Saildrives

Caer Urfa

Caer Urfa

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Is changing the seal on a saildrive rocket science or an easy job for the more mechanical average DIY minded of us.

I guess' rightly or wrongly' its a two man job at times if bolts go through the hull ??
 
Yes, it's a 2-man job, as the leg needs to be supported from underneath to detach it from the engine. It also involves pulling the engine a few inches forward, so there's a bit of work involved. When mine eventually needs doing, I'm going to get the local Volvo Penta guys to replace it for me.
 
pvb said:
Yes, it's a 2-man job, as the leg needs to be supported from underneath to detach it from the engine. .
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The Volvo unit has mounting holes for temporary “legs” to support the front end (the normal mount supports the rear) while the engine is detached. I haven’t tried out how practical this is.

Pete
 
Never done it myself but PBO did an article on a it a few years back and there are a number of YouTube videos on how to do it. In addition, when you get the new diaphragm kit it also includes a step by step instruction leaflet. None of it looks difficult, just fairly hard physical work moving the engine and then removing the drive unit itself.
I’d bought the kit, intending to do the job myself but got the yard to do it in the end.
 
duncan99210 said:
Never done it myself but PBO did an article on a it a few years back and there are a number of YouTube videos on how to do it. In addition, when you get the new diaphragm kit it also includes a step by step instruction leaflet. None of it looks difficult, just fairly hard physical work moving the engine and then removing the drive unit itself.
I’d bought the kit, intending to do the job myself but got the yard to do it in the end.
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Recently watched a Sail Life video on this subject. It can be found here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwD0T9skkTE
Mads thought it worthwhile to buy a torque wrench,
 
Caer Urfa said:
Is changing the seal on a saildrive rocket science or an easy job for the more mechanical average DIY minded of us.

I guess' rightly or wrongly' its a two man job at times if bolts go through the hull ??
Click to expand...

I've replaced mine twice virtually on my own (Volvo 2001 and 120S saildrive). The bolts don't go through the hull. The only help I needed was to push the saildrive up into the hull once it had been detached from the gearbox. The access to the back of my engine is appalling. I have to crawl down a quarter berth, around a 180° turn in front of the rudder tube then back to the saildrive. I have to work at arms length whilst supporting my body over a space.

I took the saildrive home to fit the new seal. It's all reasonably easy technically (but in my case not physically). Just follow the instructions that come with the seal. Keyparts sell a much cheaper seal than Volvo. I don't know why it is so expensive because it just looks like a fan belt in cross section.

I found my sealing ring had started to corrode the second time I did it so I had it powder coated. If you have an older engine, check the engine number to make sure it's not one of those susceptible to spline wear. Check the spline wear on the gearbox input shaft anyway.

Edit - I also removed the saildrive once to have a new seacock and prop shaft fitted.
 
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As said it is a fairly straightforward job if a little tedious. Access is key - some installations have bits of furniture in the way which may or may not be removable. In my old boat it was easier to remove the front lower housing and shaft to enable the leg to be removed without hitting a bulkhead, but this meant the lower seals could be replaced at the same time. The Volvo dealer did the job with 2 men comfortably in a day but a DIY is probably best done over two days - out one day in the next as this also allows time for cleaning up parts of the engine bay that are difficult when everything is in place.
 
CU - You didn't say if yours is a Volvo. The work involved with other makes may differ from my experience.
 
I changed my Yanmar saildrive rubbers a while ago. I made a "how I did it" document ready for next time and will send you a copy if you PM me. You should also buy a download of the PBO article on how to do the job.
In my case I also needed to replace the engine a/v mounts - it is worth checking them visually in before you start the job.
I found it a feasible but demanding job in the January snow !!
 
Caer Urfa said:
Is changing the seal on a saildrive rocket science or an easy job for the more mechanical average DIY minded of us.

I guess' rightly or wrongly' its a two man job at times if bolts go through the hull ??
Click to expand...

No bolts through the hull, they go into nuts embedded in the combined saildrive and engine mount (which is glassed to the hull). It's a one person job that is made easier if you have another person when removing/installing the saildrive leg. Here's a better video of the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_Bv7_tAOY4

Done it in 2015 (with no outside help, just a rope similar to the video) on a MD22/120S-E and wasn't a big deal. Instruction comic book came with the new diaphragm kit. Moving the engine is the hardest part. Unlike the chap in the video above I had better access and managed to get a timber under the engine rear to support it. Then a rope around the compression post with both ends to the engine mounts and pulling up on those slid the ~200kg engine forward far enough to disconnect the gearbox.

