Can I replace stuffing box string with the boat still in the water? I suspect the string in the box is worn out and hate to pull the boat out for such a minor repair, but I am a little nervoust about this! David
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Sure You Can
First, wrap two to three wraps around your propeller shaft, cutting the new packing at diagonals. Remove the large nut from the threads and push it towards the engine out of the way. Wrap one of the packings around the shaft and slide it aft towards the stuffing box-you may have to work it with a small tool to get it to enter the receiving cylinder. Add a second and third piece if possible, being sure to place the cut ends 180 degrees from one another. Screw the large nut back on, being sure to hand tighten...bring the narrow keeper nut forward and secure with two wrenches. Some water may enter during the process so don't worry....good luck
First, wrap two to three wraps around your propeller shaft, cutting the new packing at diagonals. Remove the large nut from the threads and push it towards the engine out of the way. Wrap one of the packings around the shaft and slide it aft towards the stuffing box-you may have to work it with a small tool to get it to enter the receiving cylinder. Add a second and third piece if possible, being sure to place the cut ends 180 degrees from one another. Screw the large nut back on, being sure to hand tighten...bring the narrow keeper nut forward and secure with two wrenches. Some water may enter during the process so don't worry....good luck
I'm confused
As I understand the job, (Lord knows I am not the final word) one should remove the old packing (string) first. It seems to me that this would let a pretty fair amount of water into the boat before one could put the three new rings on - and, if something goes wrong....... I don't think I would try it unless a travel lift was nearby. I do tend to be very careful with stuff like this, so maybe I am too cautious. I am interested to know if those on the board think I am being too cautious.
As I understand the job, (Lord knows I am not the final word) one should remove the old packing (string) first. It seems to me that this would let a pretty fair amount of water into the boat before one could put the three new rings on - and, if something goes wrong....... I don't think I would try it unless a travel lift was nearby. I do tend to be very careful with stuff like this, so maybe I am too cautious. I am interested to know if those on the board think I am being too cautious.
Packing gland leaks
Hi David, I have done this and before I did I had the same concerns as yourself. My prop shaft is 1 inch, but the shaft is way back there so I wrapped my GFO packing material around my 1 inch pushpit to get 2 diagonally precut lengths. Next I started to open the packing gland nuts, it was dripping rapidly as I started this process.( 1 drop a second). I was surprised when I separated the front and rear halves of the packing gland the dripping stopped entirely !? Then I popped 2 wraps of GFO packing in with thier cut ends 180 degrees to each other and losely tightened the packing gland assembly until I stopped the drip completely. You should be able to put your bare hand on packing gland after motoring around for a while. If it is hot loosen gland. Good luck !
Hi David, I have done this and before I did I had the same concerns as yourself. My prop shaft is 1 inch, but the shaft is way back there so I wrapped my GFO packing material around my 1 inch pushpit to get 2 diagonally precut lengths. Next I started to open the packing gland nuts, it was dripping rapidly as I started this process.( 1 drop a second). I was surprised when I separated the front and rear halves of the packing gland the dripping stopped entirely !? Then I popped 2 wraps of GFO packing in with thier cut ends 180 degrees to each other and losely tightened the packing gland assembly until I stopped the drip completely. You should be able to put your bare hand on packing gland after motoring around for a while. If it is hot loosen gland. Good luck !
Remove the old first
I always removed the old packing material first by using a cork-screw type tool found at West Marine. I have the same size shaft, and use the smallest tool. Just screw it into the old packing material inside the nut, and pull it out. If you don't remove the old stuff and pack new stuff behind it, you probably won't have enough threads to screw the nut back on. I have never changed packing with the boat in the water, but I don't believe there would be a problem. I have heard of taking some small rope and wrapping it around the shaft, blocking the way for water to enter while you are working with the packing nut. Remove the rope when ready, hand tighten the nut and run the engine in gear to observe the number of drips per minute. Remember, it takes some time for the packing material to set, so check the drips frequently the first day or two. There should be no drips with the shaft not spinning. Follow the link below for more instructions.
