O'Day 30 Stuffing Box Hose Replacement

[GeorgeC]

I own a 1983 O'Day 30 with a Universal 5416 engine and have never replaced the hose between the stuffing box and the fiberglass stern tube. My boat winters in the water in Connecticut and the hose is now 43 years old. Has anyone replaced their hose and what condition was it in when your removed it and what diameter hose did you use when you replaced it?

Thanks

 

[JoeWhite]

Yes. I have replaced mine on Catslina 36. It may have a larger hose and stuffing box diameter. The shaft needs to be removed and it would be a good idea to install a new stuffing box and a 6-ply hose. I replaced both because I was unable to take apart the stuffing box nut. While trying to turn the nut, the hose also turned on the stern tube while in water. It was a scary moment, but the hose did not tear.

 

[Tally Ho]

I replaced the hose on my 1988 O’Day 322 a few years ago. Mine sits out on the hard for the winters on Lake Michigan.

Mine was OK, but a bit soft and I was concerned about it twisting if the stuffing box somehow bound up on the shaft. That would be catastrophic.

My shaft was also scored under the stuffing box, so I replaced that as well.

I still wasn’t happy with the amount of water from the stuffing box (I tried several types of packing) and the next year, I replaced the stuffing box with a Volvo Penta dripless shaft seal.

I have the stuffing box and new hose if you are interested.

I have several videos on my YouTube channel about the project…here are links to the shaft condition and one for the Volvo seal I eventually went to.

Greg

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

The shaft needs to be removed and it would be a good idea to install a new stuffing box and a 6-ply hose.

You have no idea what the ID of your old hose is nor how many plies it consists of. As per @JoeWhite 's suggestion, 6 ply is a must.

Seeing as how the boat is coming out onto the hard anyway, I would suggest before doing hauling, contacting a reliable marine supplier near you and find out what his inventory of hoses is like and how fast he can ship the one you require (cuts down on the daily "out time"). Ordering one only in advance could be a time wasting disaster.

 

[eherlihy]

I replaced the stuffing box and shaft log hose on my 35 with a PSS Shaft Seal in 2013. No drips, and no moisture in the bilge from the shaft. In 2020 I replaced the bellows on the PSS seal per PSS recommendation of 7 years. Based on how well the bellows and graphite seal looked, I will leave the current bellows installed until 2030 at least. I know that there are some people that let them go longer than 10 years.