Sterndrive or Inboard ?

[MapisM]

It would be great if someone could expand on the reasons why a shaft drive would be better, rather than just implying its bleedin' obvious. If it was bleedin' obvious to the newbie, I would not have asked the question! Your patience is much appreciated, R.

Guilty as charged for having said clearly enough (rather than just implied!), that it's bleedin' obvious.
Otoh, ahem, it is, for most folks with even the slightest boating experience.
Which you obviously have, after "many years of sailing" - though I guess that the "sans engine" should have given me a clue...

I could add other minor reasons on top of those that were already mentioned, but the basic one is philosophical, sort of.
Outdrives were invented, designed and built with one single goal in mind - i.e. making planing boats go faster.
To achieve that result, several tricky mechanical issues had to be addressed (power transmission through one angle variable on two axis, plus a second angle fixed but at 90°, all waterproofed, etc.).
And they were addressed, pretty effectively.
But it still remains a sophisticated mechanical component, which needs maintenance, and whose main advantage (efficiency at speed) is totally pointless on a displacement boat.

Btw, what simonfraser said re. "needing" outdrives if you want to take the ground is total nonsense.
A single engine, keel enclosed prop D boat, possibly with bilge keels, is perfect for that.
The only slightly better alternative in this respect is an outboard, as BruceK suggested - just because it eliminates also the risk of cluttering the sea water intake.

 

[KevB]

Just picking up on some of the comments that outdrives have to handle their power transmission through various angles.. how many sub 30' and possibly 40' boats on shafts have 'V' drives which is much more of an acute angle than a 'Z' drive.

 

[Murv]

Just picking up on some of the comments that outdrives have to handle their power transmission through various angles.. how many sub 30' and possibly 40' boats on shafts have 'V' drives which is much more of an acute angle than a 'Z' drive.

I'd be interested to know that, I thought it was only the real high-speed racing type boats that use a V drive.
I actually quite like the idea of them, although it is a very acute angle, it's fixed and doesn't have to be able to pivot so does away with the UJ for one thing.
It's also only one sharp angle as opposed to the 2 in a leg.
Absolutely no idea how practical/reliable they are in practice though,

 

[Oscar S. Reedy]

Sterndrive is a better option.

 

[Tranona]

Just picking up on some of the comments that outdrives have to handle their power transmission through various angles.. how many sub 30' and possibly 40' boats on shafts have 'V' drives which is much more of an acute angle than a 'Z' drive.

Very few, and although more complicated than a straight shaft drive has none of the issues specific to stern drives. The V box is a very straightforward bit of mechanical engineering and is as reliable and long lived as conventional boxes. The shaft angle is often no more than a straight shaft. The advantage of a V drive is that it gets the engine aft in the same way as a stern drive, but it often ends up higher in the boat so is more suited to deep V single engine. However downside is it means the engine is turned through 180 degrees and most engines have service points at the front as they assume the engine is installed forwards.

 

[oldgit]

God sent many things to annoy men in the form of expence, waiting around and frustration..
Three of them were .......
Woman.
Old age
Outdrives.

 

[[164147]]

A sterndrive is far less complicated than an automatic or DSG gearbox in a car - you don't see people going on and on about those...

 

[Firefly625]

A sterndrive is far less complicated than an automatic or DSG gearbox in a car - you don't see people going on and on about those...

as a general rule they don't tend to be left submerged in salt water.

 

[R400]

Word of warning , not all stern drive installations clear the ground.
Just sayin

 

[lionelz]

God sent many things to annoy men in the form of expence, waiting around and frustration..
Three of them were .......
Woman.
Old age
Outdrives.

I wondered how long until you arrived

 

[billg]

A sterndrive is far less complicated than an automatic or DSG gearbox in a car - you don't see people going on and on about those...

True, but they aren't manufactured in the same numbers, don't have the same development budget and consequently aren't designed to run with minimal maintenance. So far as I can see a properly specified and maintained outdrive leg will perform as advertised for the whole of its design life. But if, as the OP suggests, one is buying a used example, I think it would pay to make careful investigations of the previous owner's attention to regular servicing.

 

[oldgit]

A sterndrive is far less complicated than an automatic or DSG gearbox in a car - you don't see people going on and on about those...

We have an automatic repair workshop in a unit adjacent to us,you may well take a different view of things were you to stand outside for a short while.
The cost of repair of outdrives does not usually mean the boat is not worth repairing.
Some vehicles are literally abandoned by the owners due to expence of repair.
A quick Google for DSG gearboxes would produce info on fairly large numbers failing.

When new,the purchaser of the boat has probably got the incentive and funding to be able to service the units in the correct manner. The cost of servicing being a small proportion of the boats value. It is as the boat slides down the food chain that the extra expense of servicing each and every year starts to take its toll. With a major rebuild recommended every few years,a backlog of repairs starts to rack up,it is usually a unfortunate new owner who gets lumbered,the seller skipping and dancing away,considerably wiser.
They say a boat owner has two happy days ,the one when he buys the boat and one when he sells it.
You can add to that any day after you flog a boat with outdrives.

 

[canveyrover]

Having just gone from outdrives to shaft after 10 years i would say shafts every time.The boat is much easer to use at low speed quicker to respond to comands.I do have twins but so did the old boat.Big plus is the outdrives would kick up in reverse, shafts can not.Less maintance no more having to take the legs of every year to replace bellows

 

[scottie]

Having just gone from outdrives to shaft after 10 years i would say shafts every time.The boat is much easer to use at low speed quicker to respond to comands.I do have twins but so did the old boat.Big plus is the outdrives would kick up in reverse, shafts can not.Less maintance no more having to take the legs of every year to replace bellows

Kicking up in reverse is incorrect adjustment not an inherent fault

 

[[164147]]

We have an automatic repair workshop in a unit adjacent to us,you may well take a different view of things were you to stand outside for a short while.
The cost of repair of outdrives does not usually mean the boat is not worth repairing.
Some vehicles are literally abandoned by the owners due to expence of repair.
A quick Google for DSG gearboxes would produce info on fairly large numbers failing.

When new,the purchaser of the boat has probably got the incentive and funding to be able to service the units in the correct manner. The cost of servicing being a small proportion of the boats value. It is as the boat slides down the food chain that the extra expense of servicing each and every year starts to take its toll. With a major rebuild recommended every few years,a backlog of repairs starts to rack up,it is usually a unfortunate new owner who gets lumbered,the seller skipping and dancing away,considerably wiser.
They say a boat owner has two happy days ,the one when he buys the boat and one when he sells it.
You can add to that any day after you flog a boat with outdrives.

You could apply your logic to any mechanical item and end up with a horse and cart

Is this you by any chance?!

 

[MapisM]

Sterndrive is a better option.

I am quoting this post (the first from a new user - someone who services outdrives, I guess... Welcome to the asylum, anyway!) as the one which summarizes better some BS which has been posted in this thread.

Folks, aside from the somewhat misleading title, it's crystal clear that the OP is not interested in these religion fights, but in a 30' displacement boat.
Anyone suggesting to a newbie (his own words) to even consider outdrives for THIS SPECIFIC APPLICATION should be ashamed, period.

And for the records, I bought 5 outdrive powered boats through the years: twin, single, diesel and petrol. ranging from 21' to 34', and capable of anywhere between 35 and 62 knots.
I wouldn't even dream to suggest SHAFTS for that sort of boats.
Along the same lines, suggesting outdrives for a 30' displacement boat is beyond a joke, and pretending that anyone who is saying the opposite is an old fart luddite goes a long way in explaining how solid the technical reasoning is... :ambivalence: