Drive Showers, Are They Worth It?

Ball park, what are they worth?​
What are they worth or how much do they cost? Worth quite a bit if they prolong the life of a $6K B3 drive. Cost - I paid about $250 3 years ago from Simrek. As it is just stainless steel tubing and brackets, it should last a long time.
 
Alpha drives here, but I take your point.

And I do have a bit of a slick when I dock, (was notable after service, but now diminishing) - had always thought it was from exhaust, but now ill be checking drive oil when I get it out for a swim platform in a couple of months.

This thread has been very informative.
 
I would like to bring this back to life. My port side drive oil boiled over every trip year I kept track of my oil loss which ended up being 1/2 of a quart all summer or approximately 50 hours. I was thinking of adding a set of Simrek drive showers when I pull the boat for drive service and change the zincs.

Any thoughts or objections?
 
Kurt said:
I would like to bring this back to life. My port side drive oil boiled over every trip year I kept track of my oil loss which ended up being 1/2 of a quart all summer or approximately 50 hours. I was thinking of adding a set of Simrek drive showers when I pull the boat for drive service and change the zincs.

Any thoughts or objections?
Click to expand...

My thoughts are that maybe you have another issue. I have had the exact same boat for nearly 5 years and have not yet experienced this problem. Granted, we may not use it the same but I have spent plenty of time on plane. As for drive showers, I did some reading and asking around several years ago. I was once interested in a set myself but changed my mind after talking to several mechanics who made good points about the potential additional corrosion risks associated with having these on a slipped boat along with growth clogging the tubes. Obviously not a concern on a trailered boat or one that stays on a lift or dry stack. I have waited for someone with a slipped boat to come back after having these on for a few seasons to comment on their experience with these factors but I have never heard. Furthermore, I believe on a cruiser the drives seem to sit lower on the water even when on plane so I am not sure if the true potential of the showers could be realized on a cruiser or not. As I understand it they are most helpful on "go fast" boats, bow riders or small cruisers that spend prolonged time on plane and where the upper unit is farther out of the water. They certainly have some potential benefits and I am looking forward to hearing from someone who has had these on a slipped boat for a few seasons and can comment on whether having all that extra stainless steel wrapped around the drive ever caused an issue. I have always thought the cooler the better but again was concerned about corrosion risk. Let us know if you decide to go that route if it fixes your problem.
 
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The corrosion issue is obviously a concern. Quick question for anyone that owns one.

How much stainless is actually in the product?
It is just a thin tube, correct?
There is probably a lot more stainless In the pins that hold the pistons and the pistons and the hydraulic hoses and bolts and props...not a large increase in Stainless comparably.
Just food for thought.
 
Has anyone had them on a slipped cruiser? Any increased corrosion?
 
AFD said:
The corrosion issue is obviously a concern. Quick question for anyone that owns one.

How much stainless is actually in the product?
It is just a thin tube, correct?
There is probably a lot more stainless In the pins that hold the pistons and the pistons and the hydraulic hoses and bolts and props...not a large increase in Stainless comparably.
Just food for thought.
Click to expand...

At least in the model that has been discussed here in the past, it was completely made of Stainless Steel. My concern was more the fact that based on pictures, it wraps around and is connected to the upper unit that has no anodes or "factory" corrosion protection like the trim rams and props do.
 
First, I suspect there is possibly a prop-shaft seal going bad. I believe the seal allows for oil to escape under torque when the seal is failing. So yes I agree there is a problem.

The Simrek drive shower attaches at 3 points all of which more than likely use a rubber bushing.
 
AFD said:
The corrosion issue is obviously a concern. Quick question for anyone that owns one.

How much stainless is actually in the product?
It is just a thin tube, correct?
There is probably a lot more stainless In the pins that hold the pistons and the pistons and the hydraulic hoses and bolts and props...not a large increase in Stainless comparably.
Just food for thought.
Click to expand...

I had a Simrek halo on my last boat (260OV with a 7.4L mpi, bravo 1) as I was getting oil loss and chalky residue on the drive, both signs of the drive running hot Once I installed the drive shower I no longer lost lube or had the chalky residue. That boat was only wet slipped for 2 seasons but I didn't have a corrosion problem for those 2 seasons. With my current boat (340da with bravo IIIs) I do spend a lot of time on plane and tend to cruise at a fast pace. I have not seen the same issues as I did before but I am adding the drive showers because I was so impressed with the results last time and don't want to wait till these overheat. I am concerned about corrosion on the BIIIs so I am adding 4 anodes to each drive shower. Best I could fine are ones with a 3/4" bore and the drive showers are only 5/8" OD so I will be adding some stainless wrap to take up the space. Only time will tell if this works or not.
 
Jeremygavin said:
I had a Simrek halo on my last boat (260OV with a 7.4L mpi, bravo 1) as I was getting oil loss and chalky residue on the drive, both signs of the drive running hot Once I installed the drive shower I no longer lost lube or had the chalky residue. That boat was only wet slipped for 2 seasons but I didn't have a corrosion problem for those 2 seasons. With my current boat (340da with bravo IIIs) I do spend a lot of time on plane and tend to cruise at a fast pace. I have not seen the same issues as I did before but I am adding the drive showers because I was so impressed with the results last time and don't want to wait till these overheat. I am concerned about corrosion on the BIIIs so I am adding 4 anodes to each drive shower. Best I could fine are ones with a 3/4" bore and the drive showers are only 5/8" OD so I will be adding some stainless wrap to take up the space. Only time will tell if this works or not.
Click to expand...

Thank for your input! You said you had it slipped for 2 seasons. I assume, based on your location, this means you had it in the water for the summer months and pulled it out in the fall for storage? About how many months would it have been in the water per season?
 
Jeremygavin said:
I had a Simrek halo on my last boat (260OV with a 7.4L mpi, bravo 1) as I was getting oil loss and chalky residue on the drive, both signs of the drive running hot Once I installed the drive shower I no longer lost lube or had the chalky residue. That boat was only wet slipped for 2 seasons but I didn't have a corrosion problem for those 2 seasons. With my current boat (340da with bravo IIIs) I do spend a lot of time on plane and tend to cruise at a fast pace. I have not seen the same issues as I did before but I am adding the drive showers because I was so impressed with the results last time and don't want to wait till these overheat. I am concerned about corrosion on the BIIIs so I am adding 4 anodes to each drive shower. Best I could fine are ones with a 3/4" bore and the drive showers are only 5/8" OD so I will be adding some stainless wrap to take up the space. Only time will tell if this works or not.
Click to expand...
I would just keep an eye on your anodes and replace it the corrode faster than usual. I don't think it will be a problem.
 
jason78 said:
Thank for your input! You said you had it slipped for 2 seasons. I assume, based on your location, this means you had it in the water for the summer months and pulled it out in the fall for storage? About how many months would it have been in the water per season?[/

I go in the week before Memorial Day and usually come out around Oct 1st depending on how good the weather is in September. So call it 4 months in the water per year.
Click to expand...
 
AFD said:
I would just keep an eye on your anodes and replace it the corrode faster than usual. I don't think it will be a problem.
Click to expand...

I agree. I am on the boat every weekend and we have young kids so we are on the beach a lot, I can keep a close eye on them and see how it goes.
 
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