Sail drive height

[Diverphil1]

A design question, if your lower seals  failed would water get into the boat via the sail drive unit, out of the top tube ? Or is the saildrive above the waterline?
It's a general thought so not a problem as such,no milkshake oil colour or anything like that.

[symphony2]

The filler is probably above the waterline. However the chances of sufficient water getting in through the seals is small. If they fail water weeps in and mixes with the oil then also goes the other way and weeps out. Eventually the extra volume in the drive may result in it getting up to the filler so when you take it off oil oozes out.

[Diverphil1]

Symphony 2, that's what I was thinking would have been included in the design. Just in case something happened and you couldn't get to the boat for months. Just as the seal packed in

[Yngmar]

No, nothing would get in, the saildrive is a sealed unit from the top, no breather. You can hear it (de)pressurizing when you open the dipstick. You would have to have a failed third seal somewhere, (bell housing or clutch arm) in addition to both bottom seals having failed, and even then the leak would be tiny. And with the oil sitting on top of the water, it would leak oil first. Your automatic bilge pump would make a nice oil sheen in the marina and you'd get informed and fined