How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

[Gods Favor VIP 1800]

What is the procedures to measure your transom / trailer to your raised outdrive
to fit an outdrive trailering support brace into the picture ?
I have seen several listings for units for sale but none give any details about how they attach to the boat /trailer or how they attach to the outdrive.
I have seen a picture of a rod type device that Mercruiser makes but have never
found one for sale anywhere. Does anybody have any details on this type accessory installation. Our boat is 1988 VIP Vision w/ alpha1 3.0 litre

Sea hag out !

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

Never heard of it.....
They do make a circular 'wedge' that fits over the trim rams.......
I would not waste time or money on someting like that....
They don't do anything a simple piece of rope would....IMHO.....​

 

[tommays]

Re: How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

Merc does sell a trailer clip that is just a split piece of plastic that fits over the Cylinder rods



But if it is dropping from the 85# of drive weight it will never stay trimed when your useing the boat



Tommays

 

[Bondo]

Re: How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

Ayuh,....... That's a Total Waste of Time,+ Money........

It's an 80lb. Outdrive,..... Not a 500lb. Outboard............

And,.....
As noted,.... If it's dropping on it's own,.........

Fix it.........

 

[BAYLINER185]

Re: How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

I was given those 1/2 round plastic ram covers when I got my cruser.

They say there for protecting the ram rods from objects that may bouce up from the road when trailering on a long distance run. If the rams get chipped or debris get stuck on the rod the seals can be damaged.

There supposed to be good for storing the drive up as well as that they fit exactly in place between the mounting ring to the base of the ram. The drive cannot move down either by hitting the trim switch or just from low preasure and will help support the drive weight off the ram rods for long stored periods.

I was under the train of thought that when stored a long time the drive should be trimmed down. It does say that in my manual but a lot of people havent given me a streight answer either way so I think its relaly up to your own personal taste.

I got the plastic supports so I use them. Doesent hurt no one to do so. You could make your own with some 3/4 PVC pipe. just split down the middle with a sawsall and cut to fit exactly in place.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

I was given those 1/2 round plastic ram covers when I got my cruser.

They say there for protecting the ram rods from objects that may bouce up from the road when trailering on a long distance run. If the rams get chipped or debris get stuck on the rod the seals can be damaged.

There supposed to be good for storing the drive up as well as that they fit exactly in place between the mounting ring to the base of the ram. The drive cannot move down either by hitting the trim switch or just from low preasure and will help support the drive weight off the ram rods for long stored periods.

I was under the train of thought that when stored a long time the drive should be trimmed down. It does say that in my manual but a lot of people havent given me a streight answer either way so I think its relaly up to your own personal taste.

I got the plastic supports so I use them. Doesent hurt no one to do so. You could make your own with some 3/4 PVC pipe. just split down the middle with a sawsall and cut to fit exactly in place.

The reason to store it in the down position is to make sure the exhaust cavity drains.....
If it didn't the drive could possibly crack in freezing weather......
I could see using the covers for long distance hauling....

 

[John_S]

Re: How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

I use a pair of home made plastic clips. They provide a visual reminder such that you don't pull away with drive down. I agree, if the drive is drifting down, fix it. That is easy to spot if the boat is sitting on the trailer. If the leak developed during the outing on the water, or over the season of being moored, you might not know about it to tie the drive up. My experiece (but not with boat drives) with hydraulic ram seal leaks, are that they are very slow at first. The skeg will not last long on the pavement. The clips are cheap insurance.

 

[BAYLINER185]

Re: How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

Yea I usually tilt my drive back down when I retreive the boat back on the trailer to drain out as much water as possible.

I dont live where water freezes but still liek to drain water out if I can.

I think when it starts to get too cold for me to use the boat as much I will tend to store w/ drive down.

Yea skegs dont last long at all on pavement. I know I did that 10 years ago when my battery died and I used a rope to pull the boat back on the trailer......The drive was still down and skeg scraped for, oh about 15 seconds then SNAP.

 

[95yj]

Re: How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

The reason to store it in the down position

You also want to store the drive down to keep the bellows from "remembering" the up position. The bellows will last longer. Conversely, some will say that if the bellows take a set when stored up, it's time to replace them anyways. OPMV, but I always leave the boat parked with the outdrive down.

 

[Don S]

Re: How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

So it takes a set in the up position, it's rubber, and it will get over it. It's an old wives tale.
When cracks start developing on the surface is when you should change it and if you had twins, with one always up and one always down, the weather cracking will start at the same time.
So change your bellows every 5 or 6 years (On Mercruisers) and you will be ahead of the cracking and not have to worry about when they will fail and destroy ujoints, gimbal bearings and drives if you wait to long.
The main reason to leave the drive DOWN during the winter is to keep it from filling with water and freezing and breaking the housing. During the summer, who cares.

 

[Bondo]

Re: How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

Ayuh,.......

Not to disagree with you Don,.......
But,.....
Depending on the wildlife you have in your neighborhood,......
Leaving the drive in the Down postion can have a Great impact on how long the bellows last,......
When it's Down,......
Hedgehogs Can't get to it,+ chew Holes in it........

 

[Don S]

Re: How do you measure your boat and alpha 1 for an I/O brace?

Not to disagree with you Don,.......
But,.....

There are exception to every rule. But there are so many anymore that think if the drive is left up the bellows will fail the next year, and it just aint so.
Not sure about hedgehogs, but when I was in Alaska, a number of those old stringer drive boats sank because the otters ate holes in the bellows and caused the boat to sink.