Packing Gland

J

Jdaniel343

.
Dec 7, 2014
78
Catalina 27 Alcova Boat Club
I have a 77 Catalina 27 with an Atomic 4. I purchased the boat recently and just got it in the water this past weekend on Sunday. I noticed the bilge area under the engine had quite a bit of water in it after the launch and motoring over to the slip, about 15 minutes. There is a bilge pump at this location.
The boat had not been in the water for about 2 yrs.
I cleaned out all of the water (about 2 to 3 quarts) yesterday (Monday), started the engine and placed the gearbox in forward for 2 to 3 minutes and did the same in reverse. I noticed about 1 drip every 10 to 15 seconds.
Do I need to change the packing? I think that after sitting for so long the packing dried out and after being in the water for a day the packing has swelled and everything is ok now. Am I wrong?
Thanks
 
The Garbone

The Garbone

.
Nov 7, 2012
678
1978 Catalina 30 Wilbur-by-the-Sea
Packing should drip a little when in use as the water cools the joint. Most likely the water is from deck fitting and window leaks.
 
R

RonM

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Jul 14, 2015
3
Catalina 445 Hampton, VA
For the next few days if possible, keep an eye on the packing nut (and weather - did it rain?) without running the engine. The few drips you had originally may quite possibly been from a dry packing. After 24 hours, the drips should have stopped if the packing gland is working properly. Considering the fact that this is a recent boat purchase, I'd repack the stuffing box with GoreTex packing the next opportunity I had the boat on the hard. Older boats, especially those of limited knowledge of what's been done (or not done) to them is always a difficult situation. I'd error on the side of repacking and in order to have complete confidence that the boat is watertight. Water under the engine is never a good sight. BTW: I recommend the GoreTex as once it is properly installed and adjusted will have little or no weeping and the packing nut will run cool.
 
P

PineyWoods

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Mar 10, 2015
62
Catalina 30 Moss Landing, CA
If you've got a bronze shaft - as you most likely do - DO NOT use a graphite-impreg'd packing such as West's GTU Gore shaft packing, as it can react electrolytically within the packing gland and cause pitting/scaling.

I found this on my "new" '82 C30 recently with a very leaky gland, with surface pitting and scaling. Fortunately, when researching re-packing, I saw a graphic example of this, and in removing my old packing saw it was black - carbon-impreg'd.

I ended up "turning" the shaft packing gland area in-water by running the engine in fwd at about 1500 RPM's, with nut slid up the shaft, and using a fine, flat file constantly moving fore & aft over the affected area until bright, uniform bronze seen. Then finishing with a band of 600 grit wet-dry sandpaper held in a tightish loop over the shaft until totally smooth. I re-packed with West's FTFE impreg'd flax packing.

But with your minimal drip motoring (and sailing w/ tranny in neutral as you should, assuming no feathering prop) you need not worry about re-packing now.

Pete
 
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