Water Comming In

[rodman]

Before I start digging into something I am not sure about anyone no about a packing or gasket that would stop water coming in from the drive shaft. 05 23 LVS nothing is bent this is the first weekend in the water. Noticed that water was dripping where the shaft goes into the hull. Was shocked to see the water in the hull.

[Pistol Pete]

It's normal for a drip approx every 5 seconds from just behind that big brass nut with the boat sitting still in the water with the prop shaft not rotating.

Unless you have dripless packing or a water cooled shaft (doubt those but, a pic. would help)

[Bill_AirJunky]

Start looking up "prop packing". There is tons of info here & on other sites all about it.

You can usually just tighten it up a bit & get it to slow down. It's supposed to drip like once every 10 seconds to lubricate the shaft (yea, run with that one). You just have to trial & error your way thru it.

If your boat has been completely dry for any length of time (like over the winter), then it's normal to leak a bit as it swells up the first time it gets wet. So don't start making any adjustments till your 3rd or 4th time out.

Mine failed twice last year. I tightened it down the first time, then it did it again a couple weeks later. So over the winter I picked up the "semi dripless" packing that Skidim.com sells. I guess it's made of Gortex. You can tighten it down more, so it leaks less, and no issues. When you handle it, it's obvious it is impregnated with some oily stuff. I assume this is the lubricant. It's been in there a couple months now & seems like it's doing great.

I keep the boat on the lake for weeks at a time & always have a small amount of water in the bilge. A lot of times it's water that sits up front at the lowest point in the bilge while it's on the trailer (which is like under the dash on mine). Then when you put the boat in the water, it sits a little lower in the rear so the water gathers there.

[Modajones]

I just got a 2003 Wakesetter and the first couple of times out I was getting a lot of water in the engine compartment. The dealer I bought it from was telling me that it was because of all the rain that we got. I kept telling them to check the stuffing box for the drive shaft. They finally checked it and sure enough it was leaking really bad. They repacked it and no more problems. If I were you, that would be the first place to check. Good luck!

[JPSkier]

I had this problem last year and resolved it tightening the shaft packing. Easy fix but you will need a big wrench. Should be 1 drip every 10 seconds as previously stated. Best to do it while someone is driving the boat at idle speed.

[Pistol Pete]

Best to do it while someone is driving the boat at idle speed.

Uhhh,

You def. don't want your hands or tools anywhere near a rotating drive shaft.

[Ndawg12]

Uhhh,

You def. don't want your hands or tools anywhere near a rotating drive shaft.

ah Pete, don't be a sissy, put on a warm hooded sweatshirt, let your hair down and get in there

[Molarbu]

ah Pete, don't be a sissy, put on a warm hooded sweatshirt, let your hair down and get in there

Don't forget to wear a tie.

[Pistol Pete]

ah Pete, don't be a sissy, put on a warm hooded sweatshirt, let your hair down and get in there

You're right, ever since I lost the tip of one of my fingers I'm waaaay too paranoid. I guess I better take off my skirt.

[JPSkier]

Uhhh,

You def. don't want your hands or tools anywhere near a rotating drive shaft.

The drip rate has to be checked while the shaft is turning. Do your homework boys. The nuts don't turn when the shaft is turning(on boats anyway). You can take it out of gear while adjusting if you like, but you don't have to. Obviously you don't want any loose clothing around.