Mercruiser outdrive replacement due to theft...

[lenm2000]

Hello Club Searay crew,


I had some unfortunate bad luck last week. I received a call from my marina. When they unwrapped my boat for spring recommissioning they discovered that one of my outdrives had been stolen and the other was badly damaged from attempted removal and will need to be replaced, as well. I always have my props removed to prevent theft, but never really considered that the entire outdrive would be a target.

My insurance company depreciated the outdrives by 50%, so it looks like I am on the hook for one of the outdrives. Boat is a 2003. I have Merc mag 350 MPI engines with Bravo I outdrives 1.65 to 1 ratio. We love are boat and want to get it into the water asap and will be using outdrive locks moving forward.

I wanted to get some words of wisdom from the community on the repairs...
-New vs Re manufactured out drives?
-Other service work that I should get done while the drives are off of the boat?
-any other thoughts?

Thank you and best regards...

 

[Molson]

Look at SEI drives.

 

[SloBurn]

+1 on the SEI drives. I have not heard any bad comments about them, and just put one on my baby this season for a VERY fair price.

http://www.sterndrive.cc/

 

[lenm2000]

Thank you for the referral to SEI...Unfortunately, they only do lower units for Bravo 1 drives...I need the entire unit.

 

[AFD]

sorry to hear about your misfortune. the best people have the worst luck. i suggest, if you can, have the boat brought home and stored there on stands. i don't worry about mine when i'm at work for 24's because my wife hears everything and is a great shot...

depending on hours on your motors the gimble bearing is really all you might need to have checked/replaced. doubt there is anything wrong with your coupler so drop in some new drives and off you go. rebuilt should be fine and save you some big money potentially.

 

[Creekwood]

If its insured and you have coverage, IMO you should go for new Mercruiser replacements. Why take a risk on reman, when new drives will be a selling feature and add value when you eventually sell. Think of it as getting brand new drives at 50% off. I know you are saving some personal money, but you are also saving money for your insurance company, which would be great if you own the insurance company.

 

[SeaRide]

Lenm,

How did your insurance co. come up with the 50% depreciated value? I'm guessing the policy spells it out. If the drives have 200 hours TT and they have a service life of 1,500 hours, I would be making the case that they need to be paying more than 50%. MerCruiser remans. with warranty may be a good option.

 

[lenm2000]

Thank you for the input and advice. Going with new outdrives....hope to be in the water by mid-June.

 

[JimG]

Sorry that you were a target. I had that happen to me several years ago. My fairly new 270 was parked in a place called "Secure Storage" :smt021 and someone removed my Bravo 3 drive. It had to be an inside job because the place was fenced in with a coded gate.

Fortunately, my dealer was able to put a loaner on for me that same day. Insurance was contacted and a new one was ordered. I believed they paid 100% because it was a theft.

 

[ToChallengeTheSun]

I would take this opportunity to drop the lame Bravo 1, and go to a Bravo 3. That was one of the best things I ever did to my boat when my Bravo 2 took a dive.

Plane happens in a fraction of time and distance. Fuel economy has improved greatly.

The difference in propeller traction is amazing.

If you want a couple of extremely professionally rebuilt Bravo 3 drives, I can highly, highly recommend Bill's Marine Parts in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He's not cheap. A pair of Bravos will run you $3500 a piece, but the product is put together by an experienced Mercruiser certified technician of 35 years.