Outdrive Storage Position

[Chili Palmer]

When your boat is stored how do you leave your outdrive?

1. In the trailer position.
2. Down so the skeg is barely touching the ground.
3. In the trailer position, but with the ram braces installed.

I had a guy tell me that with the outdrive left in the trailer position during storage the seals have a tendency to leak.

After having my boat for 10 years and the previous owner for 10 years, I had to replace my outdrive ram seals. 20 years is a long run. I think just sitting for the last 2 years is what did the seals in.

 

[Wizard29]

Down as far as possible. No constant pressure on the rams and also the bellows/other stretchy rubber parts aren't stretched out and fully exposed the entire time.

 

[pwerwagn]

When your boat is stored how do you leave your outdrive?

1. In the trailer position.
2. Down so the skeg is barely touching the ground.
3. In the trailer position, but with the ram braces installed.

I had a guy tell me that with the outdrive left in the trailer position during storage the seals have a tendency to leak.

After having my boat for 10 years and the previous owner for 10 years, I had to replace my outdrive ram seals. 20 years is a long run. I think just sitting for the last 2 years is what did the seals in.

Weve always done down. Just to note, we had an issue with my dads baja once where it was stored down, and while we were gone a trailer tire went flat. When we came back, all the weight of the boat was on the outdrive. After that, we always threw a block under the back of the the trailer to make sure if a tire went flat, this didnt happen.

 

[farmo83]

Down

 

[Mcob25rg]

Down, takes stretch out of the bellows

 

[Bpracing1127]

up year round. Never any issues.

Also if your boat batteries go dead and it’s down you can’t even move your boat to work on the batteries.

 

[Jay Dub]

down. helps bellows last longer.

 

[traquer]

Down but like 4-5 inches off the ground at least. I had a flat rear tire too and it fugged up my hydraulic pump, and also my gimble had noticeable up/down play in it after due to all that weight. Happened on the last trip of the reason of course so it sat like that all winter in Needles. A weaker/older boat may have fugged up the transom/engine mounting and all that too.

 

[69hondo]

Mine is always down but my boat is high on the trailer so it doesn't have to come up for trailering.

 

[Racey]

Definitely down helps the bellows last longer, but if it's stored indoors i'm not sure how much it really matters, every bellows I've changed because of a leak came about because of it wearing on the sides

If you need your bellows to last that long you'll just end up replacing them because you have to rebuild the gimbal from the turn pin wearing, etc. You'll be doing something to the gimbal after 15 years anyway, changing a bellows isnt too bad of a job.

That being said it only takes a few seconds to drop the drive so why not, i just wouldn't lose sleep over forgetting to do it.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

I lose sleep over forgetting to raise it when pulling the boat out of storage.

Now that you mention it I think I should just hang a checklist inside the storage.

 

[samsah33]

Always kept them up, I have enough trouble remembering to raise it before I pull out of the water, my wife's one and only job when I'm trailering is to yell "don't forget to do that thingy to the propeller..." I never thought that storing it in the up/trailer position was an issue, but looks like I should start doing so. Same as DHR above, I'd worry about forgetting to raise it when I pull it out.

 

[Havasu Catman]

Store them down. When stored up water is trapped in the drive and starts to corrode at the transom. It will restrict the water flow to the engine over time. You will have an overheating condition under high demand (full throttle). It will get worse over time and restrict more. Do a search for the word bravoitis and you will see what I am talking about. If you store the drive down you will slow or not allow this process to take place.

 

[Chili Palmer]

So if I leave the outdrive down and the batteries are dead, I better hope my Zero G jumper is charged enough to run the pump so I can raise the outdrive to pull the boat out of storage to change the batteries so I don’t die of heat stroke.

 

[rrrr]

So if I leave the outdrive down and the batteries are dead, I better hope my Zero G jumper is charged enough to run pump so I can raise the outdrive to pull the boat out of storage to change the batteries so I don’t die of heat stroke.

You don't have air conditioned storage?

I thought that was a requirement for RDP membership.

 

[counterpart7]

Mine has been stored for 23 years with the outdrive trailered and on ram braces. I think the bellows were replaced a few years ago but only because of what @Racey said, outdrive was off for gimbal repair.

Leaving it down makes sense for wear and tear on the bellows but I don’t plan on doing anything different

 

[Chili Palmer]

Sssshhhh.
Don’t let the word out that I’m being poor on RDP.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Does anyone know if the IMCO SCX has bellows? I thought the bellows was the exhaust pathway down to the prop hub in Bravos where that option to push the exhaust through hub than out discrete exhaust outlets was up to the engine package.

I wouldn’t think a built from scratch design like a SCX getting paired up with high HP would need bellows?

Or is the bellows basically covering the universal joint for trim and steer?

 

[Ragged Edge]

Does anyone know if the IMCO SCX has bellows? I thought the bellows was the exhaust pathway down to the prop hub in Bravos where that option to push the exhaust through hub than out discrete exhaust outlets was up to the engine package.

I wouldn’t think a built from scratch design like a SCX getting paired up with high HP would need bellows?

Or is the bellows basically covering the universal joint for trim and steer?

Yes. The bellows are for the drive shaft/u-joints and the second one, that many forget to change, is the shift cable bellows.

 

[Justsomeguy]

I have asked this and thought about it before. But, they pull my boat in and out of my unit for me. I would have to change units to make it work. No way I trust them to remember.

 

[Racey]

Yes. The bellows are for the drive shaft/u-joints and the second one, that many forget to change, is the shift cable bellows.

And the 3rd one is exhaust (if applicable)

 

[SCHIADATROUBLE]

The mechanics at the havasu springs boat shop told me years ago leave it halfway between up and down so no rubber good are stretched too much one way or the other.

 

[HST4ME]

Down.

 

[SternDrive]

Down

 

[OCMerrill]

B3 stored about 4" off the ground.

 

[Ziggy]

B3 stored about 4" off the ground.

Smart, that's a heavy beast.

 

[OCMerrill]

Smart, that's a heavy beast.

I can hitch the boat this way if the batteries were to go flat. First boat I've owned that doesn't kill batteries on the sit and wait.

I pulled that drive off to service the u-joints and check the Gimbal Bearing last year.
I will never do that myself again. Lets just say that ain't no Alpha Drive.

 

[Jay Dub]

Store them down. When stored up water is trapped in the drive and starts to corrode at the transom. It will restrict the water flow to the engine over time. You will have an overheating condition under high demand (full throttle). It will get worse over time and restrict more. Do a search for the word bravoitis and you will see what I am talking about. If you store the drive down you will slow or not allow this process to take place.

This happened on our newer to us 255. Barrett Custom Marine repaired ($$$) but I never knew what caused it. It appears the prior owners stored with the drive up. thank you

 

[Orange Juice]

Leave it up if you use the boat at least once a month. That way you don’t forget to raise the drive and do more damage, than the seals would cost to replace.

 

[Ol Man]

Down and touching the floor. Assume it helps the bellows. I keep mine in the garage, so I assume even better.

 

[CobraDave]

What about an outboard? Makes sense to let the water escape. Any other reason? The Hondas have a cool integrated lever that when activated takes pressure off the rams for towing.

 

[MR HARLEY]

All the way down and pitched to the left just a tad.

 

[Tank]

Tow and store with them down.

 

[J&k beer can]

Outboards all the way up after pulling out of water to drain them(lots of water comes out) Storage time slight tilt up. Can't remember the exact reason but oil not coming back in cylinders on start up and smoking.