Saildrives..... Good or Bad.....????
Capt Kudzu
Are Saildrives any good for a cruising boat?? What maker is best?
Jonathan Ho
Capt Kudzu wrote:
>
> Are Saildrives any good for a cruising boat?? What maker is best?
Never had experience with saildrive.
Nonsuch 30 used to come in either a saildrive or a regular inboard.
Now you can pick up one with saildrive for $50k while one with an inboard
cost $60k. Is the market trying to tell us someting?
--
Jonathan Ho
The Winning Formula http://www.front.net/post/sailrace.htm
Paul Duffy
Jonathan Ho <po...@front.net> wrote:
I've been looking into this a bit lately (Nonsuch 30's). Without
exception the word has been to avoid the saildrive boats, particularly
in salt water. They evidently require special zincs that are hard to
obtain, are harder to service, it is harder to find someone who knows
how to service them, they are more subject to corrosion that a plain
old prop/shaft, etc. Nonsuch shifted away from the saildrives to a
more conventional setup in the early 80s.
P.D.
bar...@actionsys.com
In article <51c6po$n...@news-central.tiac.net>,
paul....@northstarcmc.com (Paul Duffy) wrote:
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>From: paul....@northstarcmc.com (Paul Duffy)
>Newsgroups: rec.boats.cruising
>Subject: Re: Saildrives..... Good or Bad.....????
>Date: Fri, 13 Sep 1996 17:47:46 GMT
>Organization: Northstar Technologies
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I'm sorry, but I gotta ask:
What's a Saildrive?
Scott W. Manzi
'73 Pearson 26
#568
"Temporary Sanity"
Jonathan Ho
>
> I'm sorry, but I gotta ask:
>
> What's a Saildrive?
>
Saildrive is like a built-in outboard motor for sailboats, sort of.
The engine is no different from an inboard, but the drive unit extends
down from the engine unit. The drive mechanism resembles an outboard
drive unit. The drive unit is mounted inboard the vessel, below the
waterline.
Melges 30 is a current production that employs a saildrive.
There is a drawing at:
http://paw.com/sail/melges/m30deck.gif
John Fox
Jon,
> Never had experience with saildrive.
>
> Nonsuch 30 used to come in either a saildrive or a regular inboard.
> Now you can pick up one with saildrive for $50k while one with an inboard
> cost $60k. Is the market trying to tell us someting?
The OMC gas saildrives had corrosion problems and some poor engineering
features and gave saildrives a bad name for a number of years.
The units from Yanmar and Volvo hold up well and are very smooth and quiet.
If the Nonsuch 30 could be had with a Yanmar saildrive for $10,000 less,
you should grab it laugh all the way to the bank!
John
Michael Malone
John Fox (fo...@ma.ultranet.com) wrote:
: Jon,
: > Now you can pick up one with saildrive for $50k while one with an inboard
: > cost $60k. Is the market trying to tell us someting?
: . . . .
: The units from Yanmar and Volvo hold up well and are very smooth and quiet.
: If the Nonsuch 30 could be had with a Yanmar saildrive for $10,000 less,
: you should grab it laugh all the way to the bank!
: John
Well, yes the market is dealing in its usual currency which is more
psychology than reality perhaps.
My story is that I purchased a new Niagara 31 with S-drive, with much
trepidation and soul searching (the price was right). People in our area
had been having serious problems with them on Nonsuches. Now after 16
years it is still intact. The only 2 secrets I know are (a) NEVER to
ground the electrical system to the keel (It will set up electrolysis and
eat up the S-drive in a year if youre lucky), and (b) haul out annually
and keep a very good coating on the S-drive body, the prop hub and the
prop. blades.
Oh yes, and secret number 3 (of 2) dont use a masthead VHF antenna unless
you unbond the mast from the keel or rig a DC block in the coax lead.
This is another sneaky way of setting up an electrlysios path via the
coax shield and the VHF radio ground connection.
Just one persons story. Wish I could say I laughed all the way to the
bank. I didnt crack a smile til I go the sucker paid off a few years ago.
- Mike
Sean Holland
In a previous article, po...@front.net (Jonathan Ho) says:
>> I'm sorry, but I gotta ask:
>> What's a Saildrive?
>
>Saildrive is like a built-in outboard motor for sailboats, sort of.
>
>The engine is no different from an inboard, but the drive unit extends
>down from the engine unit. The drive mechanism resembles an outboard
>drive unit. The drive unit is mounted inboard the vessel, below the
>waterline.
>
Was aboard a Pajot 36' this past weekend, which is equipt with twin sail
drive units. Lots of aluminum and stainless steel, which I found not my
favorite. Also found that we lost port propellor without any advanced
warning. The propellor attachment is more like an outboard than that on
most inboards. My experience causes me to lean towards an inboard with
shaft rather than the Sail Drive. Good Sailing,
--
Sean F. Holland
S/V Spindrift NP2AU
au...@lafn.org
William S. Harrison
OMC made saildrives in early 80's..Had probles as they were
really outboards fixed in place. There is a sail drive internet group
that posts fixes, parts.
Volvo and others have diesels that have sail drive legs available. A sail
drive is the least drag producing proplellor system, if it uses a folding
prop.
--
***************************************#
William S. Harrison
"Why did Kamakazi Pilots wear helmits?"#
Edgewater MD #
wsha...@annap.infi.net #
*****************************#
John Fox
Michael ,
> years it is still intact. The only 2 secrets I know are (a) NEVER to
> ground the electrical system to the keel (It will set up electrolysis and
> eat up the S-drive in a year if youre lucky), and (b) haul out annually
> and keep a very good coating on the S-drive body, the prop hub and the
> prop. blades.
Number one is that the keel should never be bonded to the electrical system
in any event. The only thing that should attach to the keel is the
lightning ground system.
> Oh yes, and secret number 3 (of 2) dont use a masthead VHF antenna unless
> you unbond the mast from the keel or rig a DC block in the coax lead.
The VHF antenna needs only to be insulated from the mast. I would never
disconnect the lightning ground.
While I've not been aboard a Niagara, it sounds like they might have had
improper wiring. I've seen Volvo Saildrive units that are 10 to 12 years
old with no corrosion problems at all. You might also look at the millions
of stern drives on power boats. Some of them have had corrosion problems
from faulty wiring practices and some have no problems. I've also seen many
electrolysis problems on boats with conventional inboards with shafts.
John
BorisP1080
as far as the omc saildrive :got a 1976 omc drive .im religous with the
zincs.because it is based on their 15 hp 2 stroke outboard any
idiot(including my self ) can fix it.as far as i know,the problem with
salt water and the aluminum drive unit was people not being obsessive
with zincs.that is a problem aluminum sail boat owners also have .
Bottom Line:
Pro- if you can maintain and repair a outboard motor,you can do the same
with a saildrive.
Con-dont know of one.ok,i confess i wish i had a diesel,more hp,more
sail,2 ft more boat,a bigger anchor,larger holding tank...........but i
digress
everything in boating is a compromise,just be safe and have fun,boris