SailDrive or Shaft

[amarinesurveyor]

Gludy,
I usually take oil samples of engine oil and also the gear oil. It is very common to find salt water in the sail drive oil, which gets in through the shaft seals. I think that the shaft seals are the weak point in the sail drive, and they should be changed at every haul-out (every year). The salt in the oil is very corrosive and can cause premature wear. The sail drives are a lot more maintenance than straight shafts.
The new Yanmar sail drives do not require haul-out to change the oil, they have a tube built in that goes to the bottom of the drive and allows you to suck the oil out with a pump.
On the positive side - the sail drive is less drag than a straight shaft when sailing.
I'll take a straight shaft over a sail drive any day.
Brian Stetler

[fastcat435]

Originally Posted by Troutbridge

Gideon, the manual for my Volvo sail drive does not require the boat to be lifted out for oil changes. They recommend regular inspections (fair enough, I do that when I check the engine oil & have a general look around the engine compartments). The seals need replacing every seven years or on condition. Anode replacement is no more difficult than with shaft drive. I agree that there is potentially more maintenance with saildrive, but if they failed on a regular basis no builder would get away with using them.

The St Francis are only offered with Yanmar engines and unfortunately in order to replace the
anodes the props need to come of. and for the sail drive oil change the boat has to come out of the water, for that reason we changed to Lombardinis .
Ease of use and less fuel consumption for the same HP

How do you like your Broadblue ? good looking cat

[Talbot]

I acknowledge the problems of aluminium legs permanently underwater, in a corrosive environment.

I dont particularly like the large hole, and the diaphram issue, and the problems of replacement of zincs.

However, I like the lack of alignment problem, and no need for a shaft seal.

I particularly like the reduced footprint of the fit.

In 9m Catalacs, this allows a new false bulkhead ahead of the engine, which minimises any flooding from a diaphram problem. It also provides an additional stowage area.

I like the concept of an additional through hull to provide plenty of water.

[Whimsical]

Originally Posted by fastcat435

we changed to Lombardinis .

Gideon
Is a pdf manual available for the Lombardini MARINE motors and the saildrives.
The locals have only come up with a manual for the land based version of the motor and nothing for the drive

Mike

[jzk]

Originally Posted by rtbates

here's Volvo's new IPS drive.
World Debut! Volvo-Penta's NEW IPS 750/850 - YachtForums.Com

Hopefully they'll discover a need to make smaller units that can pivot.

This would be too complicated to be of any value on a sailboat. Your sailboat already has rudders for steering under sail. What is the point of the IPS?

For powerboats, IPS is probably the single best innovation ever. A 10 year old can now dock a 50 footer with ease. I drove a 50ft Regal with IPS, and it is simply amazing.

[Whimsical]

With the Lombardini saildrive I could get the engines entirely out of the accomodation area. I HATE the smell of diesel and have not been on a boat more than a few years old where it hasn't been very noticable to my nose. Once the stink is inside it seems bloody difficult to get rid of it.

Mike

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by jzk

... Your sailboat already has rudders for steering under sail. What is the point of the IPS ...

Stalled rudder at very slow speeds & reverse?

[jzk]

I am terrified of cruising with a saildrive.

How are they doing with the Moorings? How long have they been in the moorings fleet? Shaft drives are getting 5 and 6 thousand hours and still running strong in the moorings. If saildrives are more expensive, the moorings will find out in a hurry, and I bet will instruct Robertson and Caine to switch back to shafts.

[Whimsical]

Vectoring thrust would give all the same advantages as it does on a stinkboat such as the ablity to go sideways, no influence from wind or current and most of all it would be serious fun.

Mike

[jzk]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Stalled rudder at very slow speeds & reverse?

Do you really have motoring problems with your sailboat that would justify this kind of expensive system? And, IPS gets its real benefit working in tandem with twin screws. On a sailboat, this is most likely with a catamaran. Catamarans with twin screws are already so manuverable, why would anyone pay an additional $20,000 or so for this kind of system?

[fastcat435]

Originally Posted by Whimsical

Gideon
Is a pdf manual available for the Lombardini MARINE motors and the saildrives.
The locals have only come up with a manual for the land based version of the motor and nothing for the drive

Mike

Hallo Mike

Just send a mail to the Service department of Lombardini marine with the request and they will send it to you monday morning

Marco Giraldi is the person

Greetings

m.giraldi@lombardinimarine.com

[Gludy]

Gideon - you say you have to lift the boat out to change oil but another post says that this is not the case with the new saildrives ..... which is right?

[Whimsical]

Originally Posted by fastcat435

Hallo Mike

Just send a mail to the Service department of Lombardini marine with the request and they will send it to you monday morning

Marco Giraldi is the person

Greetings

m.giraldi@lombardinimarine.com

Thanks Gideon the email is in the ether.

Mike

[Gludy]

I would be all for IPS units in cats - in many a marina/docking situation in wind it could prove very helpful.

[fastcat435]

In that case something has changed but the last Sail Drives I installed in 2007 still needed to come out and changing the anode under water is a mission for a sail drive since the prop needs to be removed both chores are a once a year job .
I have changed a complete Yanmar saildrive last year on my 48 since salt water had come in and the bearings where gone.
Next time around I will go for shafts.

Greetings