The Dark Side of Boat Life Nobody Talks About

[@garyakashadow596]

You made the wise choice for this issue. It's a hell of a job for just one single prop outdrive. Trust me I've done several over the years. Yes, it does require a lil swallowing of your pride. But, this time it was well worth it. No headaches, no learning curve, no expensive specialty tool rentals racking up a big bill while you fight through everything. Now you know what tools are needed and what is involved in the repair. Wisdom like this can be very expensive. I'm so glad they let you watch and learn. Taking us along was just icing on the cake. I do admire your "can do" attitude but, sometimes it's better to pay for the schooling than it is to start a project yourself, and then still have to pay a shop on top of that. You be a boat mechanic yet, just choose your battles wisely and you'll be fine. Keep up the great content!! ❤❤

[@darploin5071]

Dude you're doing the right thing this kind of job you want a professional to do you'll be a lot happier with the results and that $2000 in the end when you have a boat that stays afloat will be worth every Penny

[@johnsnyder1046]

So it's really B.O.A.T.T. Break Out Another Two Thousand 😅 Hope it gets fixed

[@jmartin5004]

$2000 for all that work!!! Bargain! Was that parts and labour?

[@_-KOEN-_]

@@jmartin5004watch the end where he shows the bill

[@Snope111]

That shop was awesome. Allowing you close and learning along the way.

[@lauraslanesvanlifetravels]

I missed that poll but who doesn't want more Brandon Gross videos!? lol Count me in! Wow...that dash camera looked so easy to use, I can't afford one now, but def gonna keep it in mind...would love to use that for filming. Glad you were able to fix these issues, we definitely don't want THAT kind of excitement on your channel! And yea, sometimes you just gotta let others do the work...at a very high price...yikes!

[@ekitt7629]

As a boat owner for 23 years, my opinion is, if you can afford to have it done, do it. Let the professionals do their thing. It also is peace of mind knowing a skilled worker performed the work and if reputable they will warranty that work.

[@Wooley-v2u]

Outdrives, Bellows, cable Bellows, outdrive housing = Big problems, big expense, electrolysis corrosion and much more..They are becoming a thing of the past..Go OUTBOARD - THE BEST SOURCE OF DIRECT MARINE POWER.. Twin Suzuki 300’s on my 33 Pursuit. Best change I ever made!!! I threw away the stern drives..

[@watomb]

Funny title, Bust Out Another Thousand. Most important thing with live aboard life is understanding what needs to fixed vs what can wait.

[@Rafaelpvaleriano]

Working on my project boat and thank you for recording ❤

[@Luigi-pk8mk]

one word for you: outboards! I/Os have many places to leak water I've had one, it hasn't been bad but I would NOT have another!

[@godfreyschembri9812]

Sometimes we change bellows in the slipp instead to get to the yard.

[@DaDuddaMan64]

Bro I'm 60 been through a couple boats, your next one go with out boards

[@brianpowell3993]

There is a recommended schedule for service that nobody does and then says by boat broke. If you follow the schedule you should never have issues like this. I have had a Volvo Penta drive since 2006 and not once did I have something like this happen. The drive should be removed and inspected every year and parts changed as needed.

[@nirivia]

Just warning you replacing those u joints is going to be pricey. If I’m not mistaken, Volvo only sells the whole thing in one piece. Reseal shouldn’t be much if it’s only the yoke seal. Buttttt there’s a really good chance the yoke will be worn real bad and that’s why it lost the seal. Once again , not cheap. Those are really high performance drives and worth every penny though!!

[@lottobook2350]

that's actually really great deal on that job, in FL that would have easy been 4k plus

[@CoreyBuschDSB]

Also stoked that you got the boat all situated, the bill for it definitely sucks but seeing all the work and how difficult some of those areas are to reach it was definitely worth the money

[@timwattson4452]

The reason I will only buy outboard boats.😢

[@Jdalio5]

That's exactly what boat yards are for. Pull it out fix it right there? And you have experienced people right there to help you.

