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IMHO, the face type seals are good. Our Navy uses them on submarines which see considerably more severe service than our boats. But, two things to consider.
First, they like clean water. Silt or grit in the water will wear them out. Navy addresses this by pumping filtered sea water into the shaft tube aft of the seal. I would recommend doing the same. Just tap into the output of the raw water pump, filter it, and run it to the seal. I believe most of the face seal units have a fitting for this.
Second, the rotating part of the seal is held in place by the shaft and is spring loaded against the fixed part. If the shaft moves forward, the seal faces will open up and allow water (a LOT) into the boat. This can happen if your engine is on resilient mounts and they're not up to resisting full thrust. So after installation, give the engine a good push and see what happens.
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