PDQ OWNERS FORUM

Hi fellow PDQ'ers,

I have the boat hauled for a bottom job and I am looking to switch from Tides to PSS seals. Does anyone have the dimensions or part number for the PSS seal to fit a 2006 MV 34? Any installation tips?

Also, can anyone verify that the correct cutlass bearing is the "BITE" bearing?

https://www.deepblueyachtsupply.com/cut ... aring-bite

Thanks!!
Doug

hi,

haven't looked at our pss for years. one dimension is shaft size (owner's manual or search forum) and other is the stern-tube dia.

i do know cutlass bearing is BITE.

curious, why switch to pss?

Doug,

We switched three years ago to PSS Type A shaft seals due to constant problem with the Tides seals. We have not had any problems. If you do develop a leak they can be adjusted in about 10 minutes with the boat in the water. I had to adjust them one time not long after they were installed. The Yanmar engines vibrate quite a bit at low RPM and I believe the PSS seals handle that better than Tides seals. I believe the shaft is 1.25" on our 2006.

Alan

Doug,

I also have an ‘06 & had the same ongoing Tide Seal dilemma. Not to rehash the entire PDQ/Tide Seals issues (you’ve probably read extensively on this forum & including Dick’s advise), but if you’re pulling the shafts, replacing the cutlass bearings & shaft seals, you should definitely consider going one step further & installing the mid bearing (as Stuart Yachts developed & used to do).

The basic idea is that you cut in half a “BIND” sized bearing & epoxy it into the shaft tube (this is one-size smaller than the main “BITE” cutlass bearings). This divides in-half the almost 3 feet of distance between the transmission & cutlass bearing. Of course you still need to ensure the engine is properly aligned, but this helps make it possible. This addition is quite straightforward & only adds an hour to the project if you’ve got it all apart, but the devil is in the details - the bearing must be epoxied in perfectly & securely! I’m not sure I would trust the average boatyard worker ... perhaps Dick has another yard who is now doing this work, but we were in CT so I did ours myself. While the shafts are out, you could also send them out to check for straightness (I did not).

The result was dramatic! The shafts run smoothly & true without the slightest vibration or whipping & my (new) Tide Seals haven’t leaked a drop in 1,000+ miles.

Again, this is quite straightforward while all apart, but *MUST* be done properly! I wouldn’t want to think what would happen if the added bearing came loose from the shaft tube underway!

I appreciate everyone's quick replies!

Duetto- I am switching because the Tides are leaking at higher rpms, something we found on the survey with Ed Rowe. Chester White had also recommended going to PSS. The PSS seals are a pre-loaded face seal, so it would seem it would be a superior seal to the tides. It looks like Alan had good results also. I want dry bilges!!

Russ- We purchased our boat with the mid bearings installed. I'm going to pull the shafts and see how good of a job the yard did shortly- The previous owner had it done at a yard in NY. The same yard allegedly did the injector service, but Ed and I couldn't find any sign of the injectors ever being removed (undisturbed paint).

And speaking of yards- whoever did the last bottom job painted right over barnacles. I sand thru a couple layers, then out pops a barnacle here and there. I am pretty much stripping all of the bottom paint off at this point. I am really glad I can do the majority of my own work on the boat!!

Thanks!
Doug
MV 102, 100 HP

hi doug,

we switched to pss around 12 years ago because i thought that the pss could handle slight mis-alignment better than tides, and they are to a small extent. even with pss we had leaking in rough conditions. the fix finally came with the mid-shaft bearing. since you already have it, i'd be checking that it's still in place.

btw, i see you have the 100s. did pdq still use 1-1/4" shafts?

Hey All,

The mid bearing is a great up grade and seems to solve a lot of ills, thanks Greg. I have come across some bearings that had come loose as Russ cautioned about. It was not pretty and a bugger to repair. Installing the new bearing with a clearance fit into the stern tube and secured in place with stainless set screws allows for easy replacement in the future and provides secure mounting. If gluing in the bearing and relying on the adhesion alone to hold it in place perhaps using a cutlass with a phenolic case instead of naval brass may help.
Duetto, yes 1 1/4" shafts were standard on the 34's at the factory.

Hope this helps
James

I had my PSS seals serviced with new bellows, O rings and set screws (the PSS maintenance kit) at the same time that the mid cutlass bearings were installed. The maintenance kits were PSS part# 07-114-212R. The complete new PSS seal kit should be # 02-114-212 for a shaft diameter of 1 1/4 and stern tube of 2 1/2.
The mid cutlass bearings make engine alignment much easier and eliminate the shaft "whipping" when underway.
The only complication in the project was replacement of the cutlass bearings. The yard that installed the last ones epoxied them in place. This meant cutting, driving them out with a long steel rod and and much foul language. It took hours!

Kent
Paint the Sky
2004 hull #44

Kent,

I feel your pain. As mentioned I have had good luck setting the mid bearing into an epoxy cast with a clearance fit and set screws. I have done this on a few 34's, Antares 44's as well as my boat. Replacement time is minutes, with minimal foul language!
PYI sells a shaft retention collar that prevents the stainless rotor from slipping forward and allowing water ingress. A good safety feature as the rotor set screws do not seat into dimples into the shaft.

James

We had PSS seals installed about 3-4 years ago. One needed adjustment to reduce leaking. I've also learned from our boatyard guys that when the PSS seal is properly adjusted, it "should" put off very fine mist when running at higher RPM's. The mist indicates the two spinning faces are being properly lubricated with salt water (coming through the small water hose attached to the seal). I also learned that dirty sea water (full of silt from river runoff in the Winter around my area) can cause a PSS seal to increase the "mist" into what appears as a leak.

My last thought on this... We found that shaft vibration on our boat was almost entirely a function of the shafts not being exactly straight/true and/or being slightly out of alignment with the transmission. Once we had both shafts straightened and had the shaft couplers carefully adjusted, 98% of all vibration ceased. The engines and running gear are still running very smoothly.

Late follow-up:

I used the PSS seal 02-114-214 from Citimarine and it fit very well on hull #102. Our log outer diameter was 2.25".


They work very well, I believe there is a small mist during operation for lubrication but the bilges remain dry and a very small amount of salt is deposited locally over time near the seal. I love having a dry boat!

Thanks!
Doug
B-Side
MV 34 #102 100 HP