Volvo Forums - Volvo Enthusiasts Forum - Volvo GXI 5.0 SX-A Stuck in Neutral

I have a 2007 Volvo SX-A outdrive and last time on the water it refused to go back into neutral. I had to trickle back into the dock and turn it off in gear. I figured shift cable was bad but I disconnected the linkage and I was able to shift smoothly at the control arm with it disconnected from the drive. I checked the service records and it looks like last year (previous owner) had the Shift Shaft mechanism sealed and replaced. I was able to tap the shift mechanism lightly with a hammer and move it back in neutral for now but its very stiff hence why it was stuck at the control arm. After tapping with a hammer and moving to neutral I put the boat on some muffs and reconnected the gear assembly to see if the problem fixed itself and stuck in gear again so something is very stiff in the shift mechanism at the drive end. Would you recommend doing this Shift Shaft Seal repair a second time and seeing if it fixes the issue or would you guess there is a bigger problem like a cone clutch issue etc? Dealership said if it is the cone clutch its a $2,500 repair and I am trying to figure some things out on my end so I dont get ripped off or miss the last few weeks of boating season if it is something that could be much simpler.