Stuffing box replacement

[MikeC]

I just picked up a '95 ski nautique and one of my winter projects is to replace the strut bearing, while I'm doing that I'm thinking about replacing the stuffing box with a dripless shaft seal. Has anyone here done this before? And, if so, where do you port the water from for the dripless seal?
Thanks in advance.

[96SNEFI]

I've been using a California Marine - Catalina Performance Parts shaft log for a number of years now. No water supply, no packing. No drips.

[t.franscioni]

I'm going to install drip less packing also and plan on tapping into the pressure side of the raw water pump right after the Vdrive cooling section of the line.

[charlesml3]

So these dripless packings are neat and all, but I have to ask: What problem are you trying to solve?

If your existing stuffing box is just dripping occasionally, leave it alone. It's fine. If it leaks a pint of water a day it's nothing to even bother with.

-Charles

[MikeC]

I'm not trying to solve a problem - I'm just thinking about an upgrade. I'll have the prop shaft out to change the strut bearing so I was thinking about upgrading the stuffing box as well.

[charlesml3]

Ok, but it really isn't an upgrade. It won't perform any better than a traditional "drippy" stuffing box. If it bothers you that it drips, then by all means replace it. I just don't think this is something that needs to be changed unless it's really causing a problem.

-Charles

[MikeC]

Thank you for your opinion, and I don't disagree with you. However, my original question wasn't should it be done, it was has it been done?

[keithh2oskier]

Never done it myself but what are the risks if the dripless system itself fails? Can it? I have never used one before.