Switch to PSS shaft seal or repack the stuffing box on my H33?

Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
I'm thinking of installing a PSS shaft seal on my 2005 H33 and I would like other owner's thoughts on the upgrade. I did it many years ago on my previous boat, a Mirage 29. It worked really well so I am inclined in doing it again. My Hunter's stuffing box always leaks a lot after I launch each spring and I end up having to tighten it, a lot. It either leaks too much or not at all which I know is not recommended. I just can't get it to drip at the proper rate so I always end up with too much water sloshing around the bilge and then I tighten it some more until is stops. I wonder if I shouldn't just repack the stuffing box one more year and see if it helps or just rip it all out and replace it with the PSS.

For those who did the switch, what's the tube diameter on the H33? It's hard to get an accurate measurement with the rubber hose clamped on the tube.

Any other advice about repacking the stuffing box? What size / type of packing have you used? I haven't done this job in 20 years so I'm a bit rusty.

Cheers,

Maurice
 
Feb 2, 2006
464
Hunter Legend 35 Kingston
Have had the PSS Shaft seal for 10+ years. Never a drop of water from the seal. Just inspect regularly. I've replaced the bellows once, only because I had the shaft out for a different reason. The old and new bellows were indistinguishable in condition.
 
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Jan 4, 2006
6,444
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
My Hunter's stuffing box always leaks a lot after I launch each spring and I end up having to tighten it, a lot.
And that just may be the cause of the leakage.

Given that out here on the Wet Coast we rarely see anything below 0 deg. C, I can only offer a few guesses as to why your gland leaks so badly after each launching.

1. The packing could be drying out somewhat over the winter, but that is limited due to the time it spends frozen.

2. In the winter months, any water in the gland packing is going tofreeze solid (fresh water). The increase in volume of the ice may compress the packing. When the small ice crystals thaw, the packing is looser than before, hence the leakage.

Pie in the sky speculation I know. What do other boats in your marina experience ?

One sure cure would be to repack the gland every spring before launch. A real PITA so maybe a mechanical seal would be the way to go. My last question would be ...................... can the formation of ice in the seal cause any problems ?
 
Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
Hi Ralph,

I would have thought the packing would have dried out since the boat comes out a few weeks before it starts to freeze. And even then, we get thaws all through winter, yet it's possible the constant freeze/thaw cycles could be at work here. I don't know if anyone else in our club have that issue. I just notice it more because my previous boat of 10 years had a PSS and I just never had any problems with it.

I don't think there was any water left in the bellows once the boat is hauled out and left to dry.

I'm still debating what to do. It may all come to this spring's weather. If we're lucky and it warms up quickly then I may have time to do the shaft seal. But if it's like the last couple of years, I'll barely have time to clean and wax the hull before launch day. We launch all the boats in the harbour on the same day so not possible to reschedule if something goes wrong with the project.
 
Jan 4, 2006
6,444
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
We launch all the boats in the harbour on the same day so not possible to reschedule if something goes wrong with the project.
No exceptions for the guy who forgot to replace the hull plug and can't find it again :doh: ? ? ? ?

That would be a sight to behold . How many boats are launched on this day ?
 
Feb 14, 2014
7,400
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
Mechanical seals like PSS or similar do not...

Wear down your shaft. [even slightly]

All other sealing, like packing glands and lip seals, rely on shaft contact with the sealing part for a seal.
Jim...
 
Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
No exceptions for the guy who forgot to replace the hull plug and can't find it again :doh: ? ? ? ?

That would be a sight to behold . How many boats are launched on this day ?
We did have someone who forgot to reconnect his fresh water intake hose one year. That got everyone's pulse going!

Usually it's more like an engine might not fire up but we haven't really had to deal with many leaks.

We launch more than 40 boats every spring. It's a long day but we always get it done (except when the crane breaks down, but that's another story...).
 
Jan 5, 2017
143
Hunter 356 SF Bay / Delta
Like Justin, I also went with the LasDrop Gen II when I hauled my 356 last fall. I had a PSS on a previous boat, but opted for the LasDrop this time around because of the longer maintenance interval.
 
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Rick D

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Jun 14, 2008
7,132
Hunter Legend 40.5 Shoreline Marina Long Beach CA
I have had a PSS on two boats over twenty nine years. Did the suggested bellows replacements. wouldn't do a stuffing box again. FWIW.
 
Apr 22, 2011
865
Hunter 27 Pecan Grove, Oriental, NC
I have had a PSS on two boats over twenty nine years. Did the suggested bellows replacements. wouldn't do a stuffing box again. FWIW.
My experience with dripless bearings is similar to Ricks. I installed the first one in 1993 and two others more recently. It's just a better "mouse trap". And no more wet bilges!!
 
Oct 13, 2016
71
Hunter 33 Kingston
There have been some good recommendations. I didn't know about the LasDrop so I will be looking into them. It all comes down to the weather this spring as I won't have a lot of time to swap out to a dripless seal. I am worried the prop shaft may have been scored due to friction with the packing. Last time I installed a PSS shaft seal, I had to send out the shaft to a machine shop to have it fixed and balanced. It had been heavily scored by the packing over the years. I don't think it'll be much different this time around. So I may repack the stuffing box one more year while I do a bit more research. I may need to remove the prop and shaft at haulout so I have enough time to do the work over the winter.
 

senang

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Oct 21, 2009
304
hunter 38 Monaco
“So I may repack the stuffing box one more year while I do a bit more research.”
If you do look at the Volvo shaft seal. It is a double lip seal and probably has a contact area different from where the packing gland sits. Put in a fingernail of grease once a year, ”burp” the seal when splashing the boat and you collect dust in your bilge without any further workload. Manufacturer recommands replace after 5 years, many do more then 10 years with it. My neighbour replaced his after 18 years and it was still going strong collecting bilge dust!
 
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Mar 17, 2020
12
Hunter 340 Somewhere wet
I'm in the process of replacing my PYI seal, along with my engine, cutless bearing, etc. I bought a 20 year old H340 a year ago & figure the shaft seal was probably original. It leaks some, but not as much as a leaky stuffing box. I'm lucky because I can stop by the PYI factory/showroom north of Seattle to pick up the parts. They were real helpful in answering questions. Note that you need a smooth shaft where the collar sits - no scratches, etc. The collar has a couple of 0-rings below it that won't seal well on a scratched up shaft.

A PYI seal is supposed to be maintained every 6 or 8 years, I believe. To maintain it you need to separate your shaft from the engine, take the coupling off the shaft (not as hard as it sounds, but still tedious), and take the collar off the shaft. A bit of work, but you can do it when you do the annual check of the engine alignment. You do that annually, don't you? As recommended in the engine manual, right? I thought so. : )

I've heard good things about the Tides Marine seal. Apparently you can put a spare seal in place when you install the original, so you can replace one seal before you have to break the coupling loose. Two maintenance periods, rather than one. However, I have no direct experience with them.
 
Jan 7, 2011
4,727
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
I repacked my old (but good) bronze stuffing box with GFO packing this week. I have used this before on another boat, and it sure made for a near leak free stuffing box.

guess I will see WP once i get Tally Ho in the drink in a few weeks.

Greg
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
Good write-up on different seals. I installed the Lasdrop Gen II on my Hunter. It has a much longer recommended interval than the PSS.