When we first started running the boat, we didn’t fully understand how everything worked — like every new boat owner. On the way home from our first big adventure hauling out in Hoonah, I noticed the transmission was hot. Not warm. Not concerning. 250°F. A full hundred degrees hotter than the manual said it should ever be.
Back home, I dove into research. Everything pointed toward a rebuild. So I tore into it, talked to mechanics, ordered parts, bought tools, and rebuilt the transmission myself. About a thousand dollars and eight weeks later, it was back in the boat and ready for a fishing trip.
On the way home, it overheated again — and started making noises no transmission should ever make.
Once we were tied up, I pulled it out again and shipped it south to a professional. He called back with the verdict: it was never rebuildable. It had pumped so much metal through itself that it was completely toast.
So we ordered a brand‑new (rebuilt) Velvet Drive.
While waiting, I finally found the real culprit. The damper plate — the link between the engine and transmission — had been destroyed by whoever worked on it before us. Once we replaced it, the new gear slid on like it was meant to be there.
Then came the alignment. That’s when things got complicated. Every stainless lag bolt holding the engine mounts had suffered crevice corrosion. They snapped as soon as I tried to loosen them. No way to reuse those holes.
So we stepped back and reassessed.
Short story was steering pedestal came off, beam across cockpit, chain hoist through hole over engine, the engine had to be lifted, New mounts, A redesigned engine bed, Fresh paint on the underside of the engine and the whole transmission. Only then could we get back to that little alignment project.
It was a brutal learning curve but totally worth it. Engine and gear are happy and aligned with the shaft and FULLY attached to the boat