I wouldn't trade either one for the other. My PYIs work fine with minimal maintenance but if I had packing glands I'd just pack them with graphite or GoreTex and call it a day.
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Thread: PSS Shaft Seals
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Re: PSS Shaft Seals
--- The poster formerly known as Scrod ---
I want to live in Theory, everything works there.
1970 36C375
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01-02-2017 09:50 PM #22Senior Member
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- Jun 2007
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Re: PSS Shaft Seals
Shafts are 2", but I don't know the tube. I think it's original though (1968). I think it's duramax shaft seal installed on there now. I want to do a refresh on them since it's been at least 10 years (maybe 15-20) on them, but I may go back to stuffing boxes if I can find some.
FTFD... i drive a slow 1968 41c381
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Re: PSS Shaft Seals
My 60C had PSS seals in her when we got her, I replaced them with new ones at the last haul because they hadn't been out or serviced in at least the eleven years we have owned her, even though the bellows still felt soft and they haven't leaked a drop - ever. It was also time for cutlass bearings and we changed all of those along with getting the shafts X-rayed in the keyway area and checked for true, lapped in the props and couplings, trued the couplings, etc. and a prop tune up. No problems revealed btw.
Upon inspection the old seals looked perfect, and could have gone many many more miles, I think they outlasted the cutlass bearings..Last edited by luckydave215; 01-03-2017 at 12:34 PM.
"The older I get, the faster I was......."
1979 60C "Ohana" hull# 331
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Re: PSS Shaft Seals
One other thing I really like about dripless seals is that bone dry bilges (and fresh waste lines) means no "Hatteras smell".
My bilge maintenance is to vacuum them out when they get dusty, the white bilge paint stays white. It helps that my engines leak almost not at all, I change the diapers beneath them every few years when they start to look bad, and I use white ones.
If we have an odor on board it means we forgot to take out the galley trash yesterday."The older I get, the faster I was......."
1979 60C "Ohana" hull# 331
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Re: PSS Shaft Seals
Reading the earlier posts in this thread everyone seems to have heard a horror story somewhere about dripless shaft seals. To me it's like being at a party and someone mentioning that I'm a lifelong motorcyclist. BAM, here comes some clown to tell me a story about his uncle/neighbor/work mate that heard about some guy that was killed on one of those "Murder Cycles" and how could I ever think about riding one?
No mention of course about the fact that EVERYONE knows someone who lost their life in a car......
How many new boats have stuffing boxes? How many of them sink due to seal failure?
New things aren't always better than the traditional way.......but sometimes they are."The older I get, the faster I was......."
1979 60C "Ohana" hull# 331
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Re: PSS Shaft Seals
I thought I was the only one who would stick up for PSS. Glad I'm not alone. And yes, I know what you mean about the motorcycle thing.
"You're a doctor, an ER doctor, and YOU ride a motorcycle?"
Yes.
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Re: PSS Shaft Seals
You can find anything you need for shaft logs, coupling hose and clamps, and packing glands here.
http://www.buckalgonquin.com/
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Re: PSS Shaft Seals
And yes, I know what you mean about the motorcycle thing.
"You're a doctor, an ER doctor, and YOU ride a motorcycle?"
After the shock wears off they promptly accuse me of probably being a gun nut too (I live in California).
Small minds......."The older I get, the faster I was......."
1979 60C "Ohana" hull# 331
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01-03-2017 05:06 PM #29Senior Member
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
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- 4,974
Re: PSS Shaft Seals
When shaft seal systems came out, the traditional flax packing was king. So it was a huge improvement over the current technology. No water in bilge! SUPER
Then came along new types of packing that work in traditional stuffing boxes and give essentially no drip!
So the choice today is not so clear-cut. Combine this with failure modes of seals vs packing, and the ability to repack in the water without a haulout or removing the shaft. Yes, spare seals can be stored on the shaft.
The whole life-cycle must be analyzed. For instance, a modern high-hp diesel engine is smaller and lighter than older ones, but say it requires 3x the cost for 1000hr services and has the potential to occasional throw a rod. Is it that much better in the big scheme? (maybe to somebody that boats 30hrs a year, yes)FTFD... i drive a slow 1968 41c381
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Re: PSS Shaft Seals
The new boats with the really high hp engines need new cutlass bearings every year any, even with the thin wall harder bushings commonly in use. My favorite yard replaces tons of them. The cost of removing the shafts to service seals is a non issue for them.
There is a big difference between barely leaking and NOT leaking. Who thinks the buyer of a new Hatt/Viking/Hinckley/Marlow/take-your-pick is going to put up with stinky bilges?
Never!"The older I get, the faster I was......."
1979 60C "Ohana" hull# 331