Mystery stern gland

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kalanka

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Does anyone recognise this design of stern seal?

The tube feeding into it is from a header tank which is kept topped up with hypoid oil.

It is fitted to a Sadler 34 though possibly not from new. One inch shaft.

Before you tell me to do it, I have already replaced the tatty rubber boot but am looking to source seals for a refurb.

Thanks
 
I had something like it on a Sadler 29 from new in 1987. It worked ok for a few years and then exploded oil all over the engine compartment with my new soundproofing. I replaced it with a Volvo seal.
 
The tube going into it looks a bit Heath Robinson to me, is the part under the jubilee clip threaded by any chance? It might have taken a normal grease cap originally.
 
It looks very similar to the Vire one fitted to my boat in 1987, supplied as part of the package with the Sole Mini-14 diesel engine (also a 1 inch shaft) from Fairways Marine. I have yet to take mine apart, but don't expect to be able to source any spares, unless its from the local machine shop! I'd love to hear that you've found a source for the seals - but won't hold my breath. What type of seals are they?

Rob.
 
It looks like one I had on my boat before I replaced it with a traditional packed gland. It was supplied by BUKH (UK) Ltd but may well have been manufactured by another firm.

Anyway, it was easy to service because it had some standard type rubber shaft seals inside it. Replacements could be bought from BUKH or, more cheaply, from a bearing supplier.

(If you want I could probably email you an exploded diagram of the BUKH one)
 
I had one of these same seals on my Eygthene 24 with a 1" shaft. Once out of the water, and with the propshaft disconnected from the gearbox and the flange removed, you can undo the jubilee clips, take the bronze housing and the large flexible tube and slide it off the shaft.

Inside the bronze housing there is a standard synthetic rubber lipseal inserted in each end, the type with a tiny gaiter spring. You can get these from any bearing stockist fairly cheaply. You lever out the old worn lip seals and after cleaning out residues of old grease, carefully insert the new ones, with the sprung lips facing towards one another.

Lightly grease the seals, polish up the shaft and after applying some shiny tape to cover the keyway if there is one (to avoid damage to the new lip seals), slide the bronze housing with its new flexible tube and jubilee clips back in to place. Remove the tape, couple up the shaft and reattach the lubrication tube (mine had a greaser rather than an oiler) and all will be well.
 
kalanka said:
Does anyone recognise this design of stern seal?

The tube feeding into it is from a header tank which is kept topped up with hypoid oil.

It is fitted to a Sadler 34 though possibly not from new. One inch shaft.

Before you tell me to do it, I have already replaced the tatty rubber boot but am looking to source seals for a refurb.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I have the same on my Sadler 34 and would not change it for any other make.

Visit a Bearing supplier and ask for 3 off 25/35 niton seals - (with stainless steel springs).

There are (or should be) 3 seals in the housing - two on the aft end and one on the forward end. The seals should be fitted with the forward seal having the lip towards the aft end, the inboard seal on the aft end should have the lip pointing forward and the final (aft) seal should be fitted with the lip (and spring) pointing aft - this is the one that gets wet with sea water! The other two seals seal the oil in the oil lubricated bearing. Do NOT use grease.

The seals can actually be changed on a Sadler34 with the boat afloat but you need a split dummy seal (which is easy to make).
 
The design is common to many lipseal oil filled systems, exactly as Cliff said.

The lip seals should be standard sizes, this is the system used by systems such as Seatorque. Pay attention to the direction of the seals.
 
Ringwood Precision Engineering were suppliers to Sadler Yachts for many engineered parts around 1983 to around 1990. This inboard seal was most likely supplied by them along with the Lubrication bottles. The Glands were made of Leaded Bronze SAE 660 the seals were Nitrile with special bronze springs. You must have a large radius or lead on the end of the shaft otherwise the rubber seals can partially turn inside out when being fitted allowing the spring to fall out. They do have a website and they may still have some spare parts worth a try.
 
It looks like the Bukh seal I had originally on my boat - that tended to drink oil then finally leak water. It was replaced by an Halyard seal, based on the same principles but (so I was assured) better engineered. That behaved like the Bukh, but more quickly.
Finally I fitted a PSS seal, in 1997. Apart from changing the bellows (unnecessarily) once, that has proved excellent - it does leak, if you get sufficient of a rope-wrap to pull the shaft out of its soft coupling to the gearbox, but rectification is simple.
If, rather than a simple face seal, you want a more complicated seal the Volvo one is probably the best. An old-fashioned packed gland seal should not be ignored, with some of the new packings available they don't need to siphon off 8-10% of your engine's output and the occasional drip is comforting.
 
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