Sterndrives/outdrives

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pappaecho

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It looks like my new secondhand cruiser will have sterndrives rather than shafts. Having many a happy hours changing cutless bearings, I have never been involved in servicing sterndrives outdrives or similar. Questions are
How often do they need servicing?
What does that entail?
What is the really bad news?
Can you buy reconditioned/service exchange?

Am I mad and should be committed?
 
Righto ere we go ancient outdrives.

Any boat of a certain age that has outdrives,will as a matter of course be cheaper than its shaft driven brother.This is because of the extra maintance that O/Ds need.Every two years give or take a month or two all the rubber ware MUST be replaced.It is not just the expence that takes its toll but the time involved.
The sort of boat you have been thinking about will have two of these things hanging off the back and both will need sorting.
Walk round any boat yard and be amazed at the number of boats with two big holes where the O/D should be,this is probably because the drives are away having various bits replaced due to water getting into the drive casing.If water has got in via drive bellows it can destroy the U/J and the transom bearings,(Engine out job)
If the unit have been serviced regularly by the previous owners/s,all you will have to do is to continue the same way,the problem comes when the previous owner has neglected to do all or any preventative servicing.
In a worse case scenerio a recondition unit is going to cost you around £1200 + VAT X 2 and that does not include lifting out and installation.It is of course cheaper to get your legs rebuilt.
All it boils down to is did previous owner look after the legs or not.Main Volvo legs you will come across are 270/280/290.If cared for they are tough as old boots.
Good Luck on your search,just make 100% sure somebody is not unloading their trouble on a unsuspecting you. :)
 
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I'Ve got out drives and as a novice everyone has told me they are far more difficult to handle than a boat with shafts.
In fact at the weekend, I met a guy who had just changed his boat from shafts, to outdrives and was having trouble getting used to them.
That said, some advice I was given on this forum was "Once you have mastered outdrives you will have no trouble handling any boat"
Good luck with your choice.
 
Our boat is outdrive propelled and we find it very easy to handle and manouvre. How much trouble yours will be will depend on how well it has been maintained. If you dont know when it was last serviced get it/them done for piece of mind. We had ours serviced at the begining of this year at a cost of £800. This was for a lift out, chock ashore, and all seals, bellows and oil. Watch some of the outdrive "services" as they only change the oil and bellows.

If the outdrive has been well maintained it should give many years of trouble free motoring, ignore it and it will be nothing but trouble.
 
oldgit said:
Walk round any boat yard and be amazed at the number of boats with two big holes where the O/D should be,this is probably because the drives are away having various bits replaced due to water getting into the drive casing.
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As part of the annual service you are supposed to remove the outdrive(s) and check the engine alignment (with the engine alignment tool). People who know what they are doing often then take the outdrive back to their workshop to service it, pressure test it and repaint it, before refitting again at the start of the season.

Also bear in mind that Volvo and Mercruiser outdrives are different and have different service requirements, but basic annual maintenance involves changing the oil and greasing the grease points - well within the capabilities of a DIY mechanic.
 
We have had both - currently out drives.

For preference of service ease and cost - shafts

For the ability to go anywhere - drives

Yes they cost a little bit more to service and you need to look after them

(make sure to check the date that the big jubilee clips on the bellows were last changed, this will indicate the age of the bellows, also if the boat has been out of the water for a while 1 year say, change the bellows beofre she goes back in as UV will have damaged the plastic and may crack, know this from experience ££££££££££££)

But the big joy of outdrives is the ability to lift them up into beach mode, we are able to ge into fantasticly shallow anchorages getting us away from the crowds.

Good luck and have fun
 
Don't like them myself but they have their advocates :-)

Just ask yourself. If I have an engine, a gearbox and a propellor, which am I happy to dangle in the wet stuff? Assuming all seals work as intended, matters not, but when seals go...
 
Sundowner Portofino said:
We have had both - currently out drives.

