Saildrive Gaiter Replacement Volvo 120s

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D&T

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The time is approaching for mine to be replaced.

Has anyone had this done recently and can recommend a yard on the East Coast. Last time I had it done it cost of just over £800, but have had a quote over £1600 (assuming the metal ring does not need replacing ), evidently Volspec expect over £3000 including £300 travelling costs

Thanks for any advise.
 
nigelm said:
Having had mine done two years ago and having seen what was done etc , I’d be very tempted to diy , the kit of parts is around £300 ish , there’s loads of stuff on YouTube, where are you based and what boat is it ?
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I am in Burnham Yacht Harbour and the boat is a Maxi 1000, I believe the engine needs to be slid forward on its engine mounts a few inches.
 
D&T said:
The time is approaching for mine to be replaced.

Has anyone had this done recently and can recommend a yard on the East Coast. Last time I had it done it cost of just over £800, but have had a quote over £1600 (assuming the metal ring does not need replacing ), evidently Volspec expect over £3000 including £300 travelling costs

Thanks for any advise.
Click to expand...
£1600 seems high.

I had the following quote last year:
Sail Drive
To attend to vessel on hardstanding
Drain away sail drive oil
Dismantle sail drive
Lift into vessel and remove gaiter
Supply new gaiter
Clean bedding area
Refit sail drive with new gaiter
Inspect propeller, shaft and seals
Replace seal as required
Refill sail drive
Re-assemble sail drive
Once afloat test
A budget proposal of £800 to £1,200 plus Vat.

 
jimi said:
£1600 seems high.

I had the following quote last year:
Sail Drive
To attend to vessel on hardstanding
Drain away sail drive oil
Dismantle sail drive
Lift into vessel and remove gaiter
Supply new gaiter
Clean bedding area
Refit sail drive with new gaiter
Inspect propeller, shaft and seals
Replace seal as required
Refill sail drive
Re-assemble sail drive
Once afloat test
A budget proposal of £800 to £1,200 plus Vat.
Click to expand...
Can I ask who provided the quote? I assume the price range was in case the metal ring needed replacing
 
D&T said:
The time is approaching for mine to be replaced.

Has anyone had this done recently and can recommend a yard on the East Coast. Last time I had it done it cost of just over £800, but have had a quote over £1600 (assuming the metal ring does not need replacing ), evidently Volspec expect over £3000 including £300 travelling costs

Thanks for any advise.
Click to expand...
I would recommend that you do it yourself. It’s not difficult. The trickiest bit is moving the engine forward to disengage the saildrive splines. The saildrive actually forms the rear mount for the engine. I made up a couple of legs from 25mm, mild steel angle. These I bolted vertIcally to the existing rear engine mount positions on the engine, which are unused anyway. I then made up some packing pieces out of plywood topped with steel plate to act as beds for the legs. The packing should be adjusted so that the weight of the rear of the engine is transferred from the saildrive to the legs. Removing the bolts securing the engine’s front mounting feet will enable the whole engine to be slid forward surprisingly easily once the engine/saildrive split line bolts have been removed. Particularly if a little oil is applied to the base of the temporary legs. The saildrive can then be removed by lifting vertically. Personally, I would allow a full day for the job if it’s to be done properly.
Mike
 
If you are reasonably mechanically competent, it's easy to do yourself. As others have said, you just need to disconnect the connecting bolts, remove the engine mount bolts and slide the engine forward about three inches. Then the leg lifts into the boat and rotates backwards to come up and out. Splitting the leg and refitting the gaiter is easy. The kit comes with instructions. I found removing the ancilliaries (alternator, starter) and disconnecting the exhaust made it easier to shift the engine. Having someone to assist in refitting makes re-engaging the leg to engine easier. Oh! and don't forget to replace the outer rubber gaiter too. I've done it twice on my boat in the past twenty years.
 
D&T said:
I am in Burnham Yacht Harbour and the boat is a Maxi 1000, I believe the engine needs to be slid forward on its engine mounts a few inches.
Click to expand...

Agree with others who say do it yourself - I watched an engineer do mine and it really is just unbolting then bolting it back together again - longwinded yes - difficult no.

Chap in our Yacht Club (Marconi) did this some while ago on his Maxi 1000 - he describes it here Saildrive gaiter replacement – M-O-A
 
I have done mine twice; each time at the 7 year interval. The second time I managed it with no help whatsoever. The hardest part was getting the drive off & on the boat, onto the ground. I used the mainsheet block & tackle to raise & lower the second time. The first time my son just carried it down the ladder.

To re fit the splines into the engine I had a strop round the keel to tilt the drive as it tends to drop down at an angle. To slide the engine forward I just put some pieces of 12mm ply under the engine & eased it forward about 4 inches with a small nail bar .
I did it over 3 days. 4 hours to get it out then 3.5 hours at home to split the drive, change the shaft seals at the same time ( I had these fail after 8 years so decided to change at the second gaiter change) & abrade & paint the steel ring. Then 4.5 hours to get the shaft back on board & put it all back together.

I could easily have done it a couple of hours quicker if I had help. Just having someone to pass the spanners makes a difference, as does moving the engine whilst I line up the drive would save so much time. If you are going to engage an engineer, consider removing the panels & everything that might be in the way, yourself. It seems pointless paying for work that is simple, but costs you another 2 hours at £60 per hour. For me, 1.5 hours of the work was removing & replacing the access panels & beading bunk cushions etc & tyding up all the tools & mess afterwards.
The hours do not include prop removal/refit, nor did it include the outer seal. that was a separate operation. But i always take it off to clean anyway.
A chat to Volspec at Tolesbury gets one a discount on the gaiter.
 
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