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I’ve a friend who is in the process of buying a 2006 B39. When he had the boat lifted for inspection last week the sail drive gaiter was actually missing. He’s asked me if this is a common occurance with Bavarias’. My boat is 8 years old and I’ve never had the problem and my freind was wondering if this is an islolated case or something that happens often. Comments appreciated.
Regards
Jim
Thanks, I’ll take a look, and I’ll ask my friend for more details and get back to you
Cheers
Jim
Jim,
The loss of the saildrive gaiter unfortunately isn’t that uncommon. Its purpose is not to provide a waterproof seal but to cover the leg void and improve the hydrodynamics, there is a seal fitted at the base of the gearbox which ensures the vessel is watertight. During manufacture the gaiter is fitted in the factory onto a hull straight from the mold and therefore directly onto the remains of the release agent used in the molding process. Because the molds are not waxed on every cycle some gaiters stick better and longer than others. I also have a theory that the thinners in certain antifouling or when epoxy coats are being applied can affect the glue but have no proof that this is the case.
New gaiters are available from your local Volvo agent, but I have heard of people making their own. The key to success is preparation, use a quality waterproof glue such as stickaflex or a two pack Araldite type glue, abrade the area before gluing, find a method to keep some pressure on the gaiter while the glue dries (garden canes cut to length seem to work) and the final trick is after the glue is dry – run a bead of stickaflex around the outside and mould with a wet finger to form a nice blended edge.
Happy sailing
Paul
Hi Paul,
Many thanks I’ll copy and paste your reply into an email to my friend
All the best
Jim
We have just found that we have discarded our second one.
The first was missing 1 year after new boat purchase. It could only be replaced a year later at next liftout (Done by Volvo agent who was well aware of the issues with Bavs and had a better plan). And now at our 3rd liftout a week ago, that has gone too. I am about to give up.
Cheers
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