I'm not kidding, and yes it just keeps getting better, or worse depending upon how you look at it. This picture is one darn good reason why I detest "Ideal" style or perforated hose clamps. This was the hose clamp for the stuffing box hose. Two out of the four literally fell apart the minute I touched the screw driver to them.


Because the perforations make the center of the clamp softer than the edges, due to the removed metal for the perforations, they can bend upwards and away from the screw threads over time. The screw on this one literally fell out of the holder and yes, they were marked "all stainless". These hose clamps were keeping this boat afloat and thank God there were four.


Please consider the use of non-perforated hose clamps for your below water connections. I prefer the AWAB brand and have never once had one fail and I have seen buckets full of the perforated style fail.