Replacing a PSS Shaft Seal with a Stuffing Box?

[Roniszoro]

Yes.You read that correctly. A PSS shaft seal is great when it is great. But if one has a problem of consequence, one needs to haul the boat. That is fine if one is in a 1st world county where there are numerous yards that can do that. But what if one is a bit off the grid?

I am in contract to purchase a boat that has a PSS shaft seal that is 13 years old. I would replace it when I haul out just to be safe. But I'm thinking of replacing it with a stuffing box. I had one on a previous boat and when I used teflon coated flax, it was great. Plus one could completely repack it with the boat in the water.

You thoughts/input? Thank you for them.

[Fuss]

just put a new boot on it, let’s not get too carried away here… a boot is good for 5 years..
ok for emergencies… make sure you have enough space in reserve from the disk side to increase tension and also from the boot side… and also make sure the the shaft has no possibility to slide forwards or backwards from the coupling.

[SVTatia]

How accessible is your stuffing box?
I had a PSS on my previous boat but only because it was a steel boat. I did not trust it very much, a couple if times some dirt got in between the disks that not only scratched it a bit but it was leaking for a while. That made me check it constantly.
I have the bronze stuffing box on my current fiberglass boat with a gore gfo packing, worry free.

[Matt Johnson]

I like the Lasdrop units thick stuffing box hose better than the PSS bellows for durability.

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by Matt Johnson

I like the Lasdrop units thick stuffing box hose better than the PSS bellows for durability.

One came on our boat 4 years ago. Who knows how old it was then. There are three spare lip seals on the shaft ready to go in if needed. Doesn't leak a drop, and we have put over a thousand hours on the engine.

[SailingHarmonie]

The problem with most “drip free” systems on shafts (either lip seal or face seal) is they work great and do what they advertise, but… they can fail catastrophically. It does not happen often, but when it does it is a serious problem if you are not very close to a haulout.

A stuffing box can not have a catastrophic failure. It just drips more.

Of course both systems have the rubber tube to the shaft log, and that can fail, but it is common to both so not a difference.

I vote with the OP on any shaft with a simple single seal: stuffing box is the more robust choice.

[deblen]

There are vids on Youtube re repair/replace shaft seal in water.
Here is one. I don't recommend hammering on the flange.Use a puller or make your own puller with a spacer & longer flange bolts.
Look at a few vids-the type of seal you are replacing is not important.
Cheers/Len

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNhhG2unr4o

[Roniszoro]

Originally Posted by deblen

There are vids on Youtube re repair/replace shaft seal in water.
Here is one. I don't recommend hammering on the flange.Use a puller or make your own puller with a spacer & longer flange bolts.
Look at a few vids-the type of seal you are replacing is not important.
Cheers/Len

I saw this video after posting my thoughts/question. I will explore the Tides Marine Shaft Seal Kit, as it seems much more robust than the PSS Shaft Seal. But note that it took 4 hands to do the job, so for a single-hander to do such a repair/replacement would be a very serious challenge if not impossible.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Roniszoro

Yes.You read that correctly. A PSS shaft seal is great when it is great. But if one has a problem of consequence, one needs to haul the boat. That is fine if one is in a 1st world county where there are numerous yards that can do that. But what if one is a bit off the grid?

I am in contract to purchase a boat that has a PSS shaft seal that is 13 years old. I would replace it when I haul out just to be safe. But I'm thinking of replacing it with a stuffing box. I had one on a previous boat and when I used teflon coated flax, it was great. Plus one could completely repack it with the boat in the water.

You thoughts/input? Thank you for them.

I replaced my shaft seal with a stuffing box last year. Got tired of the seal problems.

[deblen]

I agree that the old stuffing box is the least "dangerous" from a catastrophic failure.
Here is one of many Youtube vids re coupler removal & some of the problems you may run into.
You are correct that most boat jobs require a third or fourth hand
I think it is easier to single hand sail a boat than singlehand repair it
Cheers/Len
http://coxeng.co.uk/stern-gear/
https://marinehowto.com/installing-a-pss-shaft-seal/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM45997JCRI

[sailingharry]

Originally Posted by Roniszoro

I saw this video after posting my thoughts/question. I will explore the Tides Marine Shaft Seal Kit, as it seems much more robust than the PSS Shaft Seal. But note that it took 4 hands to do the job, so for a single-hander to do such a repair/replacement would be a very serious challenge if not impossible.

My last boat had a Tides seal on my Sabre 34. The seal was damaged, and a spare was not pre-installed. I prepped, took a big breath, and dug in. Slid shaft as far aft as possible (zinc hit strut). Unscrewed hose clamps and removed hose/seal from shaft. Went into dock, pulled old seal, installed new. Went back on boat and put seal in place (slid over start of shaft). Went over side and pushed shaft back into boat. 10 minutes tops. Bilge pump emptied bilge in another 5 minutes. Scary, but no big deal.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by deblen

There are vids on Youtube re repair/replace shaft seal in water.
Here is one. I don't recommend hammering on the flange.Use a puller or make your own puller with a spacer & longer flange bolts.
Look at a few vids-the type of seal you are replacing is not important.
Cheers/Len

These people are idiots. If you have to replace a shaft seal while in the water first go for a swim. Tightly pack a rag between the shaft and the shaft log in such a way that you can pull it out later. Then the inflow will be a trickle. Don't forget to remove the rag.

[AKA-None]

I wonder if you could use a wax toilet bowl ring rather than a rag to temporarily seal the shaft

Cleanup should be easy

[Fore and Aft]

AkaNone I wonder if chewing gum would work as well? It wouldn't be hard to roll it into a sausage and wrap it around the shaft.
I have a PSS seal and love it. I just do the regular maintenance and have had no problems.
Cheers

[Fuss]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I replaced my shaft seal with a stuffing box last year. Got tired of the seal problems.

Ok, What seal problems, installed correctly they work very reliably. Are they better than a stuffing box....
There are some very basic rules.
1- tension needs to be correct.
2- carbon disk needs to be clean
3- shaft must be for and aft secure..ie not sliding


actually the tension can be way out of spec as in loose and they still seal.
If the cutlass bearing was flogged out they probably would still seal in an emergency.



the worse thing about them is that the boot loses tension after some years
to make them really safer, tension needs to be adjustable, no only from the stainless disk but also from the hose clips on the boot.


I would be interested to hear what faults you had?