[@FootstepsFreedom]

Great vids on boat life, You also need to be careful having water inside boat. The motor mounts go to two long boards inside boat and if they get rotted out, it will coast over 10k. It only takes little water over time to cause dry rot. You can tap with hammer to check if sound is solid or hollow sound.

[@spazz954]

This right here. The fiberglass strength comes from wood giving it that extra rigidness. When its out of the water next time inspect for hollow sounding areas. Worth it to catch it early.

[@eddievlife]

Seems like a lot of boat manufactures have gone away from the inboard motors and are hanging outboards on all types of boats. I guess it makes it easier to work on and beaching/shallow water boating. Don't know all the financial differences but maybe cheaper with the outboards?

[@sailingscotland5114]

Don't trust that little chain on your water cap....one day you will tap it with something and the cap will fall in. Lost two so far on my boat...prefer to break it off and be carefull . Of course it your choice but just saying! Otherwise great progress with your boat project.

[@walrus10001]

Best decision to pay someone rather than DIY and mess up. That’s serious and critical work they did. Be pleased you fixed the generator 😊

[@Dld1985]

The Volvo SX drives are easier in my opinion than Mercruisers. Not much to it. Water getting in the shaft bellow rust the gimble and u-Joints. The water washes the grease out of them and if you’re in salt water it accelerates the corrosion.

[@markbrinks-vk6gu]

Bedankt

[@BrandonGross]

Thank you!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@MIGUEL-qh7br]

Look on the bright side , she’s a floating and you get to have an amazing time and create more content . It’s very entertaining watching your channel bro. 😎

[@MrWightHD]

This is precisely why I always use outboards

[@skinny1968]

You think it's cheaper to fix outboards?

[@MrWightHD]

@@skinny1968 I prefer my boat not to rely on rubber bellows and a questionable system connected from engine to leg. Seen a few sinkers where the out drive was to blame

[@skinny1968]

@@MrWightHD maintenance is the key. And yes bellows are a weak link if not inspected. All boats are a money pit . I find car blocks easier and cheaper to work on. Just me I guess. I now have inboards.

[@michelrood2966]

​@@skinny1968Yep

[@yvonnet19]

Hiya, just wanted to say hi and that I'm really looking forward to seeing you post two videos a week! I’m also super excited about potential new merch designs - still rocking the hoodie from your earlier drop, and it’s seriously the comfiest! Been following your journey from bus life to ambulance, to the minivan, and now boat life, and your vlogs always brighten up my day. Keep up the awesome work! 🍻

[@pip5461]

"The joys of boat ownership" ... At least that's one problem out of the way...!

[@jameslinderman6825]

Was just in Pittsburgh last night, got me thinking; does your boat leak at all in the rain? Love your vids dude, keep it up!

[@BrandonGross]

nope it stays super dry actually. Thanks for the support!

[@jameslinderman6825]

@@BrandonGross awesome man!

[@whippleslap]

I feel your pain on not being able to do the fix yourself, but you can think of it as your supporting a local business and allowing someone to put food on their families table. Sometimes its best to let a professional/experienced person do the work so youre not left wondering if you did something wrong especially something under the water line

[@RedCaillie]

I am so glad you had a professional take care of it! Great job! Hugs!

[@thefunhouse8545]

What e-bike do you have?

[@gilbertcordina]

You mentioned nothing that isn't routine maintenance. Bellows 5 years and replace no matter the condition

[@DougAlesUSA]

9:46 That yellow part, called the impeller pump drive sleeve, yeah, I know that part too well. I purchase a used Sea Ray Sundancer with a built in Kohler 5KW gas generator. In addition to doing all the routine maintence, I purchased the deluxe Kohler spares kit for this generator. Well, not one part in the spares kit has been needed, but this sleeve, which was not part of the kit, mine also broke during the hottest day of the summer. Of course no marina near me had one in stock. Had to order one online. It was one sweaty weekend. I replaced it, and now carry two spare sleeves, in addition to the tools and know how to change it. Now that I’m prepared, my guess is it will never break again.

