Bukh Saildrive primary Drive gear

Paul,

I did order the R620A2101 Gearwheel Little Drive from LSM as referenced by the Bukh parts master).  My gear had wear damage in the middle of each tooth, so as a first step contacted LSM and ordered a new one from them.  As part of the order, I also purchased the rear bearing assembly, a new thrust washer, O-rings, and some shims for adjustments as required. All told ~$1500.  My prop shaft gears had minor scuffing,  just the primary gear suffered the most damage. When I  received  the new gear from LSM,  it was apparent the gear teeth height and designs were different. I can send you pictures with associated measurements if you want to compare your gear up against my old one and the new one from LSM.  If yours are in line with the new gear, it should be a good fit. I was tempted to order the two prop gears from LSM to see if they would match up with the new bevel gear, but another $2K ($1K each gear) after the first didn't match was in the guess category. It didn't make sense that Bukh should have more than one design for the gear set, unless at some point they made an undocumented design change .  At one point I did call Erik to request the refund. He was kind enough to let me send the parts back  to them after I emailed the pictures of the gears not matching up and the phone call. The refund minus $270 import duty/restock fee  and another $145 shipping with insurance was an added cost to the order.

As a plan B, I contacted Stephan Beaulieu-Champigny / Plant Manager at United Welding Processes  (514) 321-3320 or (800) 361-3950, Email Stephan@uwp.ca, and sent him pictures of the gear asking if he could repair or replace it. His response was that they would have to remake the gears to get proper alignment and meshing. My prop shaft also had minor scoring from the gear debris, so if I pursued this route, would also ask him to remake the shaft, as they are no longer available either.   

I have owned the boat for 15 years, and this is the second saildrive on it. After one race in severe weather, my dog clutch came apart and destroyed the gears in the lower unit.  I replaced it with a new one from Bukh 10 years ago. 

I love the boat, but after two rounds with the SD, it makes sense to me  to look at Bukh alternatives. The Beta inboard/shaft drive  solution is about $13K for parts and yard labor.  I am also evaluating outboard solutions for my 35 year old boat. As I was considering this path, I walked the boatyard to make measurements on boats with outboards, and was surprised to see quite a few with both outboards on the back and also inboard drive props poking out their bottoms.  After going through this process it dawned on me how much I have had to pamper the SD over the years, using zinc based paint that quit working the third month, buying Gori props every four to five year, and replacing the shaft seal every 7 years. After those considerations, the outboard wasn't so bad after all. 

Let me know if your gears have sustained similar damage.  As stated above, if interested, I can send you pictures of the drive gears, new and old so you can make an informed decision forward if/and when contacting LSM. Just send me your email. Mine is rileys_4@verizon.net. 

Marc