Quote:
Originally Posted by fishahn
whats the consensus on stern drives? been looking for a few months for a 23 cc, have found several that I like but most that are setup the way I like have stern drives, with mercruiser engines. many of my friends say stay away from these, I love the layout in a couple of these but dont want to regret my decision if I go for one. will be using it in new england waters, both inshore and offshore.
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i have a repair shop - so,i see all sides of this...
my sea craft's powered by a merc 350 magnum MPI with the horizon package,bravo I drive
it's been my experience,stern drives get a bad rap from owners who do not follow good maintnance practices.the drives need to be pulled every year - best to do at winterization.bellows need to be replaced,merc reccomends 5yrs - shift cable and drive shaft bellows will allow water to enter the boat - will they sink the boat imediatley ? NOPE !
manifolds and risers will require replacement-sea water corrosion - flushing will not prolong the life of these.
granted,the upkeep is a little more than what an outboard requires,but it's certainly not a deal breaker...
here's a thread i started a while ago,it shows what's involved in changing bellows and gives some good usefull info...take a look at it
http://www.classicseacraft.com/commu...ad.php?t=23364