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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 just nice to go aboard a dry boat after a long spell away. Another
thing not to lose sleep over.