H33C Rudder stuffing box

[Redbeard33]

I have developed a leak in the rudder shaft that is fairly significant. It fills the 40 gallon bilge in a matter of 2-3 hours running the boat. It does not leak at the dock. It appears that either it leaks when the stern "squats" under power or it is the movement of the water that forces it up. I went below while cruising home last night under power and took some pics. Do other 33 owners have that same fiberglass cross support ABOVE the stuffing box? is the compression material the same as the prop shaft? If so is it the same size?

 

[Ed Schenck]

Ken Palmer did a nice writeup in Owner's Mods where he states that the packing is the same, 3/16". http://hunter.sailboatowners.com/in...7&cat_id=28&aid=7006&page=article&mn=33_77-83

 

[gray_penguin]

Basically the same as my 33 except mine has a big billow bearing sitting on top of that "shelf" with 2 set screws to keep the shaft from sliding out. Hope your top packing nut is easier then mine was to take off, I had to use a 2 3/8" socket with a 3/4" ratchet with a 24" pipe to get mine off the rudder shaft tube.

 

[bugaloo]

Red, Ed is right it is 3/16 and the shelf and bearing is the same the nut comes of really good with a stuffing box wrench and if you precut the packing on a 1 1/4 shaft it is an easy fix.

 

[Ed H]

Mine looked like that and also leaked while underway. It was rusted terribly and multiple weekly shots of that "Blast" rust remover did not seem to help. I finally had the boatyard fix it ... Great to have a dry bilge again. Ed H

 

[Sylvain]

I was inspecting my rudder block today and noticed signs of water intrusion around the perimeter. It's been (and still is) on the hard all winter and I have two weeks before launch. It's bone dry now.

I can, on each side of the "V", pry a little space between the block and the hull. I chipped the loose fiberglass and cleaned up debris with a vacuum. As you know, there's not much room to maneuver down there.
If I have time, I would drop the rudder and probably know the block off the hull to re-bed everything, repack and so forth.
Here's my plan:
Warm up the area and inject epoxy in all the cracks around the block and then glass the joints with 3 inch 10oz tape. I'll keep an eye on it this summer. I also plan to install a bilge pump is this area. This, I had planned a while back.

Anyone else has rebuilt this area?

 

[Redbeard33]

great, thanks for the info!

 

[Sylvain]

Well...
After reinforcing the block with 10oz mesh and epoxy, I went ahead and got some 3/16 flax packing material.
Half way through the job tonight, I realized that the packing nut was so corroded that it had holes in it. I made the decision right there to drop the rudder (launch is on May 19) which took about two hours. I had to dig a hole under the rudder but I still have 6 inch to go. I need a pick axe to do the rest.
The only trouble I had beside working in a tight environment, was with the aluminum "wheel" that was around the shaft. I had to use PB Blaster which did the trick while I was on shovel duty.

Now, two issues:
a) I obviously need a new packing nut. Where can I get one quickly? If I can't, I'm gonna have to beg my friend Orest, a fine machinist.
b) the shaft is pitted quite badly at the packing nut level. Any recommendations?

 

[Ed Schenck]

So you are taking the rudder out of the boat? Is the pitting deep enough to weaken the rudder stock? You could try to slide a smaller stainless tube inside. Tack weld it near the top and with a bolt through at the radial wheel should strengthen it considerably. If minor pitting I would just polish it and reinstall it. Have no idea where you get a nut like that. Maybe a call to Hunter or a Hunter dealer?

 

[Sylvain]

So you are taking the rudder out of the boat? Is the pitting deep enough to weaken the rudder stock? You could try to slide a smaller stainless tube inside. Tack weld it near the top and with a bolt through at the radial wheel should strengthen it considerably. If minor pitting I would just polish it and reinstall it. Have no idea where you get a nut like that. Maybe a call to Hunter or a Hunter dealer?

It's pitted deep enough that buffing it would not fix the problem. I don't think that it's that bad structurally speaking.
The nut has 1.5 inch on top and the threads are 1.75 inch (approx) 12 pitch.

 

[Ed Schenck]

It appears that your radial wheel just clamps onto the rudder stock. Mine has a bolt through the center of the wheel and post. I wonder if the pitting can be filled with weld and polished without weakening the post?

 

[Sylvain]

It appears that your radial wheel just clamps onto the rudder stock. Mine has a bolt through the center of the wheel and post. I wonder if the pitting can be filled with weld and polished without weakening the post?

That's one option but considering that this shaft only moved 180' at slow motion and that no heat is generated, filling it with epoxy might just work. It's just needs to be flat (round really) to seal with the flax packing.

The nut is my primary concern now. Heck, some abs plumbing parts may do in a pinch. I'm checking with Marinehardware.com to see if there's a part that would fit as a replacement.

 

[Sylvain]

That's one option but considering that this shaft only moved 180' at slow motion and that no heat is generated, filling it with epoxy might just work. It's just needs to be flat (round really) to seal with the flax packing.

The nut is my primary concern now. Heck, some abs plumbing parts may do in a pinch. I'm checking with Marinehardware.com to see if there's a part that would fit as a replacement.

Photos: