Weekend project is to repack the shaft on my new (to me) '93 37.5. Boat is in the water and, as I have never done this before, I'm a little nervous. I'm planning to use the Teflon impregnated packing (1# right?) Right now the nut is tightened all the way down, otherwise there is quite a drip (call it a leak.) What should I anticipate doing and happening when I do this? 1. Take the nut off. 2. Water comes in? and? I will have a second set of hands with me. Thanks guys.
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Ed Schenck
Pretty scary, eh?
Did mine while on the hard. It took me so long I wonder how much water would be in the boat before I finished?! First cut three rings to size using the shaft as your guide and an angle cut. Then you back off the locknut. Next you unscrew the packing nut which is really a collar with the stuffing inside. You will want to have something to stuff into the stern tube around the shaft to slow the water ingress. The first problem is getting the old packing out, and I had all the prescribed tools. Once the collar is completely clean insert the three rings and stagger the cuts. Put her together and adjust for about three drips per minute. If you use two rings and put the "dripless putty" between the rings then you can tighten for NO drip. Used dripless all last season. Good luck.
Did mine while on the hard. It took me so long I wonder how much water would be in the boat before I finished?! First cut three rings to size using the shaft as your guide and an angle cut. Then you back off the locknut. Next you unscrew the packing nut which is really a collar with the stuffing inside. You will want to have something to stuff into the stern tube around the shaft to slow the water ingress. The first problem is getting the old packing out, and I had all the prescribed tools. Once the collar is completely clean insert the three rings and stagger the cuts. Put her together and adjust for about three drips per minute. If you use two rings and put the "dripless putty" between the rings then you can tighten for NO drip. Used dripless all last season. Good luck.
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Peter Roac
Did mine
I did mine. It was not that bad. I did buy every type of packing that I could get my hands on and took back the ones that did not fit. I would not have had the right size if I had not. The trick I learned is that there are three rings of packing around the shaft. When I took the first one out my boat did not leak (much). But, when the last one came out the water came in. I used the first one to make a pattern for all three. It seemed to work very well. You may want to pick up a pick (like a dental pick and a pair of small plyers that are bent on the end. The smaller the better. The old stuff was really hard to get out. I read the other response and he said that you tighten it to 2-3 drips per minute. I believe that this is when the engine is running and the shaft is turning. Not while you are sitting at the dock. (you may want to check I could be wrong). You should be very carful of the rubber hose that has the packing bearing attached. If you break this you will be going to the yard quickly. You definitely need two wrenches to loosen the nut. When I did my boat the bildge pump could easily keep up with the water. I did borrow a trash pump (swimming pool pump will work) from another guy on the dock for saftey. Good luck - remember to go to the bathroom BEFORE you take out the packing (probably my best tip).
I did mine. It was not that bad. I did buy every type of packing that I could get my hands on and took back the ones that did not fit. I would not have had the right size if I had not. The trick I learned is that there are three rings of packing around the shaft. When I took the first one out my boat did not leak (much). But, when the last one came out the water came in. I used the first one to make a pattern for all three. It seemed to work very well. You may want to pick up a pick (like a dental pick and a pair of small plyers that are bent on the end. The smaller the better. The old stuff was really hard to get out. I read the other response and he said that you tighten it to 2-3 drips per minute. I believe that this is when the engine is running and the shaft is turning. Not while you are sitting at the dock. (you may want to check I could be wrong). You should be very carful of the rubber hose that has the packing bearing attached. If you break this you will be going to the yard quickly. You definitely need two wrenches to loosen the nut. When I did my boat the bildge pump could easily keep up with the water. I did borrow a trash pump (swimming pool pump will work) from another guy on the dock for saftey. Good luck - remember to go to the bathroom BEFORE you take out the packing (probably my best tip).
