Re: Alpha 1 replacement ! from SEI
I installed one a couple of months ago to replace my MC-1. Due to weather, work and new baby in the house I've only managed to get about ten hours on it so far. It seems to be fine, although I am having trouble sorting out an issue with the drive not coming out of forward gear as easily as it should, but that is most likely not directly caused by the new drive (ie cables, adjustment etc).
Are they a sensible option? I figure it all depends on how much you use your boat. If you're going to do a couple of hundred hours a year and hang onto your boat for a long time then I personally would opt for a genuine Mercruiser. On the other hand, I'm probably only going to average about fifty hours a year, and if I keep the boat for ten years then I expect the SEI drive should provide good service?
One other thing, be prepared for the loud whine from the new drive in the beginning. I was prepared but it surprised even me, although it is fading slowly as I put more hours on the clock (or maybe its just defening me?
Yes, I believe that a majority of the parts are manufactured in China, but don't automatically write them off because of that fact alone. The quality of the drive I received appears to be good (on the outside), although two things that did disappoint me; the paint finish is very fragile (ie even the lightest contact with a hard object seems to remove paint, vs the much more durable Mercruiser finish), and the intermediate shift shaft that they supplied wouldn't orientate straight ahead when in forward gear which caused issues with drive installation and may have something to do with my above mentioned problem? I brought this issue to SEI's attention and rather than send me a new intermediate shift shaft to try they simply suggested that I try twisting the lower shaft a bit to force it all to line up!!!
