Possible Weather Damage

[Weave]

Here in western MA we had some nasty weather last night...pretty much an hours worth of hurricane force winds and rain.....well guess what..I had just put the boat in the slip....I checked it this morning and there are no scratches or anything cosmetic thanks to the fenders and most importantly the spring line I had made fast...My question is since the boat is slipped bow in, perpendicular to shore, is there a possibility of wear/damage to the drive from taking the pounding of 5' swells??? Steering seemed a little loose but then again the motor was off so the ps wasnt running.....Just wondering if the gimbal ring or anything else should be checked....its about 5' of water at the stern and I had the drive trimmed up furthest on trim mode NOT trailer......Just paranoid I guess...has anyone else encountered fould weather while boat was slipped? Help me put my mind at ease..:smt100.
I plan on running her tomorrow to give it the once over again.
I guess Im just not used to having the boat subject to that kind of abuse since it is usually on a trailer and not in a slip.

 

[Nehalennia]

Are you saying that the drive was bouncing off the bottom?

 

[Weave]

Todd, I can't tell for sure.....I trimmer it all the way up and there doesn't appear to be any physical/cosmetic damage or evidence that it was. I am thinking it wasn't hitting but then again I guess the swells were 5 footers....however that was someone's estimate from 50 yards away at 1 am

 

[Weave]

I was thinking if anything I may have to re-torque the gimbal ring but was wondering if anyone else had some insight on what else to look for.

 

[Dave S]

Unless the drive has been physically damaged by being grounded or hit with logs and debris, I can't imagine there would be anything wrong with it. Your bellows are more exposed if the drive is tilted up but again they would be damaged only if pounded by debris. If it was just large waves you are probably OK.

Dave

 

[Weave]

Thanks for the reply Dave...No logs or debris...I also dont think it grounded may have brushed sand a little....going to run it in an hour.
Ill post back with my findings...fingers are crossed!

 

[At Ease]

That brings up a good question, what is the preferred method when at the dock, stern drive trimmed up, or down?
I would think down so that there is less stress on the bellows. What are your thoughts?

 

[Dave S]

I trim the drive all the way down and make sure it is straight ahead. Muskrats (at least in our area) have been known to eat holes in the bellows and this minimzes the exposure of the bellows to their gnarly little teeth.

 

[Skuza]

I'll add a total no-exerience opinion and say no just to help ease your mind. Ya gotta figure if the thing is built to propel a few thousand pound boat then it should withstand the forces of some waves NO problem.
Have a good weekend!

 

[sbw1]

I kept a 26 foot SR express cruiser docked bow to shore in the slip you see in my signature pic that took a beating from passing boats throwing big, big wakes and lots of them. Water would come over the transom. This had no measurable effect on the stern drive over the 7 years I owned the boat. Take yours for a ride and if all seems ok, forget about it.

 

[1956olds]

I have had the water get blown out of our marina on more than one occasion .Once our 40 silverton was sitting in the mud ,it had inboards and there was no damage .And once two weeks ago,different marina 7 years apart, 70 mph winds and rain .The water dropped 4-5 ft no noticeable damage as of yet,mabey a few chips in the bottom paint on the bow area,the water drops off the riprap pretty quickly to about 8 ft .I still have inboards though ,i have friends that have hit rocks because they werent conciesous(?) boaters and just lost a prop when others crack housings on out drives .I say your paranoid also.Ever check the bottom in your slip to see whats there?mud, sand ,bricks,tires,pipe,rock?

 

[Weave]

RAN her this afternoon and all is good.....I am all for keeping the drive trimmed down as low as possible for the reasons mentioned above..not stretching bellows and protecting them.
Thanks fro the feedback guys as it turns out I was just paranoid, steering was fine and no marks or anything on the skeg......Slip is soft sandy/muddy bottom..I feel much better now!

 

[At Ease]

Good to hear!