Good opportunity to touch up the paint and antifoul the leg all the way up while you have it out :)

saildrive1.jpg

saildrive2.jpg
 
Dipper said:
CU - You didn't say if yours is a Volvo. The work involved with other makes may differ from my experience.
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Yes a 1984 Volvo 2002,

I have not bought the boat yet but wanted to do my homework before finally considering it, the stern drive is totally new to me and after watching a Youtube video of replacing one
I think going back to a conventional gearbox/shaft/stuffing box/rubber stern tube/cutlass bearing sterngear sounds a lot easier AND at least getting at the job is easier :)

Many thanks to all
 
Check the engine number. Engines prior to no 2300059128 are at risk of spline failure. This happens suddenly with absolutely no warning.

I wouldn't dismiss a boat with a saildrive. I've never heard of a problem with them but have heard of problems with shaft drives including one in our club that fell out.
 
Caer Urfa said:
Yes a 1984 Volvo 2002,

I have not bought the boat yet but wanted to do my homework before finally considering it, the stern drive is totally new to me and after watching a Youtube video of replacing one
I think going back to a conventional gearbox/shaft/stuffing box/rubber stern tube/cutlass bearing sterngear sounds a lot easier AND at least getting at the job is easier :)

Many thanks to all
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I would be more concerned about the old engine rather than the drive. Saildrives are really trouble free compared with conventional stern gear although if the drive does fail it is really expensive - the best option is often a complete engine/drive replacement. However it is common for engines to get to the replacement stage before drives and Beta do a conversion to mate one of their engines to the drive.
 
Tranona said:
I would be more concerned about the old engine rather than the drive. Saildrives are really trouble free compared with conventional stern gear although if the drive does fail it is really expensive - the best option is often a complete engine/drive replacement. However it is common for engines to get to the replacement stage before drives and Beta do a conversion to mate one of their engines to the drive.
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How do you work out that stern drives are troublesome compared to saildrives? Do you have proof to back up that claim? From my limitied experience looking around Curacao Marine this summer, the number of stripped down saildrives from catamarans was remarkable. I dont have statistics but there were over a dozen stripped out compared to a couple of conventional drives having cutlass bearings replaced. If it takes two guys a day to replace the rubber then that is a serious cost. I replaced my cutlass bearing in less than two hours. In addition, the corrosion potential with aluminium under water has to be taken seriously. I know of one ten year old boat with a saildrive who didnt look after the corrosion aspects and has had to have a new saildrive.
 
Tranona said:
I would be more concerned about the old engine rather than the drive. Saildrives are really trouble free compared with conventional stern gear although if the drive does fail it is really expensive - the best option is often a complete engine/drive replacement. However it is common for engines to get to the replacement stage before drives and Beta do a conversion to mate one of their engines to the drive.
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I found this from across the pond. https://www.boats.com/reviews/all-about-saildrives/
They conclude that conventional stern gear is cheaper to maintain and more reliable with less risk of catastrophic failure.
They state that is cheap for builders to install, saves weight in the ends and its quieter that convention sterngear. A couple of quotes from American builders who refuse to use it as its inferior to conventional sterngear
 
Having usually serviced all my past boat engines myself ' IF' I buy this boat many suggest getting the engine and saildrive serviced, but other than changing the saildrive oil what else is there to service on a saildrive ?
 
I have not done the job myself but got an engineer in to do it. One comment he made was that to move the engine forward the amount needed he thought he had removed nearly a hundred screws holding the companionway in place. He was probably exaggerating but it emphasises the point already made that access is what can make it time consuming.
 
'IF' you do go ahead and buy a Steadfast I'd be very interested to hear how you get on. I was rather keen on them.
 
Caer Urfa said:
Having usually serviced all my past boat engines myself ' IF' I buy this boat many suggest getting the engine and saildrive serviced, but other than changing the saildrive oil what else is there to service on a saildrive ?
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There's an anode to replace as necessary which involves removing the propeller. A fairly easy job. The prop shaft seals can wear allowing water into the oil and may also cause wear on the shaft itself. A slightly more difficult DIY job to replace the seals but if the shaft is worn you may need a repair kit or a new (expensive) shaft. This may require professional fitting. Saildrives are more expensive to repair than conventional shaft drives when faults develop but I personally wouldn't be put off if I was looking for another boat. They are relatively smooth and quiet in operation.
 
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