Re: Stuffing box drainage path
ianjenkins1946 <ianjudyjenkins@hotmail.com>
Hi Jose,
This solution sounds really useful. We are definitely interested. Please contact me on penazen@... so we can arrange payment and post.
Ian and Judy, Pen Azen, SM 302, Greece
From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io <main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io> on behalf of Jose Venegas via Groups.Io <josegvenegas@...>
Sent: 10 June 2019 02:12 To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io Subject: Re: [AmelYachtOwners] Stuffing box drainage path Dear friends:
As we came back to Boston, we kept using the method but it became very inconvenient to mount and dismount the contraption every weekend when we left and came back to Constitution Marina.
My interpretation of the problem was that due to uneven wearing of the surfaces that guide the bow thruster up and down motion, it resulted in a misalignment between the shaft and the sealing surfaces. This misalignment caused a small deviation
of the shaft from the centerline which pushed the lip seal sideways and, because the Amel recommended seals are made of a hard material, it opened a point of water entry.
I proceeded to test my hypothesis and ordered two special seals made of silicone from a soft seal manufacturer (SSP Inc). It took several months to get them due to the small number of units I ordered (just 2) but, after I installed them three
years ago, I had no more leaks and my bilge has been dry ever since. The cost for the two seals was $72.50 and, more importantly I have not had to change them or the donut seals since I installed them. I have checked them and the donut seals and they are
all still in good shape.
As I am preparing Ipanema for our long term cruise, I am ordering a few spares to carry with me and I will be happy to order some extra ones for any body that wants to try them.
I missed taking pix before installation but here are pictures of them installed, before and after adding the top donut.
Cheers,
Jose Gabriel Venegas
Ipanema SM2K 278
Boston
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