Western Pacific Trading Packing Boxes, Shaft Seals & Accessories
Western Pacific Trading Tefpack: PTFE Shaft Packing Built for the Marine Environment
When it comes to keeping water out of the bilge and your prop shaft running smoothly, the quality of your stuffing box packing matters more than most boaters realize. Western Pacific Trading has built a focused, reliable lineup of packing boxes, shaft seals, and accessories centered on their flagship Tefpack Synthetic Shaft Packing — a PTFE-based solution designed to outperform traditional flax packing in virtually every real-world condition.
What Is Tefpack and Why Does It Matter?
Tefpack is Western Pacific Trading's PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) shaft packing material. Unlike conventional flax packing, which absorbs water, swells unevenly, and requires frequent gland adjustments, Tefpack takes a fundamentally different approach. PTFE does not absorb water, does not swell under compression, and does not harden or crack over time the way organic packing materials can. Once properly installed, it holds its shape and requires far less routine adjustment than flax — a meaningful benefit for boaters who want to spend more time on the water and less time in the bilge.
The performance advantages extend beyond longevity. PTFE runs with less friction against the shaft than traditional flax, which keeps heat down at the stuffing box and reduces wear on both the packing and the shaft surface over extended seasons of use. For any inboard or stern-drive vessel, that translates to a cooler, more stable seal with a longer service interval.
A Size for Every Stuffing Box
One of the most practical aspects of the Western Pacific Trading Tefpack lineup is its comprehensive range of cross-section sizes. The series spans from 1/8" — sized for the most compact stuffing boxes on small inboard-powered boats and vintage runabouts — all the way up to 5/8", covering standard stuffing boxes on larger inboard applications. Sizes in between (3/16", 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 7/16", and 1/2") cover the wide middle ground of smaller inboards, stern drives, and older sailboat installations. Each coil is 22 inches in length — enough to fully repack a stuffing box and still have material left over for the next service interval.
Installation follows the same familiar process regardless of size: cut each ring at a 45-degree angle for a clean joint around the shaft, stagger successive ring joints 90 degrees apart, and compress evenly with the packing nut. Boaters already comfortable with flax packing will find the transition to Tefpack completely straightforward.
Who Should Use Western Pacific Trading Shaft Packing?
Western Pacific Trading's Tefpack is well suited for owners of inboard-powered powerboats, sailboats with inboard diesels or gas engines, and classic or vintage boats with traditional stuffing box configurations. The broad size range makes it a go-to choice for repacking jobs across a wide variety of hull and drivetrain types. It is recognized alongside other industry-leading marine drivetrain brands as a reliable option for shaft sealing solutions.
Whether you are doing a seasonal repack before the first launch or replacing a leaking stuffing box mid-season, Western Pacific Trading's Tefpack lineup offers a low-maintenance, long-lasting alternative to flax that holds up through continuous bilge and waterline conditions.