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Ken Palmer
Use a towel
I have heard of this being done while the boat is in the water. I believe that they used a towel to wrap around the shaft after the nut is loosened and moved up. The towel will help slow the flow of water. I bought a special pick at West Marine to get out the old packing. The 1 inch shaft on my H33 took the small tool, that resembles a cork-screw. Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty
I have heard of this being done while the boat is in the water. I believe that they used a towel to wrap around the shaft after the nut is loosened and moved up. The towel will help slow the flow of water. I bought a special pick at West Marine to get out the old packing. The 1 inch shaft on my H33 took the small tool, that resembles a cork-screw. Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty
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Tom Lukas
Packing
My suggestion is to pull the boat and install a PSS unit. Most yards will pull and launch for a reasonable rate. You can install the PSS in about 2-4 hours depending on the condition of the shaft. If you try replacing the stuffing while in the water, you may end up pulling the boat anyway if you have a problem.
My suggestion is to pull the boat and install a PSS unit. Most yards will pull and launch for a reasonable rate. You can install the PSS in about 2-4 hours depending on the condition of the shaft. If you try replacing the stuffing while in the water, you may end up pulling the boat anyway if you have a problem.
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Don
Ed, Peter..
Are the three rings layered on top of each other or adjacent to each other? And, I'm thinking the problem with removing the old packing is that the nut is still on the drive shaft, right? So you're trying to pull out the old from around the shaft? Thanks for you help. Unfortunately, hauling the boat right now is not an option.
Are the three rings layered on top of each other or adjacent to each other? And, I'm thinking the problem with removing the old packing is that the nut is still on the drive shaft, right? So you're trying to pull out the old from around the shaft? Thanks for you help. Unfortunately, hauling the boat right now is not an option.
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Lee Urbani
Pull It
Pull the vessel for two reasons. The first one is safety, you should never work underwater on a vessel at the marina, especially around metal parts like the prop and shaft. A stray electrical charge could kill you. The second is that this past winter was a bad one on the Bay, the Chester River was frozen solid at Langford Creek. Because of this you'll need to check the seacocks as well. In my opinion the only time that the packing should be changed while the vessel is in the water would be if a failure has occured (or if you need a little exceitment in your life). If you still want to replace the packing in the water go into a quite cove and drop the hook, wrap the shaft with a towel or rag, getting it tight up against the hull. As some of the others have said, have the right tools and proper sized packing material ready and cut as discribed. I believe that your boat takes 3/8", it could be 1/4", you'll need less than 18" of the stuff so buy both. Make sure you do not align the joints, but that they are staggered. Teflon packing, if not properly installed and tightened (not over tightened) will score the shaft so be careful. Good luck, it's 10 times less stressful to do this job on the hard.
Pull the vessel for two reasons. The first one is safety, you should never work underwater on a vessel at the marina, especially around metal parts like the prop and shaft. A stray electrical charge could kill you. The second is that this past winter was a bad one on the Bay, the Chester River was frozen solid at Langford Creek. Because of this you'll need to check the seacocks as well. In my opinion the only time that the packing should be changed while the vessel is in the water would be if a failure has occured (or if you need a little exceitment in your life). If you still want to replace the packing in the water go into a quite cove and drop the hook, wrap the shaft with a towel or rag, getting it tight up against the hull. As some of the others have said, have the right tools and proper sized packing material ready and cut as discribed. I believe that your boat takes 3/8", it could be 1/4", you'll need less than 18" of the stuff so buy both. Make sure you do not align the joints, but that they are staggered. Teflon packing, if not properly installed and tightened (not over tightened) will score the shaft so be careful. Good luck, it's 10 times less stressful to do this job on the hard.
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Ron
Do it in the water
You can do this in the water. It's not a big deal as you will see once you tackle it. The amount of water you will get through the shaft would take hours before you would have enough to do any harm. If you have a good bilge pump it will keep up with and ahead of the intake of water. This is just a simple part of your boat maintainence. Once you've done it you'll see how really simple it is. If things start to get out of hand, screw the flange back on and take a little break. And as far as electric shock???? You won't be in the water; you'll be in the engine compartment. Now go tackle it. Ron/KA5HZV P.S. The boat stores sell a special wrench that fits the nut. But two and you'll be set for life.
