Just a quick item to show anyone who is considering the installation of a dripless shaft seal what the final install looks like. Several things to note in my installation:

1. I was concerned that because of the route the shaft vent line would have to follow, I couldnt guarantee that it would maintain the necessary upward flow path and so it might not bleed air properly. Also, I didnt want to bother with trying to come up with some kind of reservoir to catch any water that might flow up the vent line when motoring in reverse. I decided instead to T into the raw water cooling line to the exhaust elbow and plumb water to the seal. This is normally only required on powerboats, but it doesnt hurt anything to do it this way, and it completely eliminates any concern about trapping air in the seal.

2. I installed a stainless steel shaft collar ahead of the seal as extra security in case the seal set screws were to ever loosen or fail. It also provides an extra level of protection in the event the coupling were to fail, ensuring that the shaft would stay in the boat. You can pick up a stainless steel collar from McMaster Carr.

3. Because the cooling water line passed very close to the edge of the transmission, I wrapped an extra length of split vinyl hose around the line to prevent it from abrading.