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wrote:
I know I musta asked this before but why does just about every sailboat
have an auto-bilge pump? Does this mean that almost ALL shaft packings
leak like a sieve? With most boats being hauled at least every two
years you'd think they'd repack em if they were a problem. Is it a
matter of access to the packing nut? I Cant be the only person who is
so lucky that in the 12 yrs I have had my boat that I have never needed
an auto-pump? 2 yrs ago, I repacked it but found the old packing that
was 20 yrs old was in great shape.
So.......if the problem is access to the packing nut being difficult,
why not put the packing gland on the outside of the hull so that
whenever she is hauled it could be tightened. It could even be
tightened by a diver. Maybe even have a backup on the inside. At
least eliminate the fear of a bad auto-switch causing boats to sink.

It's for more than the stern gland. Leaky hose, siphoning exhaust/ head
or anything else. Even for leaky water tanks. I once saw a boat
with the cockpit drain sea-cocks shut and when it rained, the cockpit
was draining down into the boat. Thank goodness for an auto bilge pump.

The stern gland should only drip when the shaft is turning ideally.