I bought a GD brand boat (1644) and a 2004 model 23 hp Vanguard longtail with only 95 hours on it yesterday. Bought it in Louisiana and decided to stop by the Go Devil factory to register the motor in my name with them. One of the guys came out to check out my rig. He grabbed the prop and showed me that it had a little play (not much) in it. He said there should be no play. My first time to own one, so immediately I felt like a dumb a**. Anyway, he gave me an owners manual and told me that if I was a little mechanically inclined, I could change the seals and bushings myself. They were too busy to get to me right then, so I hooked it back to Texas. Anyway, my question is, just how hard is it to change the bushings and seals. I am somewhat mechanically inclined, but not a mechanic. He also told me that it may need a new shaft. How will I know that, and should I pull it out. It does have the new bearing system up grade according to go devil records. I tried to look on youtube for a video of someone performing the maintenance, but no luck. Thanks for any help. If you think I need to bring it to a certified dealer, let me know.

You have two bronze bushings in the tube and a bearing at the top. Unless you are mechanically experienced you should probably let go-devil do the rebuild. For about 300 bucks they will do a total rebuild, new shaft, bushings and bearing at the top and you know its right. It is not real hard just a question of your skill level. 1 bushing is in middle of tube and can be trouble.

seals are aneasy fix. Cutting a bushing cut can be a pain though. It takes extra caution not to cut in the housing. I've done rebuilds with go-devil tools and ones without. I recommend purchasing some of thier tools if you do it yourself. Makes life much easier! The center bushing i have never messed with though.