Gary, I have a dripless and as Jeff put it, it was one of the best improvements I made. My bilge is completely dry.
When I installed it (7 years ago), I too replaced everything: the shaft, coupling, cutlass bearing. My original shaft was bronze(?), I replaced it with SS. Installation is not that complicated (especially, if you are cutting the old shaft). You will need to press out (and then in) the cutlass bearing. Best is to find a tool (or make it yourself). A couple of potential gotchas: - you will need more room between the log shaft and the coupling. Measure well before you order anything. In my case, there was about 1 cm (1/2") left on the shaft. Not much room to manoeuvre. - get yourself a retention collar. Either from PYI, or from somewhere else. I believe it is worth its $30 price. - if you don't do it right the first time around, don't reuse the retention screws (they get dull after each attempt). You can use the outside screws for the inside and get away with it once. (But see above (retention collar)). - think about venting. The new bearings have a venting tube. Think about where you would run it. It can spit water if you put your transmission in reverse abruptly (like when docking or maneuvering in tight spot). If you don't do it right, all the benefits of dripless are gone, because you have water in the bilge. Some people put a drink bottle at the end of the venting tube (and then empty the bottle occasionally). I, eventually, plumbed it into the sink drain. - the new bearings come with plastic or SS venting tube. I would pay more for the SS. - measure properly how much initial compression you need to put on the collar. Many installers don't squeeze it enough. Btw. I agree that with the availability of Teflon packing, the traditional packing gland would be worth considering. I am not sure which way I would go now. The benefit of the traditional packing gland is that.. it is traditional, but the seal is between the gland and the rotating shaft (its circumference). Eventually, the shaft has to wear off. The dripless does not use shaft for the seal (it has two special elements SS and carbon that are mated to each other and serve as a seal). In the end it is a wash; you have to remove the shaft to replace the bellows or the seals with the dripless, so you don't buy that much in the process. Enjoy the dry bilge Marek 1994 C270 #122 "Legato" Ottawa, ON From: CnC-List On Behalf Of Jeffrey A. Laman via CnC-List Sent: 15 April, 2020 17:16 To: David Risch <davidrisc...@msn.com>; cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: Jeffrey A. Laman <jlam...@outlook.com> Subject: Re: Stus-List [EXTERNAL] Dripless shaft seal for 35 mkIII Lots of opinions abundantly expressed previously regarding pros and cons of dripless vs stuffing box. As for installation of dripless, those who have dripless might help Joe out? I replaced everything -- coupling, shaft, dripless, cutlass bearing. The shaft and coupling need to be machined at the same time for proper fit. My shaft was badly damaged due to coupling failure, so the decision to replace all was easy. Others might attempt to get away with reuse. Up to you, but read the advice. Removing the cutlass bearing can be a real challenge, but never do the job without replacing this. The opportunity doesn't present itself often -- and be glad. You can make a tool to get the old bearing out. There are all kinds of youtube videos and advice on this. Press fit also so need to put the bearing on ice first. I did the job myself -- heated the coupling, cooled the shaft, slid the shaft in, tap tap to get it correctly positioned, and tightened it down. Make sure you have all the parts on the shaft, everything checked and double checked before you slide the shaft into the coupling -- it's not coming back out. And my 2 cents -- the dripless is one of the best improvements I made to the boat. Do it! Jeff Laman 1981 C&C34 "Harmony" Ludington, MI -----Original Message----- From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Gary Newton via CnC-List Sent: Wednesday, April 15, 2020 9:55 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com<mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> Cc: Gary Newton <ghnewt...@gmail.com<mailto:ghnewt...@gmail.com>> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Stus-List Dripless shaft seal for 35 mkIII I am looking for information on installing a dripless shaft seal on my 35 MK III. Looking for shaft log size on other 35 MK III's and any problems encountered with installation. Gary Newton 1987 35' MK III SV KNOT RIGHT Sent from my iPad
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