Transmission question for D36

happy thanksgiving to you as well,
while i don’t know anything about how to fix your issue i can suggest a great place to go to for answers and a mechanic…check out lippincott marina they’re not too far from you. just across the bridges in grasonville. matter of fact mine is stored there and they’re gonna be doing the work i need. best of luck to you

steve chadduck
s/v Skaphe
D35 Ketch

Hi Dana,
I assume you have the Paragon sail drive unit. I had mine out of the boat in 2007 and had to do a lot of “digging” for a manual, seals & parts when I had it all apart:

You can get many of the needed Parts & a Paragon service manual from Great Lakes Power – at 1-800-325-6880. You want to speak with “Charlie” in parts – he has over 30 years experience with Paragon transmissions & was very helpful. The “service” manual is only 25 pages, but it has exploded views and “Trouble shooting charts” & solutions. In the gear dragging trouble shooting section there are 4 “check for” areas. 1. Defective forward clutch plates 2.reverse band engaging gear case 3. binding planetary system 4.over adjustment on forward & reverse. They have solutions for each. I think I paid $12-15 for this manual….well worth the price.

This is a pretty simple transmission & easy to work on. If you are lucky the adjustment of the forward/reverse gear is incorrect (too tight) – this can be easily rectified with the tranny in the boat. Any other issues may require transmission removal. I’m pretty sure you can view clutches/planetary gears if the top plate is removed to see clutch plates or planetary gears to get an idea as to any obvious issues.

Did you see “junk” in the oil when you changed it?? Any metal bits in the oil? Is the oil burned/black? Black oil is clutch lining wear……

I’m not 100% sure but I think the length of a velvet drive is la couple inches longer & will not fit – not enough room.

I just saw one of these transmissions on ebay a couple months ago for $175 or so…They are out there….
Mike Aitken

Hi Dana,

I also have a 36 cc with a paragon gear. In 2006 I ran over some construction plastic in the ICW and completely destroyed the transmission. Anyhow I completely rebuilt the transmission sitting in my cockpit using “Inboard Engine, Transmission & Drive Service Manual 3rd Edition by Clymer” . It had part numbers for every part in that transmission. This was my first time messing with a transmission and it couldn’t have gone smoother, 6-8 hrs and it was reinstalled. The book also has manuals for many different engines and transmissions. I hope this can be of some help to all.

Shane Dooley
s/v Nauti Legal
Melbourne, Florida

Thank you ^^