Swapping OMC SeaDrives With OMC SeaDrives?????

[Solittle]

I have a pair of 1987 1.6L 110hp cross flow SeaDrives on my 1988 23' Wellcraft CC Fisherman. Both engines have been rebuilt over the years and run fairly well. I cruise at 30 mph at 4300 rpm and top out at 36-38 mph at 53-5400 rpm.<br /><br />My neighbor recently picked up a 1990 22' CC with a pair of 1990 2.0L looper SeaDrives on the transom. These are low time engines and look like new under the cover. They have a triangular transom extension that sits below the engines that looks like it was made by OMC to counter the spray coming up from the bottom of the hull. This spray was a problem with the design of the SeaDrives as once mounted you can not adjust the height of the engines.<br /><br />I am thinking of buying his rig and swapping engines. I would then sell the 22'er with the with the 1.6L cross flows.<br /><br />Your thoughts??

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Swapping OMC SeaDrives With OMC SeaDrives?????

its all gonna fit, but you know that!<br /><br />why not just use the other boat?

 

[Solittle]

Re: Swapping OMC SeaDrives With OMC SeaDrives?????

I won't discard the idea of keeping the other boat but we really like our Wellcraft.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Swapping OMC SeaDrives With OMC SeaDrives?????

email me direct if you realy really wanna get in depth on this. <br /><br />but i have no problem keeping it all here.<br /><br />ive removed and installed omc seadrives before and all i can say is its a HUGE HUGE HUGE pain in the AZZ!!!! <br /><br />its much more instensive and heavier than swapping a standard outboard. and it seems like it would be a huge undertaking for what little youd be gaining.<br /><br />youve had those 110 v4's on your boat for many many moons now, and honestly, you know them inside and out, i know that, many people on this board know this. so why would you wanna swap to something else when they obviously aint broke.<br /><br />your 1.6's are 110 hp, and his 2.0's are probably 135 or so.... im just guessing.<br /><br />sounds like a lot on work involved for an extra 40 0r 50 hp.<br /> <br />if your gonna go through all this trouble, why not convert your sea drives to standard and put them on an outboard bracket such as a stainless marine or gill. youd get hundreds of pounds less weight and you can adjust the drive height of the outboards.<br /><br />why not just get rid of the sea drive portion while you can, as you probably kow , they dont make em any more and neither are the parts available.<br /><br />if you do the swap, i would personally suggest taking the outboard apart from the sea drive portion, the part that attchess to the boat and does all the tilting. it makes for a heck of an easier project doing it in two stages like that, but its still a lot of gruling pain in the azz. plus when you take apart the sea drives and remove them, KEEP EVERY BOLT AND SCREW YOU CAN, a lot of that hardware is sea drive specific and cant be purchased anymore.<br /><br />just my two cents. im willing to provide as much Ehelp as i can.<br /><br />or just ditch all the sea drive altogether and get a single 225 ona bracket. hundreds of punds less weight, almost half the weight, and less drag in the water. plus you get that cool bracket to push the kids off of when you swim!<br /><br />mike

 

[Solittle]

Re: Swapping OMC SeaDrives With OMC SeaDrives?????

Mike - You've got mail.

 

[Mod3]

Re: Swapping OMC SeaDrives With OMC SeaDrives?????

Why don't you guys talk here? I'm sure many are interested.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Swapping OMC SeaDrives With OMC SeaDrives?????

OK Mod 3 - Hereis what I mailed to mike -<br /><br />"WOW! Mike - Thanks for the reply to my post. I am a driveway wrench and have run across very few people who even know what a SeaDrive is. So I’m going to give you a bit more info and value any thoughts you may have.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I have had my 1.6L rig for 12 years and never had a problem with the SeaDrives. My boat (see attachments) is very heavy for a 23’er and the ride is the best of any boat that I have had in the past 35 years. It is great for the running that we do in Biscayne Bay and the Keys. The performance of the 1.6L is OK sorta. My sense is the engines are working pretty hard for what they are doing. I run both aluminum props and SS at 17” pitch with a cruise at 29-30 mph at 4300 rpms with a WOT at 5300rpms (I know that is on the low side) at around 36 mph – GPS measured.<br /><br /> <br /><br />I have had both engines rebuilt over the years. One was frozen when I bought it and the other ingested sea water due to a broken ¼” cooling hose at 4400 rpms about four years ago.<br /><br /> <br /><br />About five years ago I had the transom redone due to rot. It was a bigger job than I wanted to tackle so I had a shop do it and they did a great job. I mention this as they pulled my 1.6L & SeaDrives as a complete assembly. I was thinking that this would be the process for the swap with the 2.0Ls if I get them. Either that or I would seperate at the pivot. I would not even consider disassembly of the SeaDrives themselves – I have the OMC SeaDrive shop manual for my engines.<br /><br /> <br /><br />The 2.0L units are in mint condition as best I can tell. From what I have read on iboats the 2.0L loopers are a far better engine and far better performer than the 1.6L crossflows.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Your solution of ditching the SeaDrives came to mind as an alternative to the rebuild I had done to one of mine four years ago. It is a great alternative until you get to the cost. I got an estimate of $15,000.00 to replace my engines with a new single 225hp carbed Yammy after adding the bracket, cables, gages & stuff."<br /><br />mike has not replied yet so it is open season.

