As I peruse my YachtHub boat porn I usually skip over any boat with a saildrive. Am I being unnecessarily fussy?

Saildrive or shaft??

Same question put a different way.

Shaft or get shafted??

Nice prop in that vid.
I DON'T want one.

gary

Saildrives are fine as long as your yacht is slipped annually. Those expensive anodes will disappear fast. The alloy body means that you will be using different antifoul paints. The saildrive will often be well forward of the stern so if your swimming and giving your prop a clean a hookah will be required. Whereas with my Currawong I can snorkel and scrub my prop easily.
Unfortunately there are some really nice boats on the market with saildrives so I would still buy one.

Each system has weaknesses. Prop shafts break with the expected consequences - one story at
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Principessa_Mafalda

My boat has a sail drive, in the 2 plus years I have owned the 2006 boat I have so far been quite happy with the drive. The first year the boat was out for AF I was horrified to find no anodes and a lot of growth on the drive. That year I decided to Prop-speed the drove and prop, and naturally new anodes. I changed the gear oil, I used a motorcycle non friction modified engine oil, in lieu of ATF.
Last year at AF service the anodes were still fine and the Prop-speed was good for another season, the fouling just falls off.
The boats coming out next Monday so I'll check out the anodes and replace the oil again.
i have experienced restricted water flow, from time to time, I blow out the water intake hose with an air pump and I unblocks just fine, so I wouldn't worry too much about a sail drive!
Richard