O'day 25 Powerhead

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Harry Schochat

I recently purchased an O'day 25 with an inbgoard powerhead. The powerhead has the follwing number stamped into it #322185 with an E in a circle. Can any body identify the manufacturer and type of powerhead. I would also be interested in any manuals and literature, or any sites that would provide a information on the boat and powerhead
 
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Mike

is it a sail drive

Is this engine a two cycle sail drive engine? If so it is called a "Zephyr Sail Drive" and was manufactured by OMC in the late 70's and 80's. Bombardier now owns the OMC name and services the parts market for engine work. As for the manual(s) You will have to contact Bombardier for them if they are still in print. If you're not sure what a sail drive is then ask around the marina or ask a good mechanic to describe one to you. Good luck
 
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Harry Schochat

Oday 25 powerhead

Thanks for taking the time to help. I asked the yard owner to look at it and advise if it is in running or repairable condition. It seems that a lot of the Oday 25's that have the inboard have elected not to maintain them and have opted for outboards instead. Does the boat handle well under power with the inboard , or does the distance between the prop and the rudder result in poor handling especially going into a slip? Thanks again. Harry Schochat
 
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Rod Johnson,

picture

Here is a picture of the OMC Zephyr inboard in my Friend's O'Day 25, does this help?
 
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Mike

Zephyr Sail Drive characteristics

Harry- The sail drive is a beast unto it's own. There is nothing like it on the water. My sail drive has just been completely rebuilt to the tune of $2,000. I will have to say it has been worth every penny. Basically it is an Evinrude/Johnson outboard hooked up to an outboard lower end with a transmission in between. It is glassed into the hull making maintenance a problem. It is fairly smelly from fumes while it is operating because it exhausts into the atmosphere not underwater as other outboards are. It is also quite noisy for the same reason. However it is dependable but very thirsty on fuel. lastly it requires that you mix oil and fuel because it is not oil injection. Honda makes a replacement for it for about $4,000 installed and Yanmar has a nice diesel for $11,000 installed. That is probably why many Zephyr owners go for an outboard on a bracket on the transom. Quieter, no smell and can be removed for maintenance. Plus you can hang a nice 4 stroke if you want. Handling wise it is a dream. It backs up very nice, and moves the boat through the water much faster than any diesel. It is light weight, takes up very little room in the boat and appearance wise it looks better than an outboard. If you are mechanically inclined it is very rebuildable. Parts are available through OMC (Bombardier) or through a dealer. Parts are very expensive and it takes a bit of time to get them in. This makes it a good lay-up project. I hired a good marine mechanic, thus the high price to rebuild. He completely rebuilt the engine because it was full of carbon. This is a characteristic of this engine. I could tell you lots more, but the call is yours. To outboard or not to outboard. Good Luck, Mike
 
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Bill Coxe

Saildrive

I echo everything Mike said about the Zephyr, including the smoke and the smell. In order to replace the water pump impeller, you have to pull the power head and that means being on the hard. It cost me about $700.00 last year plus over $200.00 for hauling, blocking and relaunching. Friday, it decided to stop pumping while furling the main, then ran long enough (barely) to get into the slip. I ended up blowing out the lower water passage using the compressor on my portable starter battery, and it has run fine ever since, and that includes almost four hours of powering. That Honda-powered replacement is more like $6,000.00, though. Advantages of the saildrive is that it backs up with manners, as Mike said it is relatively fast, the strut NEVER comes out of the water and is completely protected by the keel. Parts that are common to outboards are somewhat supported by Bombadier, who is reportedly getting ready to sell off the OMC part of the business. Try getting the Z-ring seal that keeps the water from getting into the people tank. I haven't found or needed one yet, but I'm looking. Good luck with yours.
 
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Mike

Z ring seal

Bill: Is the Z ring seal the main seal at the fiberglass? If so, why would anyone need to replace it unless they pulled the unit out of the fiberglass. A gruesome thought. I stand corrected on the Honda cost. Thanks for the update. Mike
 
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