Dick -

Recently I had to remove mine to "straighten" it. (new boater stupidity -
don't ask...)

My boat is a '95 with me being the third owner. I didn't have the cap you
speak of, but mine was held on with a 1/2" hex-head bolt. You'll need a
three inch or longer extension also. The outdrive on mine is also an Alph
One, but there may be a difference in fasteners between different years (new
boater ignorance, but I'm teachable).

"Dick Smyth" wrote in message
...
I have to replace the little fin just above the prop on my Mercury Alpha
One
I/O. I understand its function is to counteract the natural tendency of a
power boat to skew to one side.
There is a little cap on the drive unit which pops off to provide
access.
Inside , down about two inches, there is some sort of bolt which secures
the
fin. But I can't figure out what kind of a fitting it is. I can't see
with
a small flashlight and groping with any number of different screwdriver
heads failed to connect.
In short, how the hell do I get the old broken fin off so I can install a
new one. It doesn't look like rocket science or something that needs
professional service but I tried every trick I could think of with no
luck.
Thanks
rps

--
"The difference between intelligence and stupidity is that intelligence
has
its limits."