opinion on drive

[ricovw]

I am one of the few left that still has a yamaha stern drive, 3.0l. It works great, i take good care of it, and do all the maintenance. I have never had a problem with the drive. It was produced between 1989-1992. It's a 17.5' bowrider, in very good condition, garage kept.
Now, the issue. I found an exact, OEM yammie leg, brand new, still in the box from 1990 or so!! I always figured i would run this drive till i couldn't service it anymore, then convert to an alpha 1, gen II. Of course, i would also need the transon mounts etc. Yamaha used the same transom cutout as merc.
If i bought the yammie leg, and kept it as a spare, i may never use it. But, it is a lot cheaper to go that way than it is to convert to merc.
The yammie would cost me around 1300, where as the merc conversion, somewhere around 3000, maybe cheaper if i can find deals.
Problem with the yammie, as we all know, is parts support. So far, it hasn't been bad, but as time goes on.....
Just wondering what the consensus would be on here..
I was leaning to buying the yammie, wife says i may never need it, and if i do, the boat might be dead by then anyway.

 

[ErieRon]

Re: opinion on drive

All things considered, I'd buy the Yamaha drive. You do all of your own maintenance, it's garage stored, you probably don't need support at this point, so now you have a replacement, and a full set of parts for a boat that's in great condition. Get an Alpha on your next one.

BTW: How's the engine

 

[triman]

Re: opinion on drive

As a fellow yamaha owner I'd go the yammie route again.
I have a spare outdrive, including transom bits, that I picked up from a boat where the yammie was being swapped out for a podded outboard.
I do all my own maintenance and have enough bits to keep my engine/leg going until the boat falls apart.
Besides, having compared yamaha internals versus those for the Mercruiser, my original leg, with not far short of 1000 hours, shows no wear on gears, bearings etc, while I've seen totally shagged out Mercs after just a couple of hundered hours.
Yamaha seems to have got the metalurgy right.

 

[ricovw]

Re: opinion on drive

Thanks for the replies guys. I am on the fence a bit, and your opinions certainly help me out.
-Eerie - The engine is in excellent condition. I keep on top of it, and it also, is well looked after. Not to say i don't run it hard, but i always do the maintenance and pull it when needed. I also picked up a 2007 merc that i am rebuilding as it had a cracked head from freeze damage, so i got it cheap. It came complete, with all the merc stuff, so i was half way there. The block is the exact same as mine anyways, so i have back up there.

 

[Bondo]

Re: opinion on drive

Ayuh,... Is this spare drive of the Right gear ratio,..??

 

[ricovw]

Re: opinion on drive

The drive is for the 4 cylinder, 3.0l engine. So i guess i am assuming the same ratio. Good point, i should make sure.

 

[cr2k]

Re: opinion on drive

I would also choose the Yamaha. I think the lower is similar if not the same as the large gear case Yam Outboard. I think (may be wrong) that there is a lot of internals that are interchangeable too.

In my 15 years experience:
I would say the Yamaha is a short step above a Merc Gen I
and several steps above a Gen II

But what do I know I run a 25 year old OMC stringer with no problems.

Treat 'em right and they will ALL last (just some longer than others).

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: opinion on drive

Thanks for the replies guys. I am on the fence a bit, and your opinions certainly help me out.
-Eerie - The engine is in excellent condition. I keep on top of it, and it also, is well looked after. Not to say i don't run it hard, but i always do the maintenance and pull it when needed. I also picked up a 2007 merc that i am rebuilding as it had a cracked head from freeze damage, so i got it cheap. It came complete, with all the merc stuff, so i was half way there. The block is the exact same as mine anyways, so i have back up there.

Howdy,

If you have bought a "2007 Merc" what does that mean exactly? Engine, transom/gimbal & drive? If so, you have your answer. (and your replacement engine/drive)

Your other option could be to replace everything (when you need to) with a Merc gimbal and a NEW SEI drive. (you can buy a brand new SEI with a 3 year warranty for just about the same money as that Yamaha drive.....)

Your options trying to keep the Yamaha going are similar to what you would have with an OMC engine/drive. Some parts are going to be hard to find and some are going to be no longer available depending on what you need.


My choice would be to continue running what you have and pick up a good merc gimbal when one is available.

If the drive dies in the future, pull the whole mess and sell it on craigslist for parts ...... Then replace it with the (rebuilt) merc engine you have and gimbal you obtain along with a new SEI drive...


Cheers,


Rick

 

[ricovw]

Re: opinion on drive

yes, i have an almost rebuilt 3.0 merc only.i am rebuilding it, but have stalled of late with xmas coming. I have to save my money for the little ones.........for now

 

[ricovw]

Re: opinion on drive

from HT32BSX115-"Your other option could be to replace everything (when you need to) with a Merc gimbal and a NEW SEI drive. (you can buy a brand new SEI with a 3 year warranty for just about the same money as that Yamaha drive.....)"

Interesting idea. I know nothing about these SEI drives. How are they? I guess they don't make a kit for the yamaha transom. Finding a merc transom assembly i think would be inexpensive. I have seen them locally for a few hundred, but they are usually older (80's) gen 1 stuff. I think i would want a little newer (90's) gen II?

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: opinion on drive

Actually you can find quite a few on ebay. New & used.....

I have seen them on craigslist, Boat Trader etc...

As far as I know, there's no "kit" to make anything work with a Yamaha. They just didn't sell enough of them in the US market to make that worth it.

If yours is in good condition, it IS worth somthing I would think. I would take it all out and sell it piece by piece. I got $3000+ for my previous 460 King Cobra engine/gimbal/drive/etc selling it all separate.

Ask about on this site regarding the SEI drives. I have not seen anyone report problems with them.....I hope they come out with a Bravo (upper) replacement soon!



Regards,


Rick

 

[zbnutcase]

Re: opinion on drive

Just be happy you don't have a BMW sterndrive....'nutcase

 

[Cptkid570]

Re: opinion on drive

I don't know much about the Yamaha outdrives at all, but don't they come with their own exhaust system too (manifold, risor, pipe)? If so, and you need to replace your exhaust and can't, then it may not matter whether or not you have a spare drive.

Plus, it all seems like a lot of money to be investing in a "what if" scenario on a 17' boat that is from 1989/1990.

What I'd do is while I'm using my boat, just keep an eye out for a donor boat. You don't need the boat itself and you could probably find a piece of crap boat for less than $1000 that has all of the mercruiser stuff that you'd need.

If you must go with a new outdrive, then the SEI drive mentioned above would be a great option and you could get it for the same price as the Yamaha (http://www.sterndrive.cc/)