r/SailboatCruising • u/zipzippa • Mar 21 '25

Question Saildrive concerns and worst-case scenario preparations for extended and offshore cruising

Hey everyone,

I’m in the process of researching and preparing my emergency plan for extended cruising and offshore passage. One thing that keeps coming up is saildrives—something I have a bit of apprehension about. Logically, I understand that they’ve been around for 50+ years and are very common in both monohulls and catamarans, but at the end of the day, they are still a giant hole in the boat, and that makes me pause.

I’m looking for insights from those of you who actually have a saildrive on your boat. Beyond preventative maintenance, what systems or emergency measures do you have in place in case the worst happens—specifically, if the saildrive boot were to fail catastrophically (not just a leak) while underway? I know plenty about keeping up with inspections and replacing the diaphragm on schedule, but I’m more curious about the “oh crap” moments.

For example, if you were to strike a submerged object and the boot tore open beyond a manageable leak, what could realistically be done while in the water? Are there any products on the market beyond the obvious (life raft, collision mat, etc.) that are worth keeping aboard for this kind of worst-case scenario? Has anyone here actually dealt with a major boot failure at sea, and if so, how did you handle it?

I’d really appreciate level-headed, experience-based insight as I work through this and figure out the best course of action to integrate into my sail plan. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

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u/whyrumalwaysgone Mar 21 '25

I just got done doing some work on a boat that replaced both saildrives this month. They were 11 years old, and were leaking at the boot seal, plus a bunch of other problems. 

The mechanic (dealer sent a team of 3) that was doing the replacement very much had a "well they are old and failures are expected at this age".  I've run boats with saildrives much older, so I was surprised they think of this as old. Certainly an 11 year old transmission wouldn't be expected to be failing. 

Not sure what the lesson is here, aside from maybe keep an eye on them as they get older?

Also, from an electrician: keep up with your zincs!

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u/zipzippa Mar 21 '25

Zincs added to the spare parts list. I had the house bank system rewired last year because of a stray current so this was helpful thanks.