decided against dripless but....

[gfroch]

Thanks for all the feedback on my last question regarding traditional or dripless. After hearing from a friend who had a (nearly) catastrophic failure with a dripless, I'm going traditional. My question is, has anyone tried the dripless, moldable stuffing that is used with the traditional stuffing, like Syntef or Western Pacific: https://shop.catalinaowners.com/prod.php?8488 ?
If you used it, did you like it?
Thanks...

 

[Stu Jackson]

If you used it, did you like it?

Yes, I did and after a while realized it wasn't any different than three rings of normal GTU packing. Why? You still have to "stuff the box" and this actually adds work by having to make up the green goop into a real ring. Otherwise, it worked just fine, but be advised, read the rest of the instructions, it should drip albeit a small, tiny amount, all traditional boxes should.

Your link says it, clearly:

In use, several rings of the moldable packing are sandwiched between two rings of the GTU Graphtex Ultra (GTU) packing.

I ended up using it up over a decade and a half period after I bought my boat in 1998, and eventually resumed using just the GTU in three rings that my boat's box needs.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Done properly and carefully, I am able to get 5 years+ out of packing with teflon impregnated flax packing. Inspect the packing frequently.

 

[BigEasy]

Thanks for all the feedback on my last question regarding traditional or dripless. After hearing from a friend who had a (nearly) catastrophic failure with a dripless, I'm going traditIonal....

Bet that your friend was using PSS or similar mechanical seal. I just replaced my Volvo rubber seal after 16 years of use. Has never leaked a drop & nothing mechanical to fail. Inexpensive @ $135 & simple installation. Having a traditional seal on a previous boat I would never go back.

 

[Tally Ho]

for the Volvo dripless seal.

Greg

 

[jssailem]

Looking at the experience, others can sometimes be helpful.
MaineSail, a member here, has a website with many of his researched and tested experiences. He helped me when I was learning about stuffing boxes.

About moldable stuffing, he says this.

"Packing Nut Off & Old Packing Out​

I don’t advise, and can’t with a good conscience, suggest the use of “miracle lubes” such as the moldable packing materials like the; “West Marine Moldable Packing Kit“. While many have claimed good success with these miracle lubes others have not, including myself."​

Here is the link to his article on the stuffing box.

Re-Packing A Traditional Stuffing Box - Marine How To

The Stuffing Box (click any image to see a larger version) While digging around in some old boat parts boxes I found a stuffing box from an older sailboat. I though it would be a good time to rig it up

marinehowto.com

I find his website to be a treasure trove of boating insight. If you find the information valuable in solving your issue, help him keep it going.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Based on MarineHowTo I bought GFO packing. I found this site to have the best pricing but I suspect I may have ended up with the stuff from Western Trading as it frayed pretty easily