Re: Purchasing a new outdrive
A couple of months ago, the vertical driveshaft in my Alpha One sheared off just below the splines at the o-ring groove when I hit a rock.<br /><br />A local marine dealer was offering complete rebuilt drives for $995 with a $1000 core charge. I was ready to get one and trade-in my old drive, but when they found out how old mine was (1987), they said they would need to tear it down to determine its core value and that would probably be worth only $200, meaning it was going to cost $1895 for the rebuilt drive.<br /><br />I had recently replaced all the seals in the upper part of my drive, so I decided to check out a new aftermarket lower drive from Sterndrive Engineering in Florida. I got the names from them of a couple of repair shops near me that had used their drives and I gave them a call. In both cases, the shops that i talked to had nothing but good things to say. So I ordered a new lower drive for $695 plus shipping.<br /><br />The people at Sterndrive Engineering were very helpful and it arrived just when they said it would. It mounted up to my Merc. upper housing easier and faster than my old one. I did notice the lack of an o-ring groove and o-ring on the driveshaft right where my old one had broke. A weak point that they decided to eliminate??<br /><br />It did seem to me that the finish on the aftermarket drive was not as tough as the mercruiser. I managed to nick it as I was installing it on the boat. The finish on the old drive seemed a little tougher.<br /><br />Overall I'm very happy with my purchase. I was back in the water about a week and a half after hitting the rock. I have only put about 20 hours on the new drive, but so far so good. No oil leaks, no water in the oil and it shifts smoothly. Now mind you that my engine is only 120 HP and the boat is trailered and used in fresh water only, so the drive will live in a fairly mild environment. Only time will tell how it holds up for the long term. If it does, it will be a very good value for the price I paid.