[@jeffrandolf5673]

Aren't ALL SeaRays, "Sundancers"? lolol

[@DougAlesUSA]

@@jeffrandolf5673 that is a reasonable question. Sea Ray had many models over the years in addition to the Sundancer models. Bow Riders which latter became renamed SRX, Weekender, Amberjack, Sedan Bridge, Express Cruiser, Motor Yacht, Sun Sport are all Sea Ray speak for various models. Fast Forward to today and only two smaller Sundancer models remain in the Sea Ray lineup. Sadly, most larger boats are now made outside the USA. The nail in the coffin to USA luxury boat manufacturing was a “Tax the Rich” government plan that never collected much tax, caused large boat buyers to buy foreign vessels and fly foreign country flags to avoid the tax. On larger boats, the tax savings of buying a non-USA made boat was into the millions of dollars. It was only the blue collar skilled workers that built the boats who lost their jobs that were harmed, not the rich. Perfect example of why I feel all politicians from both parties are, well, not very good.

[@migbham1]

Dude....$2000 is literally nothing to spend on a day runner. Wait'll you need your hvac and heat exchanger replaced..😊 Cost of living on a self sufficient island that you can take just about anywhere. P.S. The bug was a spotted lantern fly.

[@gencijori9120]

The generator impeller will not straighten itself. You put it wrong and will lose one fin during prolonged use and heavens forbid where that fin will lodge itself

[@michaelcarmine9923]

I was thinking to myself, aint no way hes about to try and pull that huge boat out with that van. Lol 😂

[@charlienichols5759]

The Outdrive is pretty critical. Surprising how similar it is to the Mercruiser. I did the bellows on mine the first time. It was hard. There after I did the normal maintenance and left the bellows to the shops. Changing oils, greasing the G bearing, pulling the outdrive and inspecting are all easy enough. I finally build a stand for the outdrive after 10 years to make it easier. Not that hard. Build it out of wood of steal and it will last a long time. Pull it every year for inspection. Looking forward to you pulling your boat to Florida for the winter.

[@PBoss0]

mention the marina mechanic shop !!!!

[@stephencarpenter6971]

Great video Brandon !! Break out another thousand is sooo true !!

[@625jeffrey]

I agree, this is the type of job that is over your head. And avoiding the stress of worrying that you'll do something wrong and sink it is worth paying for

[@boathemian7694]

I went down the Mississippi River once on a sailboat leaking 2500 gallons a day lol.

[@Dudecifer]

2500 gallons of fuel?

[@johnr8629]

Hi, how much are the pump out fees? How often? Holding tank capacity?

[@joelmartin4273]

Great video man🎉

[@alanmacdonald7599]

Brandon, you are my brother from another mother. I feel your pain, I too like to do as much work on my boat as possible. Sometimes (yes in this case) you have to bight the bullet and accept that the job is perhaps too much for you to take on yourself, however now that you have seen how to do it maybe next time you can do it yourself. Don't wait till it's leaking, that way you can probably not have to change the gumball bearing. That is the part that has to be lined up in order to get the outdrive back on. Everything else is grunt labor (with know how of course) .

[@michelrood2966]

You gotta explain how does one " bight" the bullet though, I've heard of bite but bight?

[@fastinradfordable]

lol “Let me go to my parents to do laundry” Mamas cityy boyyyyttt😜

[@jimmatteo4592]

Agreed. Mini van with a tri axle trailer??? This man boy has not a clue.

[@WolfsburgVRSechs]

You need some bottom paint.. Its simple to do on your own, I did mine because it also mostly lives in the water. It'll also help you with getting on plane and fuel economy. Just a little bit of that algae messes up performance by quite a bit.

[@Mach19760]

My Dad built Sea Star, Mach 1 and Envision Boats in Monmouth Illinois for 37 years. Looks like you have it under control, unlike wine some Boats don't age well at all. I worked with Dad for 20 years all together and at Intrepid Boats in Clearwater Florida. Working for the old man and use of boats was great because if something went wrong we'd just hall it back to the factory lol. Boats are a lot of work but the times you have with family and friends are even better on a boat. Good luck and good boating.