I always removed the old packing material first by using a cork-screw type tool found at West Marine. I have the same size shaft, and use the smallest tool. Just screw it into the old packing material inside the nut, and pull it out. If you don't remove the old stuff and pack new stuff behind it, you probably won't have enough threads to screw the nut back on. I have never changed packing with the boat in the water, but I don't believe there would be a problem. I have heard of taking some small rope and wrapping it around the shaft, blocking the way for water to enter while you are working with the packing nut. Remove the rope when ready, hand tighten the nut and run the engine in gear to observe the number of drips per minute. Remember, it takes some time for the packing material to set, so check the drips frequently the first day or two. There should be no drips with the shaft not spinning. Follow the link below for more instructions.
water
I think it depends on the size of your stern tub on the amount of water coming through. On my new boat, a 1986 P36-2 the boat had been on the hard for 1+/- years and the stuffing box needed adjustments when we took it for a sea trial. Water poured into the boat. I would imagine putting something on the extrerior of the stern tube to stop or even dramatically slow the flow of water down prior to taking off the main nut. Also, I have always read to remove all old stuff prior to putting in new stuff. I am no expert, just my opinion Greg
I think it depends on the size of your stern tub on the amount of water coming through. On my new boat, a 1986 P36-2 the boat had been on the hard for 1+/- years and the stuffing box needed adjustments when we took it for a sea trial. Water poured into the boat. I would imagine putting something on the extrerior of the stern tube to stop or even dramatically slow the flow of water down prior to taking off the main nut. Also, I have always read to remove all old stuff prior to putting in new stuff. I am no expert, just my opinion Greg
Just lots of water
The other answers give good advice. I have replaced the stuffing box packing with my boat (C-30) in the water. It is pretty exciting with the amount of water that rushes in, but the job doesn't take too long and the bilge pump will keep up with the water flow. Just be sure you have all of your materials before you start.
The other answers give good advice. I have replaced the stuffing box packing with my boat (C-30) in the water. It is pretty exciting with the amount of water that rushes in, but the job doesn't take too long and the bilge pump will keep up with the water flow. Just be sure you have all of your materials before you start.
Another vote for doing it...
...but make sure you have the right size flax beforehand and all the pieces cut as previously described. I have a roll I cut when I mis-measured the gap, and had to run back to WM to get a smaller size. I made a "corkscrew" from a wire hangar. (If you unwind the hangar, sharpen the end to a point, and make a little handle, it's easy to dig all the nasty stuffing out.) The water dripping was minimal in my case, and nothing the bilge couldn't easily handle. Roll-up those sleeves--the water there is likely cold this time of year! Be confident, but be cautious!
...but make sure you have the right size flax beforehand and all the pieces cut as previously described. I have a roll I cut when I mis-measured the gap, and had to run back to WM to get a smaller size. I made a "corkscrew" from a wire hangar. (If you unwind the hangar, sharpen the end to a point, and make a little handle, it's easy to dig all the nasty stuffing out.) The water dripping was minimal in my case, and nothing the bilge couldn't easily handle. Roll-up those sleeves--the water there is likely cold this time of year! Be confident, but be cautious!
Try this
Similar to Ken Palmer's rope trick in reply #4. Get an old bicycle inner tube. Cut it so it is no longer a circle then slit it lengthwise to open it up so you have a long flat piece of rubber about 2-3 inches wide. You can cut this down to about a 3 foot length. When you back the packing gland nut off the stern tube water will start to come in. Slide the gland nut up the shaft out of the way and start wrapping the length of rubber tightly around the stern tube and continue tightly wrapping and spiraling up the tube and the first couple of inches of the shaft overlapping the wraps and stretching the material a bit when covering where the shaft goes into the tube. Secure the final wrap with a wire tie or something. This should almost completely stop any water from coming in to the boat and give you plenty of time to leisurely remove the old packing, clean things up and install the new packing into the nut without worrying about the water intrusion. When the new packing is in the nut and ready to go, remove the rubber wrapping and tighten up and adjust the nut. I hope the description is clear. This works great for me. I can imagine some boats though might not have enough room to do this. By the way, I love the Gore packing material.
Similar to Ken Palmer's rope trick in reply #4. Get an old bicycle inner tube. Cut it so it is no longer a circle then slit it lengthwise to open it up so you have a long flat piece of rubber about 2-3 inches wide. You can cut this down to about a 3 foot length. When you back the packing gland nut off the stern tube water will start to come in. Slide the gland nut up the shaft out of the way and start wrapping the length of rubber tightly around the stern tube and continue tightly wrapping and spiraling up the tube and the first couple of inches of the shaft overlapping the wraps and stretching the material a bit when covering where the shaft goes into the tube. Secure the final wrap with a wire tie or something. This should almost completely stop any water from coming in to the boat and give you plenty of time to leisurely remove the old packing, clean things up and install the new packing into the nut without worrying about the water intrusion. When the new packing is in the nut and ready to go, remove the rubber wrapping and tighten up and adjust the nut. I hope the description is clear. This works great for me. I can imagine some boats though might not have enough room to do this. By the way, I love the Gore packing material.
