Tides Lip Seals – Don’t Torque!

Too Much Torque on this Tide Seal Housing – Major Failure

Recently we had an 80′ Lazarra come out for basic bottom and propeller work.  A courtesy inspection of all running gear exposed a major problem for this new owner and crew.  The Tides Seals – Sure Seal (dripless) system was cracked completely through.   The outer ring and collar are solid pieces that should not show signs of cracks or splits.  Unfortunately, the repair requires removal of the coupler which is the first step to removing all of the running gear.

Once out of the boat the problem was evident – half of the screws that hold the collar were torqued down and could not be removed without spinning the backing nuts in the plastic housing.  We speculate that a prior crew tried to slow a leak by torquing the screws.  This, of course, did not slow the leak and just lead to cracking the plastic.

Fortunately, Tides has collar and ring replacements for a reasonable cost and the main housing was saved and reused.

Prior to putting the shafts back in we checked the alignment with the optical scope and made some small adjustments with a minor engine alignment.  At High Seas we put the optical scope on EVERY project that involves removing the shafts.  This is the perfect time to check alignments.  Don’t waste your money by removing running gear without a full alignment check every time.