www.iFourWinns.com

Just want to pose a question. I am looking at pulling the drives on our boat. Our boat is currently sitting in our covered slip above the frozen lake. Is there any chance due to the cold temperatures of easily cracking the outdrive while pulling it off? This is the best time to do it with out having to pay the marina to pull it. They usually float a barge under them and work off it in the fall after the boats are lifted

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

They will come off no different than in warm weather Mike, unless they are seized on. If so, I always bring a large rubber hammer to crack them loose. A good penetrating oil will help them slide off as well. Mopar is my brand of choice.

I also put a large piece of cardboard down. It helps with the cold on your feet and absorbs any spillage of the penetrating oil.

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07 Azure AZ200,
Previous boat,
95 278 Vista,
And a lot of others.

Ontario, Canada

I am going to tarp my self in with a heater. Also replacing both bellows. Thanks for the tip with the oil. I have never taken the drives off this boat, just my last 2 hope she comes off easy!

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

Brrr can't imagine doing that in that cold. I've removed mine each year and it has always come right off. Can you wait till spring?
Frozen fingers... I once had to do a brake job on my brother in laws '94 Wrangler in 22 degree weather and we wound up having to knock the rotors off with a sledgehammer. Not fun. I'd wait for reasonable weather.

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88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Just so I got this right, your boats on a lift in the slip? And your gonna stand on the ice and remove the drives? When are you gonna put them back on? You won't be able to lower the boat back in the water until they are installed. Not trying to be a smartazz, just sayin tho. If you are putting them back on after the ice melts, are you gonna have the marina do it with their barge?

The one thing ya gotta remember, is the drives weigh about 80 lbs each and are very unbalanced and cumbersome. Def a two man job, unless you have a cradle. Hope that ice is thick!

Oh, and your original question, the cold shouldn't matter as far as cracking, as long as you go slow and steady.

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1996 205 Sundowner DLX
5.0FL Volvo SX Cobra
Tow Veh: 2012 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X

If I want to do the work myself much easier when the lake is frozen. I have a material/genie lift to lower the drives. Just going to pull the drives and do what I need to then put them back on. If I wait till it warms up then I run the risk of a) having water on top of the ice with no where to stand. I am going up to work and actually pull 4 drives. A friend we boat with also has a 328 so we are making it a guys weekend and getting a hotel close by!

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

If the ice is really that thick I guess this is something that can be done, but what if for whatever reason you can't get it back on, then what? Having done this many times there are times when for whatever reason the damn thing does not want to go on, I've had to fight with it sometimes for an hr to get to go on. Now its easier because I have a height adjustable drive jack. How about hand warmers? The idea of this makes my hands hurt...A LOT....

Have you and your boating buddies done this before?

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Yes I have done this many times on my previous 248 and 225. Never pulled the drives on this one yet. If for some some reason something happens and the drive can not go back on I have ample time to address issues. The ice is usually good till early march and on the off chance I could always have the marina put to back on. When the ice melts they have a few barges that will slide right under the boats with them up in the slip still and they work off them.
I don't not have access to the barges to use, marina use only
I work out side year round on mechanical equipment large tonnage chiller and such things so the weather doesn't really bother me to much as long as I'm out of the wind which we will be

Here is what it looks like up in the slip for winter. This was fall of 2012 before the winter started

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

Ah, I took your opening comment to be that you have never pulled a drive. Carry on....

BTW, great idea on the guys weekend thing, even tho its cold, still can be a good time. Cigars and um, the beverage of your choice (after the drive removal of course).

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1996 205 Sundowner DLX
5.0FL Volvo SX Cobra
Tow Veh: 2012 Nissan Frontier Pro-4X

Looking at how it's set up in the pic, it does look do-able. I'd try to get each drive trimmed level since that makes it easier to get it back on. If you're used to working outside, then should be OK. On the Volvos, sometimes you get some corrosion between the upper gear unit and the pivot housing (Volvo does not have a gasket there, like the OMC Cobra does) so spray some PB Blaster and let it soak in while you and your buddies drink some warm beverages in the tent with the heater, LOL....spray around the 6 studs that hold the drive on.
If you're going to do the bellows, make sure you can break the half inch allen bolts loose that hold the pivot housing on, unless you're going to try to do it with the pivot on. I've heard it can be done that way by removing the exhaust bellows first but I've never tried it.

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

Yes I did the bellows on my 248 with out loosening the pivot housing. As stated before I have a material lift that I will use to hold and lower the drives

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

How do you get you boat up on those blocks? It looks like large timbers spread across the finger piers of your slip. What do you lift the boat with when the water is not frozen?

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2008 Horizon 260 VP 8.1 Gi

If you look up by the radar arch there is 1 of 2.ibeams running the length of the slips. They use four electric chain falls and slings to lift them in and out. We have no choice when they go in. Soon as the ice breaks they start dropping boats. They have roughly 275 boats ranging from 26' to 55' motor yachts to drop in

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

Hey Mike (acguy), when you make it up to your 328 to remove your drives, did you plan to tryout the 10 LED cabin lights you purchased to see if they work in your existing light fixtures?

I would like to replace my cabin lights and radar arch lights this spring and was curious if the LEDs you purchased would also be an option for my 328, since your year of boat is the same as mind.

My wife likes the idea of the colored radar arch lights as described in the Vista forum within the "Replacement Cabin Lights" thread.

Mike.

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Current Boat
- 2001 Four Winns 328 Vista "Hour Decision"
- 2010 310 Mercury Inflatable

Previous Boats
- 30' Doral Prestancia
- 25' Doral Citation

I wasn't planning on it but I will take the LEDs up and if I have time I will check them out. I will let you know how I make out

_________________
2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike