Prop Shaft Seal issue please help

[DulceSuerna]

Snagged a submerged crab trap line today it wrapped itself around the prop shaft and stalled us. I had to jump in in 49 degree water in nasty waves to cut it free. After cuting away the line I noticed the external seal around the on the back of the shaft was gone and there was a mangled hose clamp. How critical is this seal? Isnt the cutlass bearing stuffing box exposed to the water anyway? here is a pic of a similar boat and this is near the same looking seal as what was damaged. I did not see any water entering the boat via the stuffing box after when we were running it in.
Please help!

[JiffyLube]

The cutlass bearing's purpose is to keep the shaft centered, and to give the shaft something to turn on. Water still gets passed the cutlass bearing, as this is what provides lubrication in the bearing and keeps the friction down. The purpose of the stuffing box is to stop water from entering the boat via the cutlass bearing. I'm not sure what that seal was for, but maybe it's for keeping debris from entering the cutlass bearing from the ocean side.

[DulceSuerna]

Thanks for the reply if anyone else has any info PLEASE let me know I am kind of freaked out by it. The hose clamp is in the pict painted red. My boat has / had the exact same set up and the piece the clamp was around is Gone the clamp is mangled but on the shaft.

[centaursailor]

My boats in the water so can,t help.
Theres lots of very detailed articles on this site and cover a couple of cutlas bearing setups. The internal stuffing box is the real defence against sea water ingress after the cutlas bearing so you should be safe enough but I,d want definatly want to know what the clamp was for.
Safe sailing

Compass Marine "How To" Articles Photo Gallery by Compass Marine at pbase.com

[centaursailor]

On second thoughts it looks like a retaining ring/spacer for the cutlas bearing but its hard to tell from the photo. Maybe a close up would help.

[chrisncate]

Wasn't a shaft zinc you lost, was it?

[DulceSuerna]

No that was still there.

[BELLATRIX1965]

A close-up photo would be really helpful, but it sounds like your boat had some sort of a "debris deflector" hose-clamped onto the prop shaft just AFT of the cutless bearing. Most boats don't have such a rig, and do just fine. As a previous poster stated, the important seal (stuffing box or shaft seal) that keeps the wet stuff on the outside is located inboard of the cutless bearing - where the shaft enters the inside of the boat. If it were my boat, I'd completely get rid of that mangled hose clamp BEFORE you turn that prop shaft again - just to be sure that it doesn't get jammed up inside your cutless bearing. You should then be fine until your next scheduled haul out - just keep an eye on your internal stuffing box / seal.

[DulceSuerna]

Thank you so much ! I will dive again when the water warms and cut the clamp off, and take a picture closer up of it. Probably wont use her again until I can do that. I may just don the dive suit and weights.