You can do this in the water. It's not a big deal as you will see once you tackle it. The amount of water you will get through the shaft would take hours before you would have enough to do any harm. If you have a good bilge pump it will keep up with and ahead of the intake of water. This is just a simple part of your boat maintainence. Once you've done it you'll see how really simple it is. If things start to get out of hand, screw the flange back on and take a little break. And as far as electric shock???? You won't be in the water; you'll be in the engine compartment. Now go tackle it. Ron/KA5HZV P.S. The boat stores sell a special wrench that fits the nut. But two and you'll be set for life.
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Ken Palmer
Don; answer to your question
Q. Are the three rings layered on top of each other or adjacent to each other? A. They are adjacent to each other. Q. And, I'm thinking the problem with removing the old packing is that the nut is still on the drive shaft, right? So you're trying to pull out the old from around the shaft? A. Yes, the nut is still on the shaft. Once loosened, it is slid as far towards the transmission as you can get it. Use the special pick from West Marine, and dig out the packing material. Shove it into the space between the shaft and the inside of the nut, you can turn it clock-wise like a corkscrew, then pull the packing out. It will be shredded, but with a few swipes at it, all will come out. Use the previous suggestion about staggering the three rings. Also, cut the ends at a bias, not straight across. Now, go to this Web site and read more: http://www.mooremarine.com/stufbxma.htm Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty http://www.LakeOntarioSailing.com
Q. Are the three rings layered on top of each other or adjacent to each other? A. They are adjacent to each other. Q. And, I'm thinking the problem with removing the old packing is that the nut is still on the drive shaft, right? So you're trying to pull out the old from around the shaft? A. Yes, the nut is still on the shaft. Once loosened, it is slid as far towards the transmission as you can get it. Use the special pick from West Marine, and dig out the packing material. Shove it into the space between the shaft and the inside of the nut, you can turn it clock-wise like a corkscrew, then pull the packing out. It will be shredded, but with a few swipes at it, all will come out. Use the previous suggestion about staggering the three rings. Also, cut the ends at a bias, not straight across. Now, go to this Web site and read more: http://www.mooremarine.com/stufbxma.htm Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty http://www.LakeOntarioSailing.com
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Victor
How many rings of packing ?
I had a power boat veteran warn me not to overpack (use only 2 rings instead of 3). His point was that too much packing would cause more friction and heat and allow less cooling, lubricating water through, causing scoring of the shaft. It seems a sportfish would run at higher shaft RPM than any sailboat, so this may not be a concern for us. Any comments ?
I had a power boat veteran warn me not to overpack (use only 2 rings instead of 3). His point was that too much packing would cause more friction and heat and allow less cooling, lubricating water through, causing scoring of the shaft. It seems a sportfish would run at higher shaft RPM than any sailboat, so this may not be a concern for us. Any comments ?
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Lee Urbani
Caution
Maybe, for some reason that escapes me, they do not need to enter the water in Houston to wrap a piece of cloth around the shaft, but here in the Bay you'll need to go under the boat. If you do not stem the water flow (from the outside, for our TX friend) repacking against the water pressure will be very difficuilt. I repeat do not do this job in the water at the Marina.
Maybe, for some reason that escapes me, they do not need to enter the water in Houston to wrap a piece of cloth around the shaft, but here in the Bay you'll need to go under the boat. If you do not stem the water flow (from the outside, for our TX friend) repacking against the water pressure will be very difficuilt. I repeat do not do this job in the water at the Marina.
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Victor Robert
Too much vibration ?
Just a thought. When I bought my boat I too had a serious drip (leak) at the stuffing box. The main cause of the problem, as I discovered much later, was vibration caused by an out of balance propeller. I would have to re-tighten the stuffing after every trip (sometimes to stop the fountain). I replaced the two bladed prop with a 3 blade and the vibration vanished. The dent in the old prop was almost impossible to see, but was quite obvious on the measuring device at the prop repair shop. Several people with experience had diagnosed the vibration to shaft alignment and transmission problems, but no one had mentioned the prop.
