What to expect???
 

Have a 98 Sonic Prowler with stock 502. Last run of the season broke a gear or gears in the B1. Got another one, pulled off the drive and bell housing to see that the lip around the gimbal that holds the bellows on was missing pieces all around (dont know how that happened, no pieces in the bellows when the dive came off, only had the boat for 4 months). I was wondering what is it going to cost in labor to have the engine pulled and the transom assembly replaced.

also its a 98 B1, will the new transom assmeblies work with it, how about an HP one? The reason I ask is because I see complete packages on ebay for around 2k which includes bell housing and inner plate.

thanks for the info, I already know what I am getting for Christmas.

hey kwool..
i think it's a diy if you've got time and space
rent/buy or borrow an engine hoist and a motor stand...maybe $200....pull the motor, set it aside if it's still good. It's probably better to replace the whole gimbal and drive w/something clean...sounds like the prior owner skimped on maintenance (been there!)...any halfassed attempts will just fail you quickly....gimbal and drive...$4-5k??...(or shop ebay!)
time to twist a wrench or the "system" (labor fees) will clean out your checking account....label everything and then bolt it all back in place...it really is that simple....except for the $$$..
c
btw: i think the sonic 26 is worth the time and energy...nice boat...!..good luck.

Thanks for the reply. I would love to DIY but time is something I dont have a ton of. I was doing the drive replacement, bellows, shift cable, etc... myself and learning alot but dont have the time or facility to do this big job. I was hoping that it would not be more than 1K in labor to get it done.

the 26 is great. I purchased it about 4 months ago. Im 2 hours north of Destin fl and planned on using the boat up til thanksgiving, doing overnighters in the cool weather, but this problem stopped me. Just dreaming about next season now...