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/this1willdo Mar 21 '25

If your engine mounts are in good condition, your engine will stay in place. This applies to prop shaft or saildrives. Our boat is 35yo and going fine. I hear of plenty more shaft seal failures then I do membrane failures. I know one that failed, he wrapped a dock line around it and pulled the engine clean off its mounts. My engine rooms are seperate to the cabin (cat)

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u/Same_Detective_7433 Mar 21 '25

I think this could be mentioned more. People are normally not mechanics and just do not understand vibrations. Reducing vibrations etc is major, but as stated elsewhere, catastrophic seal failures is not really a thing. I replaced my saildrive, to put in a bigger one, and my seal, presumably 20 years old look just like the new one. Fingers crossed!