Literally thousands have been fitted successfully to saildrives. For example, most new Bavarias in the UK are fitted with them as an option. Supplied with a modified anode which is readily available from the maker or (at least in UK) most anode specialists and Volvo dealers stock them.
The loss of bulk of the anode is small, so life is much the same. When I had a 120 drive with the small anode in the Med it lasted at least 5 years, and the 130 I have now with the larger split anode seems to last 3-4 years, and is, of course much easier to change.