A little help with a Hunter 28 stuffing box

[johnlfox]

New member here looking for a little help. I bought a 1990 Hunter 28 a few months ago, and on the list of repairs for this neglected lady was a leaking stuffing box. Well, yesterday was the day, and I clamored back into the aft cabin and had at her. I didn't have the right sized wrenches for the nuts, and they wouldn't come undone by hand, so I undid the hose clamps and slid everything forward. I started fishing around for the packing .. and fished ... and fished ... and fished. Finally, I realized ... there wasn't any! No wonder it was leaking.

Turning to the internet, I found a picture of one for a 280, and noticed that the owner mentioned something about nylon washers that are fore and aft of the packing. Well ... I don't have those.

So, are there any Hunter owners out there that have a stuffing box like those in the attached picture that could lend a little advice on whether or not the 28 had those washers?? The thing is, if they aren't there, that means I probably have to pull the shaft. And if I do, I might was well replace it with a drip-less stuffing box. I was hoping to avoid all of that labor and expense though.

All thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I'm new at this sailboat owner thing, so I don't know how much advice I'm going to be able to contribute today.

But give me a year .. I'm getting to know our boat inside and out and I'll try to contribute when I can.

 

[whatfiero]

The packing is between those two big nylon nuts not in the hose you disconnected

 

[Benny17441]

Just be careful with the nylon threads when removing the old flex as well as when tightening the compression nut as not to overtighten. The flex fits indeed between the two nuts. From looking at your photo the forward nylon piece is the compression nut and the one that connects to the hose is the recipient of the flex. Make sure you use the correct flex and pack the required number of rings. Do not know the specs for the shaft or nylon box. You will have to put the boat back in the water to test it and give it a final adjustment.

 

[johnlfox]

Yeah .. I figured out where the packing went after I posted and had a 'duh' moment.

When I took the gland apart, there were three washers and three pieces of packing. The order, from fore to aft, was packing, washer, packing, packing, washer, washer. I don't think that's right. I think it should be washer, packing, washer, packing, washer. Can anyone verify?? Also, the packing appeared to be two different types, but seems to be 1/4".

All I could find in the Hunter manual was that I needed to check the stuffing box for leaks. Not very helpful....

 

[sailor.fred]

There is a series of posts on this site called '88 Legend 35 stuffing box that describes your stuffing box properly. Like the thread says it is a GW Morse shaft seal, NOT a conventional stuffing box. Google the Glenwood Marine catalog page 35. Here is a picture of one taken apart. I have one installed on my 1991 Hunter 30T and have only had to adjust it once in the past 10 years or so. This type of seal does not drip and runs cool. Just remove the cotter pin and turn the inside nut by hand (no wrench required) one flat at a time to stop the dripping. I have had fantastic luck with this seal. Hope this helps.

 

[johnlfox]

Perfect Fred! Thank you very much. That's what made sense to me, but it's great having it verified with a picture.

 

[Warren Milberg]

There is a series of posts on this site called '88 Legend 35 stuffing box that describes your stuffing box properly. Like the thread says it is a GW Morse shaft seal, NOT a conventional stuffing box. Google the Glenwood Marine catalog page 35. Here is a picture of one taken apart. I have one installed on my 1991 Hunter 30T and have only had to adjust it once in the past 10 years or so. This type of seal does not drip and runs cool. Just remove the cotter pin and turn the inside nut by hand (no wrench required) one flat at a time to stop the dripping. I have had fantastic luck with this seal. Hope this helps.
View attachment 126637

This is a picture I took of the OEM white stuffing box that was on my 1986 Hunter 28.5. IMHO, don't bother trying to replace the packing in this unit; throw the whole thing away and replace it with a bronze gland. You'll be able to service it more easily and your boat (and you) will be a lot safer.

 

[xwiredtva]

I have an 88 Hunter 30G (the sexy older sister to the 30T with the bump on her nose - LOL) model with the above mentioned Nylon Stuffing box Fred showed. And like he, no issues since it was new. In the Chesapeake however at the end of the season as part of the winterization I loosen the box and then in the spring tighten it back up (no cotter pin yet) then splash down. Go below and check for drips. Dripping - tighten by hand and insert cotter pin (but no crimp over yet). Get her into her slip and adjust dock lines as I want them. Put her in Forward and go below and check for dripping. After 10mins at idle in forward and satisfied with the dripping or lack thereof, also testing the new water pump impeller of course for proper cooling, shut her down and crimp over the cotter pin so it's locked down.

The ONLY reason I back it off is because I have see 2 busted units that both owners swear were fine in the fall but split in the spring. My guess, freezing water because we are up in fresh water creeks.

That's my nickle.

 

[johnlfox]

Thank you for the great info xwiredtva. Live in Florida, hopefully won't have to worry about it. But it's great info to have regardless.

 

[T-Time]

Hello,
I'm redoing mine on a Hunter 28.5 and it seems that the 5/15 stuffing pack is loose even when it is tight.
I'll go for the 3/8 Teflon T-Flax. Any inconvenience with that?
Thanks for your help

 

[kappykaplan]

T-Time, this is a 7-yr old post. Most of the previous posters to this thread haven't been seen for a while. Best to open a new thread.