Reply To: Stern tube leak

Hi Lionel,

The stern tube itself, copper or plastic, is moulded into the boat usually during the build process. This could be leaking as water can wick along the tube without it being visually obvious. You could rebond the edge of the tube that you can see on the outside. The cutlass bearing slides into the tube and is usually held by grub screws. As water flows freely around the propshaft a water tight seal here is not required, it would be sealed off by the stuffing box or rubber seal assembly inboard. You need to make sure this end of the tube is not the cause of your problem before rebonding the stern tube. Geoff Linter Commodore, HT asso.