V drive advantages/disadvantages

[steve1963]

Just out of interest, what would be the relative advantages or disadvantages of a v drive onboard compared to a direct shaft drive for a sailing yacht?

 

[TernVI]

None.
It's about where you put the weight/mass of the engine.
In a powerboat, aft works well. In a sailing boat there is no great upside to putting the engine close to the transom.

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Tern dismisses the one actual advantage.
Putting the engine in the centre of the boat as low as possible is advantageous. Everything else required to do that is disadvantageous.

 

[Bajansailor]

One disadvantage I have noticed (while doing surveys on boats) is that with the shaft coupling (and often the stern gland) under the engine, rather than behind it with a 'conventional' shaft installation, you do need arms like an orangutan to reach the coupling and the stern gland.

And even if you can actually reach it at the tips of your fingers, you invariably can't see it (as the engine is in the way), so you are effectively working blind.

However if there is a cardan shaft between the engine and the gear box, separating them by perhaps a metre or so, then the access is usually much improved.

 

[bushwacka]

My newly acquired sailboat has a V-drive. While I appreciate the extra cabin space this engine placement allows, I am not keen on the shaft seal being hidden away and practically inaccessible under the gearbox. While generally very relaible, a stern gland is also safety critical component that should be inspected every now and then and most designs require periodic maintenance. The only way to access it that I can see is by removing the Hurth gearbox, doubt this is a straightforward job, can anyone advise?

 

[Bajansailor]

Bushwacka, you probably need to find somebody with VERY long arms.
What type of sailboat have you just acquired?