jeffbrinkerhoff
Recruit
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2009
- Messages
- 5
Three years ago, exactly, I rebuilt my 1984 Glastron X-19. Total rebuild, new interior, new floor, and all new rubber and cables etc on the outdrive.
I bought a "kit" from ebay for the bellows/hoses/gimbal. The rest of the stuff came from several reputable suppliers and was mostly GLM and Quicksilver brand.
The exhaust and u-joint bellows started showing cracking after 2 years, and this last week after taking it out I noticed water leaking back out of the u-joint bellows. Sure enough, it has a pinhole in one of the cracks.
Now, since this is SO much FUN to replace, I'd like it to last a LOT longer than 3 years next time around. (BTW, the boat has only been out a total of about 20 hours since being rebuilt, maybe 15-20 little day runs on a freshwater lake over the last 2 summers).
So, heres the real question:
Does brand make a difference? Sure seems to me like what I bought was "cheap" and is not lasting as a result. Is it worth it to buy Quicksilver? Is Quicksilver rubber better than a good aftermarket, say GLM?
I do NOT want to have to do, or think, about this again for at least 5 years. And I do not want to ruin my new shift cable, gimbal, etc. (I know for a fact it has only leaked once, and I will be replacing it within days, so I'm not worried about it for this one time)
Thanks for any replies!! Especially real world experiences.
I bought a "kit" from ebay for the bellows/hoses/gimbal. The rest of the stuff came from several reputable suppliers and was mostly GLM and Quicksilver brand.
The exhaust and u-joint bellows started showing cracking after 2 years, and this last week after taking it out I noticed water leaking back out of the u-joint bellows. Sure enough, it has a pinhole in one of the cracks.
Now, since this is SO much FUN to replace, I'd like it to last a LOT longer than 3 years next time around. (BTW, the boat has only been out a total of about 20 hours since being rebuilt, maybe 15-20 little day runs on a freshwater lake over the last 2 summers).
So, heres the real question:
Does brand make a difference? Sure seems to me like what I bought was "cheap" and is not lasting as a result. Is it worth it to buy Quicksilver? Is Quicksilver rubber better than a good aftermarket, say GLM?
I do NOT want to have to do, or think, about this again for at least 5 years. And I do not want to ruin my new shift cable, gimbal, etc. (I know for a fact it has only leaked once, and I will be replacing it within days, so I'm not worried about it for this one time)
Thanks for any replies!! Especially real world experiences.