Whew! I was beginning to think we were out in left field - again. We use the
traditional stuffing box and have been quite happy with it, can't see going
to any trouble to change it, especially when it would require a change in
bellows every five or six years (read: removing the prop, removing the shaft
flange, sliding shaft out enough to change bellows, putting everything back
together again). We change our stuffing about every five years or so; we get
the old stuffing out with a big fish hook - just snag it and pull - the new
stuff is cut and ready to go, the whole process takes about ten minutes. We
also tighten it for final fit with the shaft turning, about a drip every
four seconds. The stuff costs about $4 for several feet, or ten to fifteen
 years of use per box. To answer the original question: with our original
two nut log and 1.25 inch shaft we use a 0.25 inch flax packing with a
little trailer wheel grease.
As for catastrophic leaks: the first time we changed it, we had the wrong
size. With no packing in the log, I bicycled down to the Worst Marine about
a mile away, got the next bigger size, bicycled back and installed it.
During that time, the box leaked about 10 gallons of water, maybe less. Most
certainly less...

Michael & Elizabeth
S/V Cambria
La Paz, Baja

On 2/8/07, Harvey J. Karten <hjkarten@ucsd.edu> wrote:
>
> Bill's cautions about changing the PYI PSS every several years only makes
> me
> worry more about the difficulty and reliability of this style of
> "Dripless"
> seal...

----- Original Message -----
> From: <lists@collisters.com>
> To: <baba-l@ballreich.net>
> Sent: Thursday, February 08, 2007 2:24 PM
> Subject: [Baba-L] PYI/PSS Shaft Seal
>
>
> I also fitted a PYI Shaft seal and it has worked wonderfully, however it's
> definitely not a case of fit and forget, the bellows will deteriorate and
> when they fail they have to potential to let in huge amounts of water. On
> the other hand my limited experience with standard stuffing glands is that
> they tend to dribble a bit, then more, and as such can be detected before
> failure.
> I only mention this, because when you are sitting 4000 miles away from
> your
> boat these things tend to cross your mind a fair bit. I give the bellows a
> good inspection every time I leave the boat for more than a few days,
> however it's hard to see all around because of its location. Also I think
> it
> might be a major job to replace bellows in a few years time.
> I wonder if anyone has had there PSS seal on for more than a few years and
> how it is holding up?
>
> From the PYI PSS Site:
> "As with any hose under the waterline, the PSS bellows must be inspected
> on
> a regular basis (i.e., no less than at least every 6 months under most
> circumstances) and checked for any signs of deterioration
> (cracks,splits,tears,brittleness,or other signs).Upon any sign of
> deterioration the bellow must be replaced. As preventive maintenance the
> bellow should be replaced no less than every six (6)years, regardless of
> its
> apparent condition"
>
> http://www.pyiinc.com/index.php?section=pss_shaft_seal&action=instructions&s
> n=2
>
> All the best
> Paul C
> S/V Lady Stardust, Liverpool UK / St Lucia
> www.lady-stardust.co.uk
>
>
>
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------
> Baba Panda and Tashiba Owners Mailing List --
> For more info, please check out the FAQ...
> http://www.ballreich.net/hypermail/baba-l/faq.html
>

-----------------------------------------------------------
Baba Panda and Tashiba Owners Mailing List --
For more info, please check out the FAQ...
http://www.ballreich.net/hypermail/baba-l/faq.html
Received on Thu Feb 8 21:46:11 2007