Outdrives vs V Drives Kept in Salt Water - Maxum Boat Owners Club

Dave · 08-24-2009, 09:41 PM

I am considering moving up to a larger boat. If I make the move, I plan to keep this larger boat in salt water year round. I have my current boat in a dry store rack so this hasn't been an issue for me to date.

As far as maintenance and corrosion goes, the question of outdrive verses V-drive is playing heavily on my mind. Is an outdrive going to last being kept in salt water all of the time? It seems like an aweful lot of hardware being exposed to salt water 24/7.

I understand outdrives out perform v-drives as far as fuel economy, speed and being able to trim up in shallow water. Just looking at the maintenance and longevity side. Also, there is more potential for leaks with outdrives.

The local dealer tells me that the issue really isn't a problem if the outdrive is painted with antifouling and a diver cleans it on a monthly basis in the summer months. Just need to keep up with it. I know leaving outdrives in salt water is a regular practice as outdrives easily out number v-drives in the local marinas. I don't know what condition they are in though after a couple of years.

Of course if I were to go with outdrives, the Seacore B3 drives would be the way to go. But there aren't too many Seacores out there on the dealer's lots. It seems the Seacore option would have to be a special order.

Thanks for any input

ss3964spd · 08-24-2009, 10:10 PM

It's not just the drive corrosion that you need to consider when leaving it in the water Dave, it's growth on the hull that will be a problem. So much of it will accumulate that you will have to haul the boat out and have the hull painted with anti-foul, and then haul/clean/re-paint probably every year. Growth will slow the boat down, as will anti-foul paint.

Dan

Dave · 08-24-2009, 10:53 PM

Yes, I understand the issue of growth on the hull and the maintenance required there. But that is equal regardless of the drive type.

The dry rack facility where I am now has no availability for larger boats. There is actually a waiting list if a bigger rack does happen to open up. The other facility's lift truck isn't as large so depending on what boat I finally decide on, a wet slip may be my only option.

I am just trying to sort out in my head which way to go drive wise for a boat kept in a salt water slip all of the time. Both have their pros and cons. I had it set in my head that v-drives were the way to go until I spoke with the local dealer. He assured me that keeping outdrives in the water isn't a problem if they are looked after and not neglected. Of course I realize that he is trying to sell me a boat.

As far as performance and the selection of boats on the market, outdrives win. I just don't want to get into a situation where I need to replace the drives every 5 yrs or something.

Thanks

seapuppy · 08-24-2009, 11:29 PM

Dave
I also went to a larger boat this yr...and was extremely lucky to come up with the seacore drives....with that said...that doesn't stop the problems that are present with salt water..ie corrosion ....growth build up....etc....the key to a bigger boat is get the hull painted...then it's easy for you being in fla..to have someone drop over the side and scrub the hull with a snorkel....
the hull paint to use is called ablative hull paint (sp).....they last probably about 3-4 yrs at a time...each time it needs to be taken down to the fiberglass and repainted with several coats...from what I understand (I have it on my new boat but haven't had the opportunity to do the painting yet)...the prep time is what is the hardest and most expensive....

the other main thing to keep in mind is that even if you don't get seacore...then you really really need to maintain the zinc's ...depending on how hot the marina your in is....depends on how many zincs and the replacement period you have on them....the cool thing about vdrives is all you really need is maybe one or two zinc's in the shaft...and one or two on the rudders....but outdrives are going to require much more maintenance.....the cool thing about seacore is you can flush with fresh water after every trip by attaching a shore hose to a fitting already installed...(might concider doing that anyway even if you don't have seacore)...

but overall...outdrives vs shaft drives ...the maintenance is the same....boat = break out another thousand.!! :mrgreen:

if you were asking my opinion....go with as much boat as you can afford...you'll compensate for the differences between the smaller boat and the larger one....

SP :hello:

Dave · 08-26-2009, 02:42 PM

Thanks for the input guys.

I have come to the realization that in the boat size that I am looking at, I will be getting outdrives. Due to my concerns of leaving the boat in the water 24/7, I am going to hold myself to only considering boats equiped with Seacore engines and outdrives.

As much as I hate the idea of painting brand new shiny drives, I will have the outdrives coated in Trilux 33 before they hit the water. And of course the hull itself will be painted with an ablative antifouling paint. I am also budgeting in a monthly diver for cleaning/inspection and a hefty annnual maintenance bill.

Now that I think I have the drive type issue straight in my head, the trick now is to see what is on the dealers lots and keep it all within my budget. :?

I must be crazy pursuing this boating thing...

seapuppy · 08-26-2009, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave

Thanks for the input guys.

I have come to the realization that in the boat size that I am looking at, I will be getting outdrives. Due to my concerns of leaving the boat in the water 24/7, I am going to hold myself to only considering boats equiped with Seacore engines and outdrives.

As much as I hate the idea of painting brand new shiny drives, I will have the outdrives coated in Trilux 33 before they hit the water. And of course the hull itself will be painted with an ablative antifouling paint. I am also budgeting in a monthly diver for cleaning/inspection and a hefty annnual maintenance bill.

Now that I think I have the drive type issue straight in my head, the trick now is to see what is on the dealers lots and keep it all within my budget. :?

I must be crazy pursuing this boating thing...

of course your crazy for pursuing boating...why else would a sane man want to dump thousands of hard earned dollars into something he can only use when he's not working his friggin brains out to support not only his lifestyle..but that of his wife!!
but the good news is that there are alot of boats on the lots that will fill this need..and you have room as a buyer for negotiating the price down to where it's not toooooo painful....
when we bought our new 340...I just about fainted when they dropped the boat price to the level they did for me....it's insane the prices for boats today...I went to the bayliner page and optioned out our boat...it came up with 190,998.93....we got it for half.....now that's insane...I feel like insane eddy on tv....

SP :mrgreen: