'72 36' Tri-Cabin V drive

Inky · Post by **Inky** » Thu Apr 09, 2009 11:20 pm

Quick kudos to all that keep the old stuff floating.
I found a good deal on this boat and will be taking a look at it soon. The catch is that it has "A cracked housing on one of the V-Drives" My questions are; how hard is it to replace this and why would it crack in the first place?
The owner told me that it is a Walter Machine V drive, the boat is powered by twin Chyrslers. TIA

aaronbocknek · Post by **aaronbocknek** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 6:28 am

inky, check your private messages .....
welcome to the forum. the f36 tri cabin is a great vessel.
aaron

prowlersfish · Post by **prowlersfish** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 6:42 am

Inky , a cracked V-drive could be from a internal failing / poor mounting / water freezing in the cooler . replacing it should not be too hard ( depending on your ability ) Walter Machine drive have a good rep and still around so I would not think parts would be a issue .

David Kane · Post by **David Kane** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 4:08 pm

Aaron: how about posting your reply on the forum so all can benefit from the knowledge. I've got Walter vee-drives on my tri-cabin & would like to know information regarding them also.

aaronbocknek · Post by **aaronbocknek** » Sat Apr 11, 2009 5:07 am

hi dave (happy easter btw) and you too paul.... as 'many' of you know, dad owned our 1972 f-36 tri cabin from the day the hull was popped out of the mold until march of 2008. the walter machine company inc is indeed still around and very much a family run operation. i spoke with dad about this situation(the cracked v-drive) and he could not imagine how this could happen other than the boat hitting something and twisting the shaft and cracking the v-drive or it freezing somehow (like paul suggested). these units are pretty much bullet proof though and a v-drive cracking is a unique problem in my opinion. there is plenty of access to the units and can be replaced, but make sure it is the same reduction as the other one. each unit is tied to a serial number and due to the fabrication process, parts are tied to each serial number and CANNOT be inter changed. i suggest he call walter directly 201-656-5654. they are amazing when it comes to cross referencing serial numbers to hull numbers etc...... dad needed to replace an oil fill cap a few years back on the stbd v-drive unit and he called walter gear, he gave them the units serial number and the rep actually pulled up dad's name, boat name, hull number and reduction of the gear. that is how spot on this company is. in the 36 years of ownership, these trusty v-drives NEVER let us down. i probably rambled on too much, but i needed to get that out...... let me know if i can be of further assistance.
aaron

David Kane · Post by **David Kane** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 6:31 am

Hi Aaron; thanks for the info., especially the phone #. I need to replace leaking seals on my units. Will get the serial #'s & give them a call. I believe they have/can make up seal kits for them. Shalom!

aaronbocknek · Post by **aaronbocknek** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 7:24 am

b'boker tov dave (that's hebrew for good morning) anyway, they have a fantastic website too.... http://www.waltergear.com like i said in the previous post, all you need to do is call the company, give them the serial numbers and maybe even the hull number and they will be able to fix you right up. when dad called, he gave them the info and they repeated back to him all the information right down to the date the boat was deliverd to the dealer in edgewater maryland! she knew that dad was the sole owner of the vessel! the one thing i LOVE about this company is the service they provide for the products they proudly make right here in the usa. they will never ever ever outsource as they see it as a black mark on the product and name. no thats thinking outside of the corporate box if you ask me. the gal that assisted dad has been working at walter for nearly 40 years. as i ramble on, i want to tell you about what happened to our starboard v-drive shortly after we took delivery. both dad and i heard a ''growl'' when the gear was engaged. dad called the company and he actually got ahold of of mr. walter himself. he said, '' ahhhh zee gear growl (he was german). we will fix you right up." dave, in a day there was a walter tech at our beloved BUBALA 3, he took the top apart, replaced the ball bearing that had gone bad, refilled it with fluid then we did a sea trial..... NO GROWL. these guys were amazing. anyway, here is some info from the website that should assist you in your fix.
let me know what happens.
b'shalom aaron

Genuine Factory Parts

Walter Machine maintains a large stock of V-Drives and parts for quick shipment. Please call 201-656-5654 or fax 201-656-0318 with the V-Drive Serial Number for more information. The serial number must accompany all requests for replacement gear drives, parts, or information (a model number is not sufficient). The serial number is stamped on the serial plate (along with the model number and gear ratio). The serial plate is a brass plate the size of a business card, rivetted onto the main V-Drive case; the numbers are stamped into the plate; normally sanding with a light sandpaper will remove paint exposing the numbers. If the serial plate has been removed, please fill out the Identification Sheet below.

V-Drive Identification Sheet (pdf)