FYI for all you lucky owners of 30 plus O'days. If you too have a strut that disappears into the hull without any visable bolts on the outer hull, and if you too have a mystery leak that only occurs when the boat "squats" in the water either underpower or under sail, have I got a surprize for you. For the past three season I have been sponging up water whenever I motored over 4.5knots or sailed over 5.0 knots. The water appeared to flow from under the fuel tank and filled under the engine bed until it ran into the bilge. I tried to convince my mechanic that it was the strut. He told be, essentiall. "you're crazy!" "Highly unlikely." I replace all the thru-hulls, made sure there was grease in the rudder and that the bushings were where they were suppose to be and it still leaked. In July I had problems with my Hurth Gears and decided to upgrade and replace the transmission. I figured this was a good time to replacethe rear-main seal and the seaping oil pan gasket as well. The easiest was was to pull the engine. I figured as long as the engine was out lets take a look under the fuel tank! I drained the fuel tank, cut the tabbing and removed the tank. guess what, the strut was leaking! The strut is molded into a sleave...depending on how well the sleave was closed, there in is the problem. Mine was not bedded or glasses properly. A little beit of grinding and filling and glass work had the job done right, finally afet 16 years! Take heart all you die hard O'day fans...if you have leak from under your fuel tank..."it's the strut!"