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caj13
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SternDrives in Baja
so you can pick up an inboard outboard for cheap! I suspect the issue is the sterndrives are where problems show up typically!
Don't see many of then in Baja - outboards are the way to go, thats what i've been told - I guess it's for launching & retrieving ease? at
least thats what I've been told.
I'm thinking of picking one up in the states, put in at San Felipe, and make a run for Cabo (having a land based support vehicle mirroring the parts
of the journey that it can.
20 - 22 footer, haul food, water, camping gear, spare parts, a zodiac tender, marine radio sat phone. experienced outdoorsmen / with boat
experience, but on lakes.
time is not an issue, we can wait out wind and bad weather
I recognize it might not make it, don't care, leave it and head home, its the adventure we are after. we would leave it in cabo if we got that
far!
so lets hear from all the sterndrive naysayers who are sure this is a stupid idea, any actual experiences with stern drives running along the coast
would be especially appreciated.
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mtgoat666
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Quote: Originally posted by caj13  | so you can pick up an inboard outboard for cheap! I suspect the issue is the sterndrives are where problems show up typically!
Don't see many of then in Baja - outboards are the way to go, thats what i've been told - I guess it's for launching & retrieving ease? at
least thats what I've been told.
I'm thinking of picking one up in the states, put in at San Felipe, and make a run for Cabo (having a land based support vehicle mirroring the parts
of the journey that it can.
20 - 22 footer, haul food, water, camping gear, spare parts, a zodiac tender, marine radio sat phone. experienced outdoorsmen / with boat
experience, but on lakes.
time is not an issue, we can wait out wind and bad weather
I recognize it might not make it, don't care, leave it and head home, its the adventure we are after. we would leave it in cabo if we got that
far!
so lets hear from all the sterndrive naysayers who are sure this is a stupid idea, any actual experiences with stern drives running along the coast
would be especially appreciated. |
Stern drives have been falling in market share for quite a while, for a number of reasons. For your purpose, a one-way boat trip of 1000 miles, any
mechanically sound seaworthy boat should do. If you choose the wrong boat, you want care, because it only takes a week or 2 to get to your
destination where you intend to sell or abandon your boat, eh?
Not much of an adventure driving a stink pot, the trip would be more adventurous under sail. Just saying.
You don’t need a sag car to follow you. There are plenty of towns along the way for resupply, and if you get in trouble at sea, the people in the
car will be useless and you’ll need to look to yourselves or other boaters for aid.
A 20-22 ft boat does not need a zodiac tender. Take a paddle board or kayak and you’ll have a tender and something fun to use. Warm water - you
beach to load/unload, and then anchor boat and swim back to shore.
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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JZ
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Get an outboard.
I've done the trip from San Felipe to La Paz by boat a few times. Let me know if you want some input.
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msteve1014
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The only problem with an i/o in Baja is the lack of people that know how to work on the outdrive. The engine any one can work on. I had one for 10
years. You need to do your own work, or haul it to a large city, or north, for repair. I had no problems I could not fix myself in that time. For your
trip, if you can find what you want at a good price, go for it.
edit to add that an i/o will launch and retrieve as easy as an outboard boat of the same size.
[Edited on 2-10-2020 by msteve1014]
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JZ
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I had an I/O for years in San Carlos, Sonora where there are thousands of boats.
Finding someone that works on out drives that is good is ridiculously difficult.
Don't do it. Buy an outboard.
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msteve1014
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He's making a one way trip in a throwaway boat. A bayliner with an i/o will work.
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pacificobob
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I think that a inspection, and oil analysis should be sufficient to determine if an outdrive has 100 trouble free hours remaining. In this
application it should be fine....I'd include a satellite phone or similar in my kit.
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caj13
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Right,
if we find the right boat for 500 bucks, with a trashed sterndrive, we could pick up a rebuilt unit for 500 or so, (at least thats what I am seeing
on the internet) that ought to last the 100 hours or so - whatever we need.
we have a long history of buying junk and making it last - we ran in over 2o - "24 hours of Lemons" races, 20 of em with the same vehicle, over
300 hours of racing with a 500 buck toyota supra! never cracked upen the engine.
