How do I know if my bellows are bad?

Look for cracks, dry rot or tears in the rubber boots between the drive and the transom. If you see water in the bilge you cannot explain, the bellows are one of the first things to check.

What does milky gear lube mean?

It usually means water is getting into the gear housing past a seal. Have the drive inspected before running it much more.

I hit something with the drive. What should I check?

Look at the prop and skeg for damage, and listen for new noises or vibration. Even if the boat seems fine, a hard strike is a good reason to have the drive inspected.

Can sterndrive work be done at the dock?

Most drive repairs need the drive pulled, so they are done in our Buford shop. We can help with transport if the boat is in the water.

Do you replace props?

We check props for dings and bent blades and can handle prop service as part of a drive job.

Is it safe to run the boat with a noisy drive?

It is best not to push it. New grinding, rumbling or clunking usually means something is wearing. Running it can turn a bearing replacement into a bigger repair. Have it checked first.

When is the best time for a drive inspection?

Many owners do it in the fall when the boat comes out for winter, so any parts can be replaced before spring.

How often should gear lube be changed?

Follow your drive maker's schedule. We check the lube during an inspection. Milky lube means water is getting in.

Do you work on all sterndrive brands?

We work on a wide range of sterndrives. Tell us the drive make and model when you call.

Can I bring just the drive, without the boat?

Call to ask. Most owners bring the boat so we can inspect the drive in place and check alignment.

Sterndrive & Outdrive Repair

Sterndrive & Outdrive Repair Around Lake Lanier

Harbor Marine repairs sterndrives and outdrives for Lake Lanier boaters: bellows, gimbal housings, gear housings, shift cables and props. Call or text (770) 967-8495 to get your drive inspected at our Buford shop.

Bellows and gimbal bearings. Gear housing rebuilds. Shift cables and props.

Short answer: Harbor Marine inspects and repairs sterndrives and outdrives in our Buford shop: bellows, gimbal bearings, U-joints, gear housings, shift cables and props. Call (770) 967-8495.

Why the drive needs regular attention

A sterndrive spends the whole season hanging in the water behind the boat. The rubber bellows that seal the drive to the transom dry out and crack with age. The gimbal housing corrodes. The gears take load every time you shift and accelerate. None of that is visible from the helm, which is why drive problems tend to show up all at once.

A torn bellows is the one to worry about most. It can let water reach the U-joints and gimbal bearing, and eventually the inside of the boat.

Worn sterndrive bellows boot held up after removal — A worn bellows boot after removal. Cracks like these let water in.

What we inspect and repair

Bellows: the U-joint, exhaust and shift cable boots, replaced as a set when they are worn.
Gimbal bearing and U-joints: checked for roughness and noise, and replaced when worn.
Gimbal housing: inspected for corrosion and damage.
Gear housings: opened when needed so the gears, bearings and seals can be inspected and rebuilt.
Shift cables: adjusted or replaced when shifting gets stiff or vague.
Props: checked for dings and bent blades.

Corroded gimbal housing with the bellows exposed — Corrosion on a gimbal housing, found during a drive inspection.

Warning signs

Have the drive checked if you notice clunking when you shift, grinding or whining that changes with speed, a vibration that was not there before, water in the bilge you cannot explain, or milky gear lube when it is drained. Hitting something under the water is also a good reason for an inspection, even if the boat seems fine.

How a drive job goes

Most drive repairs start by pulling the drive so we can see the bellows, gimbal bearing and U-joints properly. We inspect, explain what we found, and replace what is worn. Parts go back together with new seals and gaskets. If the gear housing needs a closer look, it is opened and inspected on the bench in our shop.

Outdrive upper gear housing opened during a rebuild — Upper gear housing opened up on the bench.

Why a yearly drive inspection pays off

Most of the expensive drive repairs we see started as something small: a cracked bellows that let water in for a season, or a gimbal bearing that rumbled for months before it failed. A yearly look at the bellows, joints, gimbal housing and gear lube catches those early, when the fix is a set of boots or a bearing rather than a rebuilt drive. Fall, when the boat is coming out for winter, is a natural time to do it.

One shop for drive and hull

Drive strikes often leave hull damage too. Both can be repaired in the same shop visit.

Drive repair for boaters around the lake

Drive work is shop work, so the boat comes to us at 6516 Lanier Islands Parkway in Buford. If it is in the water, ask about boat transport. We repair drives for boats kept on Lake Lanier and for owners in Buford, Flowery Branch and Sugar Hill.

Boaters from Gainesville, Cumming, Suwanee, Alpharetta, Dahlonega and Atlanta trailer in as well. The engine side of the drive is covered under boat engine repair, and hull damage from a strike under gel coat and fiberglass repair.