Non Drip Seal

[cosmic17]

Hi, My port side shaft is spraying water in the engine compartment at high RPM. I was told I needed to replace the seal with a non drip seal. I have no idea, so I built a trailer and took the boat out of the water because I didn't want to take a chance. I am looking for a marina that can handle that job without breaking the bank. 1992 St. Tropez, V drive. I am located in Central Florida. I would appreciate any sugestions. Thanks

[Billm]

You don’t need to spend money on any no drip seal. The new PTFE Teflon packings are very, very good. In fact a little drip is desirable. It can be a do it your self job. But it will be painful if the packing nuts have not been loosened in a long time and the old packing is hard to remove. You will be sore the next day. Any boat yard that works on inboards can handle it. Make sure to do both sides, not just the leaking side.

Wow! A 32’ boat with a 12’ beam on a home made trailer! I hope you know what you are doing.

[cosmic17]

Hi Billm, Thank you for the info. I don't mess with things I don't know about, and the packing nuts may not be loose. So I would rather a marina or someone who knows what they're doing. If you know someone, I would appreciate the contact. As for the trailer, I applied for wide permit and I'm hauling it with my tri-axel dump truck. That I know how to do. Thanks again.

[Billm]

I’m not familiar with Florida, but if you are near a boat dealer that does waterski boats, try them as waterski boats are inboards.

[cosmic17]

Thanks again Billm. That info is worth money, I will definitely look into the PTFE Teflon packings. There's an electrical device on the firewall that's connected to the battery. Water was spraying into the engine compartment from that seal I'm trying to repair, and that thing caught on fire. I have no idea what it's for. I took the burnt pice to a local marina, but they too don't know. Do you have any idea? I am assuming your vessel is same as mine. If you don't mind, you can email me at kenepurcell@gmail.com. Thanks

[Billm]

Packing nuts that are too loose can cause big problems as you have found out. I used to spread grease over the bottom of the v drive just above the packing nut as it was getting rusty there.
The only thing that comes to mind is the automatic battery charger which is mounted on the firewall starboard side. Can you post some pictures of the area and the damaged part? It may be something installed by a previous owner that I would not be familiar with.

[cosmic17]

Hey Billm: I think you might be on to something. That might be the mechanism that charges the battery when using shore power or the generator. I whish I still had the burnt part, but the marina I took it to misplaced it. I will look into it. Thanks again.