I understand JZs concern - but thats why we are going sterndrive - a big part of the adventure is buying some el cheapo run down boat and making it
run to the end of Baja.
By the way, that's the first 1/2 of our stupid adventure, the second 1/2 gets way stupider - after we abandon the boat, the trip home - and
potentially way past home headed north, that's really ignorant!
[Edited on 2-10-2020 by caj13]
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JZ
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I've made that run several times. Wouldn't bet my life or anyone else's on a hunk of junk.
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msteve1014
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They don't REALLY need the trailer, now do they??
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mtgoat666
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| Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan | jz is right...
stupid idea to think a piece of junk will run you down to the tip...
there is NO vessel assist in baja...you are on your own
you need a back up crew with a trailer and parts and fuel...
and someone watching your back with a SPOT |
how did ferdinand magellan and those other crazy cats from the middle ages cross oceans w/o sat phone, backup crew, and shore crew with trailer/parts
-- and not even knowing if the world was flat or round?
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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mtgoat666
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they should sell the trailer for $300 usd, and use that money for scotch and Drambuie to fuel the cruise with rusty nails 
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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caj13
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| Quote: Originally posted by JZ | I've made that run several times. Wouldn't bet my life or anyone else's on a hunk of junk.
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You think thats bad, you ought to see what we have planned for the second 1/2 of the adventure!
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JZ
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| Quote: Originally posted by mtgoat666 |
how did ferdinand magellan and those other crazy cats from the middle ages cross oceans w/o sat phone, backup crew, and shore crew with trailer/parts
-- and not even knowing if the world was flat or round?
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They died at a super high rate.
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AKgringo
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A concern I would have with older outdrives, is that most of them were carbureted. The effects of time, and storage could generate a build up of
varnish or corrosion in any or all parts of the fuel system.
Add to that the effects that some of the additives in today's gasoline have on the older systems, and leaks and/or plugged lines and jets are likely
to occur.
A leaky line could turn the engine compartment or bilge into a bomb waiting for an ignition source!
I am not saying don't go for it, but old fuel systems plus old wiring harnesses could end your trip in a bad way!
If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space!
"Could do better if he tried!" Report card comments from most of my grade school teachers. Sadly, still true!
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vacaenbaja
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Caveat. Stern drives with a torn or leaky bellows can sink you if
the leak overtakes your bilge pumps ability to bail. This
includes the shift cable rubber. As can cracked through hull
fittings.
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LancairDriver
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I got rid of my last stern drive a couple years ago when it became hard to find a mechanic to stick their head under the deck to work on the engine. I
went to a boat with twin Yamaha outboards and now everyone is happier. Much more comfortable crossing the Oregon river bars with Twin Outboard power
and backup.
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pacificobob
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i used to avoid stern drives and opt for OBs only. later generation stern drives have solved the issues that caused the poor reputation. [
especially true of high HP inboard diesels] oil temp is the biggest issue. aftermarket oil temp monitoring guages,and drive showers [water directed
from the area of the cavitation plate and sprayed on the areas around the upper bearings] make all the difference .
a inboard diesel with an outdrive is far more fuel efficient than OBs.
finding good technicians to work on them is usually a pia. i would use one in Mexico if i was familiar with the maintenance history and make/model.
a career in aviation has me convinced that machines rarely fail catastrophically without warning. an operator who pays attention is rarely taken by
surprise.
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advrider
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Super cool idea! I don't know chit about boats but I would be so in for the adventure! I have about five friends that are buying scooters from CL for
no more then $2000 then ridding them to cabo from Nor cal. If we make it they get donated to a charity for resale.
I like land travel better then sea because I can't drown, hit by a truck maybe!
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ondahrd
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One reason for the lack of sterndrives in saltwater is corrosion on the drive itself, think of slow burning Alka-Seltzer, they just did not last. Only
drives designed for saltwater last, but still have issues, as stated above.
Get an outboard with a small kicker to get you to shore. you will be happy you did and your trip will be successful.
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