ANOTHER boat problem

[shrpshtr]

hey all,

i am having the WORST imaginable luck with a boat i purchased this spring. this particular problem started last week after pulling a large raft. a loud bang, rear off the boat jerked considerably, and heavy vibration. took it to the shop and was informed my gimbal (sp) bearing had siezed and gone bad. shop replaced it, along with some exhaust flappers, and i was back in the water today. (there is another thread on here about that.)

initial improvement in vibration (very slight when we first started out) and i thought things were better. vibration most noticeable during tight turns at low RPMs (which was not normal for this boat since i have owned it) but it wasn't bad. after testing under light load we went up the river about 10 miles running 35mph, just cruising. no problems until we turned around, idled for a moment or two, and proceeded to accelerate at a normal pace in a straight line. got to about 15 mph and we heard a loud noise like the prop was spinning without traction (not as bad as the bang the previous week), significant loss of power (engine did not cut off just lost forward propulsion), and pretty severe vibration again. after trying it once more with the same result, i was able to run about 7.5mph back to the lake house but anything more than that and it made the same noise and no forward power. could this be a spun prop or does the vibration indicate something more in the shaft or something else? i am really starting to lose my patience with this boat.

Sea Ray 205 sport with 5.0l mercruiser w/ alpha I gen II stern.

also, about how much should i expect to pay to scrap the entire lower unit and replace with a new or remanufactured one? thanks again.

shrpshtr

 

[Lawnmedic]

Re: ANOTHER boat problem

There is a good chance that you have fries your engine coupler. Any smell of burnt rubber or black dust in the engine compartment is an indicator of a bad coupler. If you can see your coupler, mounted to the fly-wheel at the back of the engine. Put a mark across the rubber donut and the metal sleeve sticking out of it. Run the boat out on the water, if line moves coupler fried...

 

[craze1cars]

Re: ANOTHER boat problem

Why would you consider scrapping your lower unit?

The gimbal bearing is not part of the lower unit. And the engine coupler (I agree with this being a likely diagnosis...may have been unknowingly damaged during the gimbal bearing seizure) is also not a part of the lower unit.

You would only want to scrap your lower unit if you actually have an unrepariable problem with it. So far I have seen no evidence of ANY problem with it, much less unrepairable one...

Don't get frustrated. Surely you've heard the basic sayings of boat ownership:

The two best days of a boater's life: 1. The day he buys a boat. 2. The day he sells the same boat.
B.O.A.T. is an acronym for "Bust Out Another Thousand"

Not sure how old this boat is, but so far these two failures are fairly normal/routine for an older boat...once they are fixed, and subsequently maintained properly (gimbal bearing takes regular lubrication/inspection, engine coupler is maintenance free, but they sometimes do fail...PARTICULARLY after an impact and/or gimbal bearing failure while pulling a load), you won't have to worry about either again for a few decades...

 

[shrpshtr]

Re: ANOTHER boat problem

craze,

the boat is a 2007. it has 262 hours total on it. would that fall into the older category you were referring to? replacing the "lower unit" is not clear of what i meant (showing my ignorance). i was referring to replacing the entire stern drive (where it leaves the transom). it seems that was exposed to salt water a lot more than i was informed of when i purchased the boat. it also seems to be where most of my problems stem from so far. the motor seems to be running fine (knock on wood). it just really sucks that i just bought the boat and my last 3 trips pulling the boat to the lake (1+ hours commute) have all ended prematurely with mechanical problems. it doesn't seem worth it to me.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: ANOTHER boat problem

No. I would not consider that "old." However a gimbal bearing failure would still not be out of the ordinary based on your comments. It is a part that is supposed to be lubricated and physically inspected annually, and it is FREQUENTLY overlooked by many uninformed boat owners, because physical inspection involves removing the entire sterndrive assembly to access it....and YES this is indeed supposed to be done every single year. Plus, salt water usage indeed accellerates wear...again depending entirely on the care/maintenance it received. A 2007 boat that was just dipped in saltwater for 4 seasons, not properly maintained, and not properly flushed after each use could easily have the corrosion/wear equivalent of 15 to 20 years or more of freshwater usage. However if properly maintained and flushed, it would simply be a 4 year old boat. Presumably the marina also repaired the SOURCE of the gimbal bearing failure??? Assuming it got water/rust in it, that would be because it had a damaged driveshaft bellows. If they replaced the bearing and water can still seep past damaged bellows, then your bearing will fail again...

Rust likely formed in the gimbal bearing, especially if saltwater reached it, and it failed. It's a single bearing....and they do fail, it is hardly a catastrophic failure...though it can and does cost a day of boating and some cash to replace.

Sterndrive/outdrive/lower unit are frequently used as interchangeable terms, and for your purposes it is still the exactly same situation and I did understand what you meant. Using your terminology...Replacing your entire sterndrive would have ZERO impact on the two failures you seem to be describing. Gimbal bearing is attached to the transom housing and is located just inside the boat (it is not a part of the sterndrive). And the engine coupler is attached directly to the engine (again not a part of the sterndrive).

Another way to say it: Even if you were to install a brand new sterndrive/lower unit/outdrive, you would still have your original gimbal bearing and engine coupler! And you would have the exact same current problem.

So your sterndrive has not yet failed in any way shape or form....and I am purely speculating that your sudden and violent gimbal bearing seizure caused an engine coupler failure...which IMO could be a VERY likely scenario....it's a steel splined collar encased in a rubber hub. At moment of instant seizure the rubber portion tears under the sudden load on the splines...effectively sacrificing itself and saving the sterndrive and engine from damage. And unless the marina test-drove the entire boat with the new gimbal bearing under heavy load after their repair, they may not have noticed or even looked for this damaged coupler.

The good news is, when these parts are both repaired/fixed, it would be highly unlikely you would experience any further problems related to this issue.

As for whether boating is worth it or not, I can't help you there...that's entirely your call...I fully agree when things go bad it does indeed suck, and I'm genuinely sorry your experiences so far have been poor.

Just like the boat sayings I wrote above, "they" also often say that "bad things come in threes"....and it sounds to me like you've just hit your third. So both the optimist and the mechanic in me are saying: Get the boat fixed one more time, maintain it properly, and it'll probably treat you very well for many years to come...

I wish you all the best.