Just a thought. When I bought my boat I too had a serious drip (leak) at the stuffing box. The main cause of the problem, as I discovered much later, was vibration caused by an out of balance propeller. I would have to re-tighten the stuffing after every trip (sometimes to stop the fountain). I replaced the two bladed prop with a 3 blade and the vibration vanished. The dent in the old prop was almost impossible to see, but was quite obvious on the measuring device at the prop repair shop. Several people with experience had diagnosed the vibration to shaft alignment and transmission problems, but no one had mentioned the prop.
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Ralph Johnstone
Perhaps You Have ..................
.......... a very loose shaft passing through the stuffing box but repacking the gland on our 99H310 was not even worth mentioning. I keep the bilge powder dry so I placed a towel under the stuffing box to keep things dry while repacking it. The towel was not dripping when I finished about 20 minutes later. Definitely not an exciting job. Regards, s/v Island Hunter
.......... a very loose shaft passing through the stuffing box but repacking the gland on our 99H310 was not even worth mentioning. I keep the bilge powder dry so I placed a towel under the stuffing box to keep things dry while repacking it. The towel was not dripping when I finished about 20 minutes later. Definitely not an exciting job. Regards, s/v Island Hunter
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Paul Bednarzyk
Repacking
While I hate too disagree with some of my fellow owners, repacking the stuffing box in the water is not a big deal. I didn't believe it either until I redid mine with some advice. I bet not more than a quart or two of water got into the boat. Took longer to reseat the packing material and adjusting than it did to replace the flax (I used the PTFE material with the PTFE lubricant from WM). Yes, somewhat frightening at first, but really not a big deal, total time on my 380 was less than an hour. Good luck. Paul Bednarzyk S/V Knot Again
While I hate too disagree with some of my fellow owners, repacking the stuffing box in the water is not a big deal. I didn't believe it either until I redid mine with some advice. I bet not more than a quart or two of water got into the boat. Took longer to reseat the packing material and adjusting than it did to replace the flax (I used the PTFE material with the PTFE lubricant from WM). Yes, somewhat frightening at first, but really not a big deal, total time on my 380 was less than an hour. Good luck. Paul Bednarzyk S/V Knot Again
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Johnny Hughes
I guess advice is worth what you pay for it
Seems you've got a lot of advice already. Most of it good. I have to agree with most it is a very simple job to replace the stuffing, AND NO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET IN THE WATER. I have done this litterly hundreds of times with the boat in the water and even if you do it out of the water you should adjust the nut in the water. I maybe old fashioned but after thirty years in the Coast Guard I always cut the ends of the packing square with a razor knife and stagger the joints. THIS IS A VERY SIMPLE PROCEDURE, just have your packing and tools ready before you start. After you have completed the replacement and run the engine keep an eye on the nut that it is tight and not overheating. You should be able to place your hand on the nut and leave it there. If not it is to hot and to tight. Good luck and don't worry
Seems you've got a lot of advice already. Most of it good. I have to agree with most it is a very simple job to replace the stuffing, AND NO YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET IN THE WATER. I have done this litterly hundreds of times with the boat in the water and even if you do it out of the water you should adjust the nut in the water. I maybe old fashioned but after thirty years in the Coast Guard I always cut the ends of the packing square with a razor knife and stagger the joints. THIS IS A VERY SIMPLE PROCEDURE, just have your packing and tools ready before you start. After you have completed the replacement and run the engine keep an eye on the nut that it is tight and not overheating. You should be able to place your hand on the nut and leave it there. If not it is to hot and to tight. Good luck and don't worry
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Ron
Dear Lee..from your Texas friend
You do not have to wrap a rag around the shaft from the inside or the outside. I can't believe you make such a big deal out of something so simple. But maybe that's just the way you do it in the Bay.....
You do not have to wrap a rag around the shaft from the inside or the outside. I can't believe you make such a big deal out of something so simple. But maybe that's just the way you do it in the Bay.....
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