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Swapping OMC SeaDrives With OMC SeaDrives?????

and heres how i responded:<br /><br />

honestly, if it were me, as it just was about 6 months ago, id ditch the sea drives asap. im sure they work great now, but you know they are gonna die some day, and parts are hard and inbetwee. to get since they aint made any more.<br /><br />i bought a used "stainless marine" bracket on ebay for 900, and then i bought a rebuilt 1994 200hp mercury 2.5L offshore from a local shop for 4,000. then with rigging and hoses and such, i have a brand new, kick azz drive system, that is hundreds of pounds less than what you have, less drag in the water, and even has that really cool gigantic swim platform. and all for a LOT less than 20000 dollars. its like i have a brand new boat!<br /><br />honestly, thats my 2 cents.<br /><br />but, if you can get his boat cheap enough, and you think you can swap them easy enough, and then re-sell his boat, go for it. ive done rigs like this many times. but be cautious because at least over hear on the third coast, clearwater beach area, people steer away from sea drives. so you may have 2 boats for a while. just a thought.<br /><br />mike.<br />

 

[Solittle]

Re: Swapping OMC SeaDrives With OMC SeaDrives?????

And again - - <br /><br />________________________________________________<br /><br />Thanks for the input. I haven't decided yet what I want to do if anything.<br /><br />If I do go ahead with this I would appreciate your input as I have never done anything like this before. As I see it I have three options on how to do the swap. I formed all three of these options not by experience but by looking at the OMC 1.6L Shop and Parts manual. <br /><br />I have been told that there is a difference between the 1.6L Sea Drives and the 2.0 and 6 cylinder Sea Drives. I was told that, at a minimum, the part numbers for the steering arm and the swivel bracket are different. That may or not be significant depending on the alignment of the bolt holes.<br /><br />Anyway the alternatives are:<br /><br />Option 1. - Swap the entire engine and Sea Drive assembly from one boat to the other. This would avoid any difference between the 1.6L and 2.0L Sea Drives. The complication with this may be the steering since my 23'er has hydraulic steering that is individual to each engine. The 22'er with the 2.0L has hydraulic steering but I think it has one hydraulic line with both engines linked together - mine are not linked. I would not want to swap steering systems.<br /><br />Option 2. - If the Sea Drives are compatible I think I could pull the engines by removing the four bolts that attach the swivel bracket to the Sea Drive. Of course I would need to disconnect steering, cables & wiring.<br /><br />Option 3. - This is much like option 2. except I would leave the swivel bracket alone and remove the engines at the steering arm and lower mount bracket to the exhaust housing.<br /> <br /><br />Options 2. or 3. seem to be the easiest. <br />Your thoughts??<br /><br />_________________________________________________

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: Swapping OMC SeaDrives With OMC SeaDrives?????

the newer motors are better motors, for sure. my sea drive was a 1991 225 v6. what a beast that was. and oh so heavy.<br /><br />my 200hp 1994 mercury has an advertised weight of 395. i bet each of those v4 sea drives weigh that.<br /><br />if you do the swap, i still have the attchment for the steering , the peice that connects the hydraulic line to the sea drive unit. if you need this, lemme know.<br /><br />but then again, if your boat aint broke, why fix it?

 

[Solittle]

Re: Swapping OMC SeaDrives With OMC SeaDrives?????

mike - Thanks for providing a tempering view. I think I will put this on the back burner for a while. We have a full plate for the next month or so. I guess that I just have had "the itch". I may revisit the idea late next month. Anyway by then it may be something else.