How old is your saildrive?

[Habebty]

My Selva saildrive is 20 years old and may have been in production for a few years before it was installed. It is now obsolete and spares difficult to source. Without stirring up the perennial debate of saildrive v shaft, is there a make/model that has stood the test of time? Will add that my saildrive/engine combination has been very good for the whole twenty years, and still very serviceable, but not happy it is no longer supported by the manufacturer.

 

[Tranona]

Yes. As I said in response to your other question Volvo is way better than your existing drive. Total failure is very rare, although I have had the experience! However it was not the drive but the clutch pack in the reduction box which is the same as a shaft drive. Result of 7 years' abuse by charterers. Consequences were contaminated oil wrecking the bearings in the drive. Otherwise there are thousands still in use going back to the late 1970s. Even the basic and most common 120 was designed for 55hp so under no stress with 20 and 30hp engines. Usual caveats are to keep oil clean and inspect and replace lower drive oil seals if any sign of water in the oil.

Only very small numbers of Selva drives were made partly because of the design but mainly because it along with other makes could not break the duopoly of Volvo and Yanmar in the OE market to get any volume

I don't know whether a Volvo drive will fit easily in your boat, but it can be matched to a Beta engine. However a new one costs almost as much as an engine (over £5k) whereas a complete package with 30hp engine is less than £10k. The going rate for a used 120 or 130 drive with new seals and diaphragm is about £1500.

 

[Habebty]

Yes. As I said in response to your other question Volvo is way better than your existing drive. Total failure is very rare, although I have had the experience! However it was not the drive but the clutch pack in the reduction box which is the same as a shaft drive. Result of 7 years' abuse by charterers. Consequences were contaminated oil wrecking the bearings in the drive. Otherwise there are thousands still in use going back to the late 1970s. Even the basic and most common 120 was designed for 55hp so under no stress with 20 and 30hp engines. Usual caveats are to keep oil clean and inspect and replace lower drive oil seals if any sign of water in the oil.

Only very small numbers of Selva drives were made partly because of the design but mainly because it along with other makes could not break the duopoly of Volvo and Yanmar in the OE market to get any volume

I don't know whether a Volvo drive will fit easily in your boat, but it can be matched to a Beta engine. However a new one costs almost as much as an engine (over £5k) whereas a complete package with 30hp engine is less than £10k. The going rate for a used 120 or 130 drive with new seals and diaphragm is about £1500.

I would need to replace the fibreglass bed for any new saildrive, (therein lies the main issue) so all in with 20hp engine, new bed, and Seaprop saildrive, Beta quoted £11k plus fitting.
Beta will supply a conversion kit from my existing BD722 to a Seaprop but would still need a new bed.

 

[johnalison]

My Volvo one dates from 2000. It has never occurred to me that it might wear out. I imagine that I'm between 2 & 3000 hrs but my engine hours display needs replacing.

 

[Tranona]

I would need to replace the fibreglass bed for any new saildrive, (therein lies the main issue) so all in with 20hp engine, new bed, and Seaprop saildrive, Beta quoted £11k plus fitting.
Beta will supply a conversion kit from my existing BD722 to a Seaprop but would still need a new bed.

So the Seaprop is different from the Selva, but is the Selva the same as a Volvo, or can easily be modified?

If a new bed is needed in both cases then I would definitely go for a Volvo D1 20 with a standard 130 drive. No issue with a Beta engine (I have one) but why buy a limited production drive and run the same risk as Selva down the line? Nothing wrong with the D! engine. I had a D1 30/130 saildrive in my Bavaria and it was fine. If however you do go Beta then consider a 25 rather than a 20 which is marginal with the displacement of your boat.

 

[Halo]

Unless you are setting off on a mega journey just use it ,with due maintenance until you have a problem. Plenty of things wear out without looking for more.

 

[Kwik Decision]

As you may well be aware, the upgraded engine/saildrive option on the 290 was the Yanmar 3YM30 and SD20. I hate to think how much you'd pay for a new Yanmar set-up, but at least it should fit. If it needs a different bed, then Andy Middleton, who acquired various 290 stuff, maybe able to help.