I'm looking at purchasing a MH40-2013. In another make I was wary of its sail drive SD50. Could use assistance if anyone is aware of known issue. Thanks
Saildrive MH40 Yanmar
- Thread starter WAARETE
- Start date
If that boat is Too Cool Runnings I know that the PO could run it at 8 kts. Other than that don’t have any input on the sail drive
I bought a new 2018 MH40 last year. It was a factory direct purchase and Marlow Hunter allowed me to make some changes to the standard design. One of the changes I made was to change the sail drive model from the Yanmar SD50 to the SD60. The SD50 has a conical clutch that has a history of slippage problems. Yanmar recommends inspecting, lapping and reseating service every 500 engine hours and replacement after 2000 hours. The SD60 drive has a multi-plate clutch that is more reliable and requires less maintenance. There is a good article about sail drive maintenance in a 2017 Cruising World magazine article that I found very informative and helpful.
A recent lesson learned by a friend who has a 2013 MH40. He had a prop failure while under way, probably due to the prop hitting a submerged object. He had to be towed into a marina with a boat yard. When they hauled his boat out with a travel lift, they had mistakenly placed one of the lift straps over the sail drive, even after my friend told the lift operators that there was a sail drive immediately aft of the engine. When they lifted the boat, the sail drive was punched up dislodging the drive and engine, resulting in a very expensive repair bill. You need to be proactive with lift operators on where the lifting straps get placed. They not as familiar with sail drives as they are with more traditional shaft drives on sailboats.
Good luck with your purchase. They MH40 is a great boat.
A recent lesson learned by a friend who has a 2013 MH40. He had a prop failure while under way, probably due to the prop hitting a submerged object. He had to be towed into a marina with a boat yard. When they hauled his boat out with a travel lift, they had mistakenly placed one of the lift straps over the sail drive, even after my friend told the lift operators that there was a sail drive immediately aft of the engine. When they lifted the boat, the sail drive was punched up dislodging the drive and engine, resulting in a very expensive repair bill. You need to be proactive with lift operators on where the lifting straps get placed. They not as familiar with sail drives as they are with more traditional shaft drives on sailboats.
Good luck with your purchase. They MH40 is a great boat.
This doesn't answer your question but a quick look at the Yanmar website shows that they no longer manufacture the SD50. It appears they offer an SD25 (9-29 mhp) and the SD60 (39-80 mhp).
I also own a MH40-2013 and have had the main window leak problem. I removed them and resealed, them, so far so good.
Just before the purchase the PO had done an expensive repair on the SD50. I have since become aware of the SD50 issues, which seem to be the oil recommended harms the bronze bushes, and the leg also becoming pressurised. So I have changed the oil type, and fitted a breather, both easy fixes and the info I see online suggests that this will be successful.
I had problems with the anchor chain jamming in the hawse. The pvc tube hawse delivers the chain to under the front bunk, however does not flow well and bunches up after 20 or 30 metres of chain. My solution was to cut the pvc tube much shorter higher up so the chain drops down into the area between the front cabin bulkhead and the bow, plenty of space there. I also heated the pvc tube with a hot air gun and put a radius downwards in the tube so the chain raises cleanly and does not catch any sharp edges. Just as before some of the chain does flow down under the front bunk, but there is now no hawse to jam in.
I also had a major problem with the swim platform. The swim platform has a centre ss pipe running across side to side to accept the axle bushes. This ss pipe was not well installed and the attachments collapsed , the pipe and bushes were then free to move in the side panels of the swim platform, which became unusable....major problem. However removed swim platform, installed access ports each end, reglassed ss tube and fitted new bushes and axles, now good. I suggest you look hard at the swim platform mounting, however the issue is quite fixable now the solution is apparent.
Another anchor issue is that when deploying the anchor as it starts to leave it pivots and the shank knocks up into the genoa furler, similar when bringing back on board, so anchor needs attention and help both ways. I am about to fit a roller above the shank and just below the inside of the furler, so the anchor cannot bash the furler and will self deploy and raise.
All of the fixes I have done were not difficult, however brainstorming the fix was much more difficult than applying the fix
It is a nice comfortable boat, the dc/ac, plumbing, and lpg gas systems all well installed and work well.
Interested to hear how you go with your prospective purchase, happy to provide whatever other info you would like.
Just before the purchase the PO had done an expensive repair on the SD50. I have since become aware of the SD50 issues, which seem to be the oil recommended harms the bronze bushes, and the leg also becoming pressurised. So I have changed the oil type, and fitted a breather, both easy fixes and the info I see online suggests that this will be successful.
I had problems with the anchor chain jamming in the hawse. The pvc tube hawse delivers the chain to under the front bunk, however does not flow well and bunches up after 20 or 30 metres of chain. My solution was to cut the pvc tube much shorter higher up so the chain drops down into the area between the front cabin bulkhead and the bow, plenty of space there. I also heated the pvc tube with a hot air gun and put a radius downwards in the tube so the chain raises cleanly and does not catch any sharp edges. Just as before some of the chain does flow down under the front bunk, but there is now no hawse to jam in.
I also had a major problem with the swim platform. The swim platform has a centre ss pipe running across side to side to accept the axle bushes. This ss pipe was not well installed and the attachments collapsed , the pipe and bushes were then free to move in the side panels of the swim platform, which became unusable....major problem. However removed swim platform, installed access ports each end, reglassed ss tube and fitted new bushes and axles, now good. I suggest you look hard at the swim platform mounting, however the issue is quite fixable now the solution is apparent.
Another anchor issue is that when deploying the anchor as it starts to leave it pivots and the shank knocks up into the genoa furler, similar when bringing back on board, so anchor needs attention and help both ways. I am about to fit a roller above the shank and just below the inside of the furler, so the anchor cannot bash the furler and will self deploy and raise.
All of the fixes I have done were not difficult, however brainstorming the fix was much more difficult than applying the fix
It is a nice comfortable boat, the dc/ac, plumbing, and lpg gas systems all well installed and work well.
Interested to hear how you go with your prospective purchase, happy to provide whatever other info you would like.