For preference of service ease and cost - shafts

For the ability to go anywhere - drives

Yes they cost a little bit more to service and you need to look after them

(make sure to check the date that the big jubilee clips on the bellows were last changed, this will indicate the age of the bellows, also if the boat has been out of the water for a while 1 year say, change the bellows beofre she goes back in as UV will have damaged the plastic and may crack, know this from experience ££££££££££££)

But the big joy of outdrives is the ability to lift them up into beach mode, we are able to ge into fantasticly shallow anchorages getting us away from the crowds.

Good luck and have fun
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We have a single shaft, with a skeg and prop protector. Can park on the beach :)
 
Outdrives are a fair bit more efficient than shafts so less fuel cost.

A competent DIYer could service both legs including changing the exhaust and UJ bellows in a day.
 
I know a guy who bought a Birchwood , with petrol engine (volvo four cylinder from the Daffodil derivative) Had it a week on a trailer just doing a few little bits, installing a radio etc. Backed the trailer down the slip and it nearly sank, they could not get it out fast enough. Guy nearly killed the broker, this was a 12K boat!
 
There is a lot of bad talk about outdrives and most of it is undeserved. There are many aging cruisers around still on old drives. They are fine as long as you maintain them. They also make for very manouverable boats. If you do ignore them then you will have trouble with them.
 
Bobobolinsky said:
I know a guy who bought a Birchwood , with petrol engine (volvo four cylinder from the Daffodil derivative) Had it a week on a trailer just doing a few little bits, installing a radio etc. Backed the trailer down the slip and it nearly sank, they could not get it out fast enough. Guy nearly killed the broker, this was a 12K boat!
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Sinking can happen to boats on shafts too

Johanda.jpg
 
I bought my boat 2 years ago, and had the outdrives serviced after the first season. Cost about £600 each. The techie reckoned this was the first time the bellows had been off, and she was 7 years old at the time, and had been used mainly in the sea. I expect to service again in 3 more years, so circa £400 per year. While being reasonably competant with maintenance, I decided that the need for some specialist tools, and relevant knowhow outweighed my cheapskatitis.

In terms of handling, I have never had shafts, so cannot comment, but find mine quite easy now, after a season of making mistakes, and getting very nervous in the marina. The bowthruster helps though. When mooring, or tight manoeuvering I do not use the steering, only fwd and rev on the 2 drives. Go at it slowly, and it is no problem.
 
rafiki_ said:
I bought my boat 2 years ago, and had the outdrives serviced after the first season. Cost about £600 each. The techie reckoned this was the first time the bellows had been off, and she was 7 years old at the time, and had been used mainly in the sea. I expect to service again in 3 more years, so circa £400 per year. While being reasonably competant with maintenance, I decided that the need for some specialist tools, and relevant knowhow outweighed my cheapskatitis.

In terms of handling, I have never had shafts, so cannot comment, but find mine quite easy now, after a season of making mistakes, and getting very nervous in the marina. The bowthruster helps though. When mooring, or tight manoeuvering I do not use the steering, only fwd and rev on the 2 drives. Go at it slowly, and it is no problem.
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If you plan to service a pair of outdrives every four years, expect to get lots and lots of trouble. They need some servicing every year and the bellows all changing every two years.
 
As paul said they need more looking after than every four years!!!!

I would say every two at an absolute max. We did ours in March after they where last done when we bought the boat in October 2008. This was pushing it and one of the anodes was very worn. On top of that we had water contamination in the outdrive oil. Had we left this it would have started to cause problems.
 
CX54WEK said:
As paul said they need more looking after than every four years!!!!

I would say every two at an absolute max. We did ours in March after they where last done when we bought the boat in October 2008. This was pushing it and one of the anodes was very worn. On top of that we had water contamination in the outdrive oil. Had we left this it would have started to cause problems.
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If you'd have tried to leave it four years, you'd most likely have needed an expensive rebuild or even a new leg. It's these types of service schedule that cause some of the bad publicity the legs get.
 
PaulGooch said:
If you'd have tried to leave it four years, you'd most likely have needed an expensive rebuild or even a new leg. It's these types of service schedule that cause some of the bad publicity the legs get.
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Exactly.

Ours are getting lifted and inspected once a year, oil changed every year, anodes if needed every year and then a full service including all seals and bellows every two years. It isnt worth skimping on maintaining the leg, it will only bite you back.
 
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