[@gavaccess]

Greetings from the UK the VP drives are gold standard, but I would seriously replace that rusting UJ - the spider bearings are available separately, also I would keep an eye on the starter motor from the leaking side as they do tend to suffer once water gets into the engine bell housing and ring gear

[@celtic_bard]

Brandon I think you made the right choice. It would have cost you allot more if something went wrong.

[@Wooley-v2u]

Another thing I forgot to mention, gas inboards = You’re sitting on a potential bomb if not properly maintained.

[@hollieboptv2996]

it would be worse in salt water , when your engines rust away

[@karlmabe1649]

Its a nightmare can find more work corrosion on legs ram and tabs

[@brettgerber795]

I don’t blame you on them doing it. Also, I’d recommend to anyone to have a backup bilge pump in place (either on an alarm or not). Last month on our Chris Craft 381, had our Jabsco bilge fail and a $15 500gph pump from Amazon that I installed this spring let us continue our trip home from Chicago to St. Joe, MI.

[@grizzlyridgerunner]

I'm glad you got it fixed, and it was a fast repair . No more worries about sinking. Those parts you Replace will last just as long as the original parts. Smart repair ✌️

[@BrandonGross]

Yeah now I feel much better peace of mind

[@CoreyBuschDSB]

Hell yeah, pumped for the 2 video!

[@Boris-xx7dw]

Great content Brandon , it’s surprising that them bellows could so easy sink a boat if they fail ! I’ve always thought that when I retire I’d sell the house and buy a cruiser to live on ! This was when I lived in the U.K. but that would maybe be to cold in winter , but now for the last 8 yrs we lived in Florida . As I say great content and learning so much regarding living on a boat 👍

[@PhilMarshall-b4k]

You did right thing to pay the pros and getting done fast and correctly 😊

[@dampants]

Great video again, add another grand to the price and 2 month wait to get that work done here in the UK. Worth every cent though for the good times

[@evelynlobos1354]

Florida just got wrecked with that hurricane 😮becareful Mr.B! Love your vlogs! From your number one fan in ❤melbourne ❤Australia❤

[@gregwallace3514]

How's that saying go? BOAT. Break out another thousand. 😢

[@NotDarlaYT]

Your parents have to be proud of you! You can fix anything. You are great at so many things 🎉absolutely love the videos. Two days a week! ❤ thank you.

[@DigitalSwagg]

Boat life looks like it would be an amazing lifestyle. I feel your pain, I just dropped $10k on an brand new HVAC for my house, good thing my house is completely paid off or that could've really hurt.

[@AmandaStewart-ge2us]

Super bade smokin 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@mfPapaP44]

What happened to u on the overnight channel? Been wondering for a minute

[@slavikcher95]

so what your telling me is get an outboard?

[@michaelsherman6492]

Pay someone that is an expert to do it… remember they will guarantee it

[@michaelmills107]

Look into Burnt Store marina in Cape Coral Florida.

[@Lozenhimer]

i think you made the right move in having the work professionally done. money well spent. now for the wiseass side of me coming out...i found it ironic that you ran out of water being on a boat that is technically sinking....AND...your mom called....she wants her sunglasses back :-p seriously though, i'm glad you are posting 2 vids a week. i've always enjoyed your content. keep up the great work. be safe....

[@MrDominicBrant]

It's always good to pay people now and as it keeps the skills on the water, and keeps talent in boating.

[@samiam9365]

even expert mechanics will have trouble replacing parts, etc. It may have taken you a week to get parts ordered and delivered. Not having the right tools can be a deal breaker.

[@BrandonGross]

Yeah it could have been a nightmare

[@paulthompson1216]

Some things are better left to the pros.

[@jimmywalters3071]

My younger brother sells used boats , the size like yours. He says new boats lose so much resale value after a few short years. The problem is maintaince on these boats and costs of parts and labor. Heck I had a Jet Ski and when I it got older I sold it .. since the parts and repairs were so much... but lived in the Northeast . Shops were backed up and I found a guy that came to my lift to repair my jet ski which needed repairs at times and it was always $500. I did the winterization , ie changed oil and plugs myself to save some money. If I was younger ..or had kids .. I would suggest them to get into boat repairs to make lots of money $$ and have job security for life.

