Yacht shaft seals are essential components for preventing water from entering the vessel through the propeller shaft opening. There are several types of yacht shaft seal options available, each have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Traditional Stuffing Box
This is a simple and traditional method that involves packing the space around the shaft with materials like waxy rope, flax or Teflon impregnated packing material. Stuffing box seals are designed to drip every 30 seconds to 1 minute and regular upkeep is extremely important. Increasingly stuffing boxes are falling out of favour due to their reliability and also their negative environmental impact of contaminated water dripping into a yachts bilge on potentially onward into the open ocean.
The answer is a dripless shaft seal, Lasdrop have developed two variants of dripless shaft seal:
Mechanical Face Shaft Seals
Consists of two flat faces that press against each other, creating a watertight seal. A thin film of water sits between the stationary carbon face plate and the stainless-steel rotational plate that is attached to the yacht’s propeller shaft. The seal attaches to the stern tube using a high-quality hose. Unlike bellow variants the Lasdrop Gen2 shaft seal creates compression via an innovative pressure housing, eliminating the need for a bellows hose. This pressure housing is far longer lasting, resulting in less maintenance over the life of the seal.
This seal is very popular with commercial vessels or larger yachts that are used frequently and require a longer-term commercial solution.
Rotary Lip Seal
Rotary Lip Seal Shaft Seals use a nitrile lip seal that creates a seal around the shaft. They consist of a nitrile rubber ring, with a lipped profile contained in a housing. The rubber lip seal runs on the shaft to form the seal. These seals are easy to fit and require little ongoing maintenance as long as a water supply is maintained during operation.
Commonly used in leisure craft, yachts and power boats. Lasdrop offer two solutions, the standard Lasdrop DrySeal Shaft Seal and the Lasdrop EliteSeal Shaft Seal that carries a housing for 2 spare seals, again minimising maintenance and costly out of water servicing.
Ultimately the choice of yacht shaft seal depends on various factors, including the type and size of the yacht, the shaft’s angle and alignment, the cruising conditions, frequency of use and the owner’s preferences. Contact us at Marine-Products-Direct on +44 (0) 1202 600011 or sales@marine-products-direct.com and we will be happy to assist in your selection of yacht shaft seals.
