dripless shaft seals Archives - Safe Skipper Boating & Safety Afloat Apps for phones & tablets

Dripless shaft seals

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

As their name implies, dripless shaft seals are designed to completely stop water from entering a boat’s hull via the stern tube. There are two main types of dripless seals known as face seals and lip seals which many boat manufacturers now fit to production...

Propeller care and maintenance

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Propellers are complicated and repairs should be done by specialists but owners can carry out checks and some routine maintenance themselves when the boat is in the boatyard. A propeller is critical to a boat’s performance, fuel consumption and ride, so it...

How a propeller works

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Have a look around any boatyard and you will notice quite a variety of propellers – some have two blades, some have three and others have four or more. While most propellers are completely rigid some have blades that fold. Propellers can be right handed, where they...

Sterndrive maintenance

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Sterndrives are a popular form of propulsion in the powerboat market. While popular, they require a fair amount of maintenance, their care and maintenance can keep a DIY boater very busy. The main factors to be aware of are salt water corrosion, lubrication and...

Saildrive maintenance

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

There are less maintenance tasks to carry out on a saildrive transmission than on a traditional inboard shaft drive system with its associated stern gear. For example, you don’t have to worry about engine alignment, cutless bearings and stern glands. I owned a...