I have an Alpha-1 Mercruiser outdrive that can be tilted up to the trailer
position when approaching a beach, or going over a sandbar. I believe the
manual says to keep the RPM at idle to reduce damage or wear on the U-drive
components whenever you must do this. I've also forgotten to lower the
drive when starting the engine on occasion. So far, no damage, though I
plan on replacing the U-joints this winter while I have the drive off to
replace the impeller.
I have been looking at a newer boat that comes with the Volvo outdrive. I
read somewhere that if the Volvo outdrive is operated above the normal tilt
range it will damage something, and also read about a guy that did that and
wore a hole in the drive bellows, causing furthur water damage. Is that
correct?
Since I spend a lot of time over sandbars, this might be important when
looking for a new boat.