Stern drive storage position

[diungerich]

I've seen plenty of threads to know that the stern drive gets stored in down position when winterizing. I'm wondering about normal storage, though, during the season. My boat live in a covered storage when not in use. Do I need to have it in down position when it's sitting there between uses during the season too?

 

[thumpar]

Down will prolong the life of the bellows.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Yep down or nearly down

 

[jayhanig]

I keep mine down all the time unless I'm actually trailering down the road. Better to prevent the bellows from taking a set.

 

[oldjeep]

Everyone always says down - and logically it makes sense. That being said, the drive on my last boat was up in the trailer position when not in the water for 9 years and when the bellows were inspected right before I sold it they said that they were still in excellent shape.

 

[Watermann]

Down and like Jay says only in the up position when trailering.

 

[jayhanig]

Everyone always says down - and logically it makes sense. That being said, the drive on my last boat was up in the trailer position when not in the water for 9 years and when the bellows were inspected right before I sold it they said that they were still in excellent shape.

I've lived through two plane crashes and had to defend my life twice from potentially fatal attacks. Your luck is obviously better than mine. If I did what you've done, the chances are it'd bite me on the rear. Trust me, when distant thunder rumbles, my friends start edging away from me. Better safe than sorry.

 

[oldjeep]

I've lived through two plane crashes and had to defend my life twice from potentially fatal attacks. Your luck is obviously better than mine. If I did what you've done, the chances are it'd bite me on the rear. Trust me, when distant thunder rumbles, my friends start edging away from me. Better safe than sorry.

To a certain extent it also depends on where you live and where your boat is stored. Up here we easily get 15+ years out of a set of bellows. Down south the weather seems to eat rubber. Also storing inside vs outside saves a lot of wear and tear on everything. Garage boat vs one stored in the driveway is pretty easy to tell with a quick look.

 

[Watermann]

I decided to try something for my off season storage. I coated all the bellows with 303 Aerospace protectant to see if it will keep the weather check from setting in.

 

[H20Rat]

Everyone always says down - and logically it makes sense. That being said, the drive on my last boat was up in the trailer position when not in the water for 9 years and when the bellows were inspected right before I sold it they said that they were still in excellent shape.

Also depends on where the drive was when they inspected them. Some boats make it very tough to drop the drive down much when it is on the trailer, so the bellows might look great when they are in the same position they have spent that much time in. The cracks might open up when dropped all the way down.

 

[oldjeep]

Also depends on where the drive was when they inspected them. Some boats make it very tough to drop the drive down much when it is on the trailer, so the bellows might look great when they are in the same position they have spent that much time in. The cracks might open up when dropped all the way down.

It was dropped all the way. you could drop the drive to the ground on that boat/trailer and pick up the back of the trailer with it

 

[Alumarine]

It was dropped all the way. you could drop the drive to the ground on that boat/trailer and pick up the back of the trailer with it

Handy for changing flats!

 

[oldjeep]

Handy for changing flats!

LOL, not quite like that

 

[bruceb58]

Also, On OMC Cobras and Volvos, the shift cable is also in a lot less curved position with the drive down. Don't remember if the same thing applies to Mercruiser.

 

[Blind Date]

Some of the best money you can spend if you have a boat with a MerCruiser sterndrive is the plug-n-play transom switch they offer. I put one my Larson 23' cuddy and liked having it so much that I put one on my current SeaRay within the first week I owned it. Makes lowering/raising the drive from outside the boat snap.

I like using the drive as a step so I always put it in the down position when parked on the trailer. I'm also in the camp that it is better for the bellows, plus the drive drains in that position.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Some of the best money you can spend if you have a boat with a MerCruiser sterndrive is the plug-n-play transom switch they offer. I put one my Larson 23' cuddy and liked having it so much that I put one on my current SeaRay within the first week I owned it. Makes lowering/raising the drive from outside the boat snap.

I would agree with this totally. I installed one on my transom and it makes life much simpler with a trailered boat.

 

[jayhanig]

Some of the best money you can spend if you have a boat with a MerCruiser sterndrive is the plug-n-play transom switch they offer. I put one my Larson 23' cuddy and liked having it so much that I put one on my current SeaRay within the first week I owned it. Makes lowering/raising the drive from outside the boat snap.

I've got a transom switch on my Galaxy that I installed and wouldn't want to do without it. My boat lives in the driveway year round under a cover. It's hooked up to a battery tender when it's in the driveway, too.

 

[jkimball]

Not to hijack a thread, but I've been following this. Can anyone post a link to one of the remote drive/trailer buttons? thanks!

 

[Alumarine]

Not to hijack a thread, but I've been following this. Can anyone post a link to one of the remote drive/trailer buttons? thanks!

Here's a link to a thread with a couple of options.

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...ines-outdrives/599394-adding-tilt-trim-switch

 

[bruceb58]

Only problem is if you turn your battery off like I do.