APBA A GEARCASE

By: Bill Gohr | Bill Gohr | Mar 6, 2026

Photo: BILL GOHR

Update APBA A Gearcase.

Since my previous message, many positive things have happened. First, I am proud to announce that our APBA Board of Directors has formally approved this project. It is funded, and we are moving forward with production. I have notified our vendors of any changes, and orders are being made.

This has been a long time coming — getting all the paperwork in order took over a year — but all-in-all, it will be well worth the time. Filling the need with this component will help support many classes of boat racing for now and in the future. Right now, it is used in at least four classes of racing, with more applications in the works for the near future.

Not only will these parts build new units, but they can be used to revive older motors. There have been updates to our new gearcase, but these parts can be applied to the earlier engines with minimal effort. I spent much time snooping around Stock Outboard races getting input on service issues with the previous model. Being a longtime OPC guy, many people were surprised to see me hanging around at Stock events. I gained some good first-hand information which led to the improvements in our new unit.

Commonly, the original units had water intrusion problems: The prop shaft seals would fall out, and you just never knew the condition of your water pump until you rebuilt the unit. After digging into a gearcase, it became obvious why it leaks, and corrections were made. The prop shaft seals are now retained, and there are now two upper driveshaft seals as there should be. With the new water pump, the single-lip seal on the front of the prop shaft (behind the impeller) is no longer there.

The water pump is a standard, OMC-style pump commonly available anywhere for any OMC 15 (with the exception of the lower plate). At this time, the complete OMC kit retails for $48.66, the impeller retails for $17.78, and both are readily available. The lower plate will retail for $12.50. I’m told the previous impeller alone is $65, plus you have to disassemble the gearcase to inspect/change it. You will have to shorten the driveshaft a bit, and on other engines you’ll need to modify the end of the water tube. I’m waiting for a Mercury engine to mock up the tube arrangement.

So now that all that work is done, we can hurry up and wait. The production clock started when the project got approved at the national meeting. I have reached out to all the vendors, and parts are three to four months out (and they are in process). Once everything is received, I will be doing the assembly, and I will get a couple units out on the water for test and evaluation.

The APBA Board also approved the pricing. A new APBA A gearcase is $1,995 to current APBA racing members, and $2,450 to non-APBA members. All service parts will be available thru APBA. I will make the parts breakdown available soon with part numbers and pricing.

Keep in mind, the internal parts (gears and such) can be used on earlier units as well, and earlier units can be converted to the new-style water pump.

As always, I am available for any questions, so please contact me at any time. And again, many thanks to the APBA Board for approval of this project.

–Bill Gohr

Project Manager

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE A GEARCASE SHOOT US AN EMAIL AND WE WILL PUT YOU ON THE WAITING LIST - APBAHQ@APBA.ORG

PROJECTED PRODUCT RELEASE DATE IS JANUARY OF 2027

APBA A GEARCASE

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