it is there anything to worry about removing the coupling and either putting it back on or replacing it?

Here is a photo...

to be clear, if I turn the shaft itself by hand the shaft and the coupling both turn.  if I turn the shaft by grabbing the coupling only the coupling turns - not the shaft.  I did not see anything sheared off.

Hi - I was motoring yesterday and my prop stopped turning.  The engine was running and I had the transmission in FORWARD but the prop & shaft were not turning.  I had thought maybe the shaft became uncoupled from the engine.  I spoke to a mechanic I know and he suggested 3 things:  (1) maybe the transmission cable came disconnected, (2) transmission fluid low/out, (3) prop shaft uncoupled.

I checked today - the tranny cable is fine and functioning correctly.  Fluid was a bit low, but the colour was fine.  The coupling was visually ok...now here is where I am confused.  I can turn the shaft by hand right in front (forward) of the stuffing box and it turns fine.  If I turn it at the coupler the couple turns by itself but not the shaft.  I am guessing this is not supposed to happen?  All of the bolts on the coupler seem tight and nothing looks out of place.

Can someone help?

Thanks in advance.

I have a radar dome mounted on a 'pole' (a Garhauer radar mast) attached to my stern rail on my Cat 34 Mk II and it works very nicer.  I also have my GPS antenna mounted there.  That would be my advice.

I had two pins in my ST4000 break in a 300 mile offshore race.  When I got back home I did what Ken Juul suggested - drilled out the rollers and fastened them to the back of the ST4000 wheel drive with S/S bolts.  Its held nicely ever since. 

FYI - Raymarine has told me that the ST4000 was not very well designed/built and was not designed for heavy winds/seas.  If and when I replace my AP I am thinking about a below deck model.

I did have a leaking handrail on my 2000 C34 MK II.  It was the second from the aft attachment on the port side (right over the nav station).  I was able to fix it by backing that one bolt off (slightly) along with the one either side it (the one in the head and the one over the port settee).  With the help of a friend, I gently lifted the rail and put an generous portion of 4200 around the hole and re-seated the rail and then tightened up the bolts.  It worked very well.  (I needed to back up the one bolt either side in order to get the rail up enough to get the 4200 underneath).