Drippless shaft Seals

[Sparty]

Just purchased a 1990 390 EC.

Lookig into drippess shaft seals.

Lasdrop v. PYI v. Tides...(others)...

Any thoughts or suggestions?

:huh:

 

[J Levine]

I replaced my failing tides strong steals with PYI PSS seals last year and have been very pleased. I did a lot of research prior to going with PSS and selected them due to ease of installation and adjustment.

 

[tobnpr]

I installed PYI on my Chris-Craft and have had no issues.
My boatyard recommends Lasdrop...

Lasdrop has an original model that works on the same principle as PYI- using a flexible bellows to maintain seal pressure. The Gen II model uses a stainless spring. My gut reaction is that I've seen too many springs fail- 316 stainless or not. I'd discuss the pro's/con's of each type w/Lasdrop to get more info.

 

[Jimmy Buoy]

Had a Tides actually melt (not just the lip seal, but the plastic housing) from water starvation. Didn't know that the water supply should be checked annually and to provide a crossover between the two shafts/seals!

Replaced the Tides with the same, but in hindsight I should have gone with a PSS seal. The problem with Tides is that the neoprene lip seal is stationary while the shaft spins - not the best setup. The PSS is stationary on the shaft with two O-Rings and uses components in the PSS unit to act as a water seal while rotating.

 

[PlayDate]

I'm a big fan of the PSS seals. Do you plan on doing the work yourself or having someone else do it? There are a couple of tricks which will make the job easier if you plan on doing it yourself.

It is nice to have a dry bilge.

-John

 

[johngus]

I can't understand why everyone needs dripless.On a boat without a V drive there is so much access to your stuffing box.Why waste all the money on a dripless?the little bit of water that comes in from a regular stuffing box properly adjusted is really not bad.I can understand on a V drive boat where access is not possible but on a regular straight drive,why waste all that money.I was going to replace mine with dripless last year but my boxes on my 30 weekender are so accessible it was so easy to adjust mine last spring so only a small drip while underway.there was no leaking at the dock,only while the shaft was spinning and underway.

 

[David Morgan]

I have been using PSS seals on a commercial work boat that I have captained for almost 20 years. No problems ever.

 

[PlayDate]

I can't understand why everyone needs dripless.On a boat without a V drive there is so much access to your stuffing box.Why waste all the money on a dripless?the little bit of water that comes in from a regular stuffing box properly adjusted is really not bad.I can understand on a V drive boat where access is not possible but on a regular straight drive,why waste all that money.I was going to replace mine with dripless last year but my boxes on my 30 weekender are so accessible it was so easy to adjust mine last spring so only a small drip while underway.there was no leaking at the dock,only while the shaft was spinning and underway.

John,

I used to feel the same way but a dry bilge is really nice to have. They are not an expensive upgrade if you do the work yourself. I think PSS just got the design right.

-John

 

[tobnpr]

I can't understand why everyone needs dripless.On a boat without a V drive there is so much access to your stuffing box.Why waste all the money on a dripless?the little bit of water that comes in from a regular stuffing box properly adjusted is really not bad.I can understand on a V drive boat where access is not possible but on a regular straight drive,why waste all that money.I was going to replace mine with dripless last year but my boxes on my 30 weekender are so accessible it was so easy to adjust mine last spring so only a small drip while underway.there was no leaking at the dock,only while the shaft was spinning and underway.

They're really not all that expensive in terms of boat dollars- a few hundred bucks per side.
You're right, though. Boats have run fine with traditional stuffing boxes for decades. There is more maintenance with them, though- and some boats, for whatever reason, seem to have stuffing boxes that are impossible to get just "right"- either they run too dry , or leak like a bit** when running, or drip when the boat's at the dock.

I did my Chris-Craft only because it was a full repower and it was all coming out to be replaced anyway.