Stuffing box or dripless shaft seals?

[FAST FRED]

If the boat was built with a stuffing box and the dripless added ,get a modern Packing material like Duramax and toss the dripless.

Dripless are a failure & sinking waiting to happen!

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by FAST FRED

If the boat was built with a stuffing box and the dripless added ,get a modern Packing material like Duramax and toss the dripless.

Dripless are a failure & sinking waiting to happen!

Oh, how did you reach that conclusion?

I have the Volvo seal and it just works which has lead to dry bilges for the past 12 years after replacing the stuffing box. What is not to like? why put up with water in the bilges?

Pete

[MicHughV]

..I had the PSS shaft seal on my first boat. It sat behind a 3 cylinder Volvo engine, which would jump around quite a bit at idle,meaning the prop shaft jumped around as well, but never, not once, leaked a drop or gave me any problems. My first boat had a steel hull, so keeping the bilges dry were a high priority. In all the time I owed that boat, it worked flawlessly.

A thought to ponder.
My first boat had a pronounced displacement hull, so the engine was considerably below the water line, with the shaft several feet below the water line. This afforded the PSS bellow seal good water pressure from the depth of immersed hull.
My second boat had the standard stuffing box, which worked fine, but was difficult to access for maintenance, so dripping water was a constant pain in the rear end.
The Beneteau comes with the Volvo shaft seal. It is considerably more robust than the PSS seal, but the Beneteau, like a typical French boat has a very shallow planing hull, so not sure the PSS seal would have worked as well in this application as the shaft is not that deep below the water line so water pressure would be minimal to keep the PSS bellows against the shaft seal.

Having experienced all three types, I'm very much in favor of the shaft seal, PSS or Volvo, but clearly, immersed depth plays a function here.

[micknor51]

My PSS shaft seal has been on my steel Adams 35 for the 15 1/2 years I have had the boat. Replaced the rubber bellows in December 2010 and it is still in good condition. Overdue to be replaced though and this will happen at the next slipping in April 2020. Instructions say to replace after 6 years so I’m pushing the envelope a bit here.
The PSS seal has worked brilliantly for the whole time and kept the bilge dry and dusty which is a good thing on a steel hull!