How screwed am I?

[roverhi]

Have a LasDrop shaft seal a nd it is working fine. Consider it a permanent fix. The stern tube is very very hard to get at with the engine installed. Went with the LasDrop to cure perpetual leaking from the conventional stuffing box when I had the engine out.

[Suijin]

When dripless seals fail, they fail at the boot. That is why manufacturers specify that the boot should be replaced every six years. Make sure you follow that schedule. Also make sure that the vent is properly installed so that it cools properly and you don't get air pockets.

The major shortcoming of dripless seals is in the unlikely event your shaft comes loose from the transmission collar and the shaft pushes forward, separating the seal plates. Pretty much time to pull out the liferaft if you can't get the ensuring flood under control.

That said, if you decide to stick with dripless I would take that thing off and put a PYI on it instead. I just don't think that one should go with any critical piece of gear who's primary marketing message is that it's cheap. Also don't like the split collar design on the Lasdrop. That's just a Big Problem waiting to happen.

[roland stockham]

I deliberately sized the bilge pumps to keep up if the stuffing box failed or I lost the shaft. 4,000gph will work on about a 50% duty cycle if you open a 1/2" seacock 3ft below the water line and just keeps up with 2 - yes I have tested it! Very comforting and less than $300 (but you do need a min 2" outlet. 1 1/2" engine driven pump will give about the same. The emergency pump is there to give you time to find and fit a wooden bung so the smaller the boat the bigger the pump because it has less volume to fill it fills more quickly. You can then stop worrying

[Scrimshaw4]

I'm concerned about your statement that your dripless system is using "exhaust" hose. Normally the type of hose used is neoprene that is compressable. The compression pressure is what keeps the dripless seals tight aginst one another.