Today I hauled our 34' Mainship Pilot with Yanmar 370 to get detailed. It was a 15 minute ride at idle to the travel lift. Upon hauling it, we saw a large amount of water draining from the prop shaft seal. What does this mean? Any ideas on the cause? I think it is a PSS shaft log and has the cooling water hose. Today when I went to open the engine seacock, there was some water in the port side forward bilge that wasn't there 2 days ago, but it did rain at some point. The bilge pump normally takes care of that. The engine hasn't been ran in a couple of weeks. If that much water came out can water be leaking in the same way? Any ideas are appreciated.Thanks!!
Water Running Out of Prop Shaft Seal When Hauled
- Thread starter sammy999
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I used to own the same boat, same transmission, same seal and it would do exactly the same thing when hauled. Totally normal.
But if you ever haul to ship it, have the Travellift operator just get it out of the water and before going any further start the engine and let it run for ten seconds to blow all of the water out of the exhaust.
Why? I once got water sloshed up into the engine and it hydrolocked it from the Travel lift swinging back and forth with the stern lifted a bit too high. Or maybe it was from the truck starting and stopping with the boat not level. Always keep the bow up until you can blow all of the water out.
David
But if you ever haul to ship it, have the Travellift operator just get it out of the water and before going any further start the engine and let it run for ten seconds to blow all of the water out of the exhaust.
Why? I once got water sloshed up into the engine and it hydrolocked it from the Travel lift swinging back and forth with the stern lifted a bit too high. Or maybe it was from the truck starting and stopping with the boat not level. Always keep the bow up until you can blow all of the water out.
David
rgano
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 8, 2007
- Messages
- 4,995
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- FROLIC
- Vessel Make
- Mainship 30 Pilot II since 2015. GB-42 1986-2015. Former Unlimited Tonnage Master
That is probably the water in the raw water cooling circuit above the level of the cooling tube exit from the engine to the shaft seal running out. It's a good sign the pathway through there is clear - a good thing. Be happy. 
mike66
Guru
To clarify, did the water run out the rear of the boat where the propshaft exits? That's not a seal, but a cutlass bearing. It attaches to a large tube that runs up to your pss seal. The pss keeps the water out of the boat. The cutlass bearing needs water to pass through to keep it lubed. So you are seeing water drain out of the tube.
Ski in NC
Technical Guru
Depending on the shaft seal system, lots have a seal cooling line tapped off the engine. Haul the boat and a few gal will drain out the cooling tap from the engine. As long as shaft seal does not leak with boat in the water, all normal.
