Steve,

Just received a message from my friend:

"I think I got a handle on this squeal problem. A few days ago I tried
something I have been thinking of doing for a while. It might sound
like a nutty thing to do.

Two 3/8" water circulation holes (port and stb) are drilled just in
front of the bearing as the cutless comes out of the deadwood.
I thought maybe not enough water was circulating to the bearing
because of coral growth on the shaft and bearing within the stern
tube. So, I blocked off one of the holes, fitted a plastic tube
connected to a squeegee bottle that was filled with about a cup of
Muriatic acid. With mask and fins I slowly squeezed the acid into the
hole (and thru the bearing). LOTS of large bubbles flowed out of the
bearing as the coral got eaten. Yesterday we made a 50 mile run to
Fethiye Turkey with only a hint of the problem. I will squirt a little
more in but I think it's solved."

Hope that helps.

Les