Bent saildrive, now what?

[Kenpimentel]

We caught a line that was attached to the rear of our cat on our prop. This brought the engine to a halt. When I went in the water and removed the line, it looks like the SD20 saildrive is now canted inwards by 10 degrees to the centerline of the boat.

If I look at the engine (Yanmar 3YM30), everything looks normal. Engine is secured on it's mounts and the upper half of the saildrive is perfectly aligned to the engine and the boat. So, nothing in the engine compartment appears affected. There are no signs of oil in the water around us, there is no sign of water in the gear oil (that I can tell from removing the cap). Everything looks perfectly fine in the engine compartment - no signs of stress or damage.

The engine starts/runs fine. I have not tried engaging the transmission as I fear I will make matters worse somehow. The transmission will shift in/out of gear with the engine off, so it seems things are not impossibly broken (or maybe they are?).

My next test is to go back into the water and try spinning the prop with the engine off and in neutral. If that works, does it mean we can try engaging with the engine on?

I'm here in Nassau and there is no one to haul the boat. I think I have to go to Eleuthra to get that done. We have a Leopard 40 with 20' beam, so not any yard can take us.

I'd like to know if I should try running the engine and shifting into gear. Is that likely to create more damage than what I already have?

[Kenpimentel]

Please ignore post. I just realized that a rubber gasket came off the hull and was hanging off the saildrive - giving me the impression the sail drive was slightly "bent". It is not, and all things are working perfectly now that we tried the engine.

[DotDun]

FWIW, the Yanmar trim ring/holder for that rubber boot is really a poor solution. Most people fabricated a 'plate' that is larger and screwed to the hull. I'll bet the boot was loose/hanging prior to picking up the line.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Kenpimentel

Please ignore post. I just realized that a rubber gasket came off the hull and was hanging off the saildrive - giving me the impression the sail drive was slightly "bent". It is not, and all things are working perfectly now that we tried the engine.

That was going to be a head scratcher! Cast drive case bent 10 degrees??? uh... Nooooo... Glad it turned out so simple.... Well.... simpler than what it started as!