Interesting, maybe they just found it to be more reliable/longer lasting with the hose connection. I read something a while ago about stuffing boxes, and part of the reason for a drip was that you don't want air trapped in the stuffing box area below the boat. This may be much more applicable to salt water, and/or bigger cruisers that don't go up on plane and back down frequently (if at all) like a ski boat.
I'll try to find the source... edit:
here it is., page 2 under the heading 'Why It Should Drip Some.'
Thoughts?