[@BrandonGross]

Haha yeah definitely a lot of money to be made in the marine industry!

[@jeffharrity]

Brandon, you got to take on the Great Loop. Love to see that content!

[@BrandonGross]

That’s the goal! But I need a bigger boat

[@BrandonGross]

That’s the goal! But I need a bigger boat

[@edwardranno7119]

When you own a boat you automatically become a mechanic..oh yeah and you become broke real fast

[@kylefox4272]

Brother. There are times in life where we gotta let the professionals do what they do best. Glad you had someone do it and was able to film and follow along. Good dudes.

[@evelynlobos1354]

Lucky you and your pals and dad know so much! This saves you a lot of money! Plus eddy let you dock to fox your boat🤘

[@justinvonderheide91]

You might have answered this already, but what are you going to do in the winter months? Van life again? Or! Drive the boat down south?! That would make some amazing videos.

[@justinvonderheide91]

I commented too soon during the video lol.

[@BrandonGross]

Trying go boat down south!! But we will see

[@joeymember]

Brandon, cool video never seen that work done before, thanks for sharing. By the way your nickname is " The New Situation" You remind me of Mike from the Jersey Shore way back when he first showed up !!

[@prestonbrubach2431]

Who did the work for you? I live in Pittsburg and need some worked done on my boat Love the videos!

[@BrandonGross]

Boatworld Pittsburgh. In bridgewater

[@fastinradfordable]

You could always temporarily beach your rig like our forefathers did. $900 a side including boat in and out is cheap

[@Blitzkrieg.u812]

This is called basic maintenance.... nothing like waiting to the last minute or waiting for something bad to happen... there is no dark side ... its you!!

[@UncleRicoOSU]

You’re blaming him for the previous owner not doing maintenance?

[@Blitzkrieg.u812]

@UncleRicoOSU dam right

[@86redta]

Great video

[@markdimaio8396]

How much gear lube did you lose? Does your drive train have gear lube reservoir bottles inside the engine compartment?

[@Wv8675]

Cool video watching from Wheeling Wv

[@sodunkwales7361]

Liked subbed and this is just a comment to help the algo, great vid buddy big love from South Wales.

[@Bobo--zb9lj]

Lâche pas mon Brandon!

[@victorbernabe4294]

That truly is the boat life on a used boat…….. u have to remember that most likely you would spend more money on the tools required to repair that then having a shop do the work

[@Goomba_412]

Elton n the Overnight channel need u back. Maybe another tat while on a rollercoaster....lol

[@bingbang3318]

You absolutely did not want to do that job by yourself.

[@Barelydaingalang]

I'm sure those engine stand/lifts are incredibly expensive. Much smarter to get it done right.

[@BrandonGross]

Oh for sure haha

[@Secondwind2010]

Dude you should be on a sailboat

[@Dunkolunk]

Man 4 months. That's not much dirt at all. I live on the Chesapeake Bay . The salt water is much worse

[@dockholiday4915]

Eddie and his guys are the best!

[@freddking4389]

Brother, you did the rigjt thing. If you do it and it goes wrong, you still have to have the pros do it in the end. Boat living is expensive. I can't imagine filling that baby up.

[@Blr1976]

How cool. As a fellow boater from one pool down, I admire your boat as I go by every few days. The pewter color always catches my eye. I pull all of those cars back n forth across the river making all that noise.

[@buttdreads]

is the motor supposed to whine like this

[@danielleandgunnar]

glad you got your boat fixed mr. gross

[@Shark9K]

it's sad to see your boat getting broken, but like seeing you fix it yourself is really nice.And really nice you could film the guys at the garage fixing the leak! And hey not al things you can do by yourself without the right tools.Your doing a great job trying and learning. btw You went without water when you are docked? you can not hook it directly then at the dock? ✌

[@COLLAR01]

Amazing, when I was your age we would blow engines on Fri. night, scamper for parts for rebuilds and have 700+ HP motors on the water Sun. morning--and no videos lol. AND THATS BOAT LIFE

[@Clan501-Scotland]

Bro stood on a 50k boat moaning about 2 grand 😂