Saildrive membrane change interval

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firstascent2002

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Hi Guys,

My saildrive membrane looks pristine. It is 8 years old. I really don;t want to change it this year due to the two weekend and £300 comittment which will co inside rather uncomfortably with the arrival of my first child...can I leave it?

OK, so I know the insurance implications and that aside, I doubt the boat will leave plymouth sound this year she is hardly going to be stretched.

Are there any souls out there who have older saildrive membranes?

Jamie
 
When I bought my boat 3 years ago I found the saildrive seal was dated 1984. It was still in good condition but showing the first sign of what looked like osmotic blistering.
 
We changed ours at 6 years and the engineer said they were starting to harden (been in the Caribbean mostly). I've known a boat with them unchanged for ten years. I suspect they could go on forever but then..... All depends on your attitude towards risk I think.
 
Mines a Volvo..... been in 12 years. Changing this year.

Looks fine from the outside... it will be interesting to see when we get it apart....

Might make a good bit for PBO.....
 
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saildrive gasket

Changed mine this year at 13 years old , both were still in really good condition , but almost double the Volvo change -by period (7 years). I estimated they would have gone another 5 years , there was very slight surface cracking , probably age related , but they are made from a really high quality rubber and built to last .
Apparently there has never been a recorded failure ,but changing them gives a substantial improvement on your state of mind when things are roughing up at sea !
 
firstascent2002 said:
Hi Guys,

My saildrive membrane looks pristine. It is 8 years old. I really don;t want to change it this year due to the two weekend and £300 comittment which will co inside rather uncomfortably with the arrival of my first child...can I leave it?

OK, so I know the insurance implications and that aside, I doubt the boat will leave plymouth sound this year she is hardly going to be stretched.

Are there any souls out there who have older saildrive membranes?

Jamie
Click to expand...
Planned preventative maintenance, give it a good going over, look at it, poke it, prod it, squeeze it if you can, push it away from the flange, any bulges or cracks or signs of deterioration then change it. If not I would make a note in the log, with pix as well and that a thorough check was made and no signs of deterioration. Bearing in mind and going slightly of topic, but it is pertinent, that a few years ago, EU law said that we couldnt do any more DIY electricing. Then all of a sudden it was changed to any one competent and following the relevant rules could do DIY!
Point being that if you have any competency then i would argue that a self certification for a year would do the biz!
If it looks ok, and doesnt have any cracks, its not as if its going to say to itself, Ah I am 7 years old this year, I am going to rupture!
Stu
 
Volvo Saildrive membrane

Changed ours this year after 9 years. Would have lasted a lot longer. Had very small pimples underneath, up in the top curve, but still flexible, no cracks or signs of perishing and would probably have lasted a lot more years.
 
firstascent2002 said:
It's a volvo...I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet....

How long do you think it will take the average DIYer?

Jamie
Click to expand...

I've changed mine twice now - Volvo 2001 with a 120S saildrive. Both times the old one was 11 years old and apart from some surface crazing they 'appeared' to be in servicable condition. If you wait another 5 years and train your child well, you can send him/her down to the rear of the engine with a spanner to undo all the bolts. :)

The access on my engine at the rear is really difficult so removal of the saildrive took the best part of a day as did refitting. I took the saildrive home to split it and fit the new diaphragm.

Probably just as important as the diaphragm is the condition of your engine mounts. Weak mounts allow much more movement and increase the wear on the diaphragm.
 
firstascent2002 said:
It's a volvo...I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet....

How long do you think it will take the average DIYer?
Click to expand...

I changed mine at 10 years. It looked identical, but felt less pliable. It took two people all day, and you need two people! Don't try and do it without moving the engine mounts, it won't work. Some big blocks of wood are handy. Before you start, spray some silicone lubricant on the exhaust hose joints, they are a bu**er to get off.

It's a good time to clear any debris and scale from the seawater intake, so be prepared to do this as well.
 
photodog said:
Mines a Volvo..... been in 12 years. Changing this year.

Looks fine from the outside... it will be interesting to see when we get it apart....

Might make a good bit for PBO.....
Click to expand...

OO ... please let us know - ours is the same age ... not changing this year though ... maybe next?
 
I had mine changed at 8 years and must admit I did not fancy the job myself. The whole unit needs to be disconnected from the engine, which had to go forward in my boat, the leg then needs removing and then split and this is best done on a bench. Bear in mind that it not only acts as the seal to keep the sea out, but also as the gasket between the various channels in the leg some of which contain oil and gears and some the cooling water. When mine was split it was clear to see that there was some creep from the cooling water towards the oily ones but fortunately it had not gone the whole way. How common a problem this might be I am afraid I don't know.
 
Yeah, I saw that... but it would be fun to do a realllly old one! (And subsidise the work..... maybe sailing today..)
 
photodog said:
Well... its on the list... but if your not going to... :D
Click to expand...

Only cos we're staying in this year ... we had a month out during the summer to deal with the log fitting and got coppercoated at the same time ...
Checked the seal underneath then - it looked fine ... but it's always at the back of my mind ... as it will be when a new one is put in - was it done correctly - has it sealed ok?
 
photodog said:
Yeah, I saw that... but it would be fun to do a realllly old one! (And subsidise the work..... maybe sailing today..)
Click to expand...

both magazines have already done the job and written it up.

Changed mine at 10 years, but mainly because a new leg was needed.

Volvo fitters (2) did the swap in a day - started at 9, installed and running by 4. Normally a 2 day job for a DIY - one day to get out, second day to put back in. Biggest prblem is access - easy on my Bav 37 as two people can work on it at the same time. In some installations (like mine) you have to take the prop shaft out first otherwise the leg wont come up through the hole, so good time to change the lower seals as well.
 
I got Volspec down to do mine and unfortunately it meant either altering some joinery or the underside of the boat as it is glassed in. We decided on the day to leave it until I get the access sorted out.

The engineer was surprised I was so bothered about doing the change (1995 boat) and said that they were starting to see the sail drive model before mine being changed from their original rubbers 20 years plus.

He said keep an eye on the zinc ring as corrosion here can create a sharp edge that cuts in to the rubber.

Planning on doing it this winter, probably....
 
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