1997 searay 175 3.0 alpha 1 drive

[heyttown]

This is my buddies boat, and I was not with him when it happened so I dont know all the specifics other then himself and 4 other people in the boat at WOT on plane hit bottom on a rock bar here in lake erie.He called and asked if I could help him get his boat out fo water to check for damages and for sure to get the prop reworked as he was sure that was trashed.<br />WE leave the dock and head for the ramp 3-4 Mile trip...The boat planes almost as easy as it did with new prop on and i didnt notice much vibration on plane... While in a no wake zone you could feel a little shimmy which was expected.....We get the boat back and on the trailer with no problems and all 3 blades have damage,definetly needs to go in the shop...Problem and questions are Im concerned with the other damages. The Skeg on the very bottom is missing a few peices and I can count at least 3 places on the lower skeg that have pecies missing... Also the lower plate (not sure of the technical name) but its the full plate just above the prop...On the side it appears the prop picked up a rock and knocked out a chunk on that plate bigger then a size of a quarter....How serious are these damages and what problems can we expect from these damages. I mentioned that the crack in the top plate could create a weak spot,but I was just guessing....<br /> On a side note.....While Im an outboard man, and not very knowledgable with outdrives,if I grab the outdrive and move it left to right it has a little play (1/4" movement or less) is this normal?<br /><br /><br />Can this be fixed? Is it a neccessity to be fixed? I myself am more worried about the chips in the plate and the Skeg more then the prop,props can be replaced everyday..<br />We have a week long trip which included the boat, planned for the first week of August so if these HAVE to be fixed we are going to push for time.<br />Any thoughts,experiences,or opinions would be greatly appreciated.<br />Thanks

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: 1997 searay 175 3.0 alpha 1 drive

The side to side play is just fine. It sounds like your friend got off very lucky. ..The missing chunks should not matter....I would keep a real close eye on the gear lube resevoir level. If you have excessive vibration after installing the new prop, then the prop shaft was probably bent, and a whole different can of worms. Let's hope you don't have to go there...J

 

[heyttown]

Re: 1997 searay 175 3.0 alpha 1 drive

Well his boat mechanic has said the prop shaft was bent so much he was suprised it ran,and also did damage to the gears...With a quote of $3500 or close to it.....I told him to get an itemized list as this shop asked before hand if this will be insurance work....Myself,I think they are padding the total something crazy...I also told my buddy to go to this shop and ask to see every piece they are planning on replacing....Its in his hands and the insurance,but figured I would give an update.<br />I do however have another question, another friend of his suggested in buying a Skeg Plate/Rock Runner whatever you want to call it. It bolts on the skeg and supposedly protects the skeg and prop from damage in shallow waters...I've seen them on outboards(which when not locked down,will kick up if it hits the bottom) but being the outdrive is on hydrolics, and pretty much locked in position...Do these really work on outdrive boats or are you inviting more damage with bent hydrolic arms,and possible outdrive ripped off....Hopefully he has learned his lesson that the western basin of Lake Erie has some very shallow spots and he should learn his way around,taking his time instead of WOT.

 

[tommays]

Re: 1997 searay 175 3.0 alpha 1 drive

a brand new drive from merc can be found for about 2600 dollars and they will give you value on your core<br />

NO CORE CHARGE - SOLD OUTRIGHT. Want to save even more money?? We'll buy your old sterndrive. Up to $1,000 paid for good rebuildable cores. Please call for details.<br /><br />

http://www.dougrussell.com/Products...ame=Mercruiser&Brand=23&BrandID=74&Category=2 <br /><br />just one of many places there are also aftermarket drives new for about 1400 dollars from sterndrive cc<br /><br />tommays

 

[swansont]

Re: 1997 searay 175 3.0 alpha 1 drive

Actually I just priced on, $1195 plus shipping, what a deal. One year warranty also.

 

[heyttown]

Re: 1997 searay 175 3.0 alpha 1 drive

Ok the boat is done,looks nice......<br />We took it for a drive last night and the trim Reader doesnt work properly.......for about the first hour of breakin time,the drive was all the way down,but the Trim reading read 1/2 down.....If we raised the trim from all the way down and raised it a little to help get the bow out of the water the trim gage would drop to all the way down....It did this the entire time we had it out.<br /><br /><br />My question is what caused this...<br /><br />My buddy failed to mention the same thing happened after he hit the rock bar,the gage messed up but by the time he got it to the dock it was acting ok, well he failed to mention it to the boat repair shop and its still doing the same problem.<br />Any ideas?

 

[tommays]

Re: 1997 searay 175 3.0 alpha 1 drive

the sender is on the starboard side of the drive<br /><br />you can try adjusting it to get the dial in the correct place but they go bad a lot and the repiar is to replace them<br /><br />which is a really big job<br /><br /><br /> http://www.mercstuff.com/howdoi.htm <br /><br /><br />tommays

 

[heyttown]

Re: 1997 searay 175 3.0 alpha 1 drive

Thanks, I dropped it off at the repair shop this am,They looked at it immediatly....they replaced the rotor and set it back to where it should be.....$15 bucks later, and they didnt charge me for labor.... Im thinking the entire unit is on its way out,but the owner is leaving tommorow morning for a week long adventure/cabin rental, so he needed the boat back asap...If it last the rest of the season,I will be happy.<br />SOunds like the reapir guy just did whatever he could to make it work instead of replacing the entire switch.