Advice
David...lots of good advice here. Of course it's all coming from folks who do not own the boat and will not be there if something goes wrong. Be sure you have all the tools you'll need or even think you might need and be sure the bilge battery is fully charged. If I were you I'd have a plan if everything heads south in a hurry...don't know what that would be, but, having not done this, and being very familiar with Murphy's Law, I'd try to be ready.
David...lots of good advice here. Of course it's all coming from folks who do not own the boat and will not be there if something goes wrong. Be sure you have all the tools you'll need or even think you might need and be sure the bilge battery is fully charged. If I were you I'd have a plan if everything heads south in a hurry...don't know what that would be, but, having not done this, and being very familiar with Murphy's Law, I'd try to be ready.
Like a lot...
... of boat tasks, when you actually get around to doing them they turn out to be much more difficult or complex, or something unexpected happens. Most things always take at least twice as long as planned, and something unplanned can be planned to occur. Repacking a stuffing box for the first time falls well within this category. My conservative advice is NOT to try this the first time with the boat in the water. I could list a half dozen unforeseen events that might occur which could have the potential of sinking your boat. Repack your stuffing box on the hard a few times before trying it, with all the useful tricks suggested here for controlling the inflow of water. Once you know what it takes to open, close, pick out the old stuffing, and measure, cut and replace it with new stuffing, and get the whole thing back together, you'll then have the self-confidence to give it a try in the water, if that really is necessary.
... of boat tasks, when you actually get around to doing them they turn out to be much more difficult or complex, or something unexpected happens. Most things always take at least twice as long as planned, and something unplanned can be planned to occur. Repacking a stuffing box for the first time falls well within this category. My conservative advice is NOT to try this the first time with the boat in the water. I could list a half dozen unforeseen events that might occur which could have the potential of sinking your boat. Repack your stuffing box on the hard a few times before trying it, with all the useful tricks suggested here for controlling the inflow of water. Once you know what it takes to open, close, pick out the old stuffing, and measure, cut and replace it with new stuffing, and get the whole thing back together, you'll then have the self-confidence to give it a try in the water, if that really is necessary.
Just did it, no big deal
First of all, if you have reasonable access to the shaft then you'll be fine. Removing the old packing will be the toughest part because it'll be packed in pretty hard. I found an ice pick was sturdy enough to really ram into the old packing to start breaking it up. I could then use needle nosed pliers to pull the material out. The water will come in at maybe a couple gallons per minute but your bilge pump will have no trouble keeping up. I draped a towel over the log just to keep the flow from getting splashed around. Once I realized that the boat wasn't going to head to the bottom I relaxed and did the job without any further anxiety. I won't bore you with further comments because there's some good info here and elsewhere. You will NOT sink the boat. If you screw everything up you can always just thread the nut back on with some strips of an old towel packed in until you can try again. This ain't rocket science here. Relax. Round up your stuff and have at it. Let us know how everything went. I've posted some thoughts and pics on my site. Click the link and scroll down.
First of all, if you have reasonable access to the shaft then you'll be fine. Removing the old packing will be the toughest part because it'll be packed in pretty hard. I found an ice pick was sturdy enough to really ram into the old packing to start breaking it up. I could then use needle nosed pliers to pull the material out. The water will come in at maybe a couple gallons per minute but your bilge pump will have no trouble keeping up. I draped a towel over the log just to keep the flow from getting splashed around. Once I realized that the boat wasn't going to head to the bottom I relaxed and did the job without any further anxiety. I won't bore you with further comments because there's some good info here and elsewhere. You will NOT sink the boat. If you screw everything up you can always just thread the nut back on with some strips of an old towel packed in until you can try again. This ain't rocket science here. Relax. Round up your stuff and have at it. Let us know how everything went. I've posted some thoughts and pics on my site. Click the link and scroll down.
To whoever thinks...
.... that repacking your stuffing box afloat doesn't risk your boat, all I have to say is that you don't understand the risks, are naive, or just plain lucky. A guy on my dock tried it for the first time last season. When he attempted to free up the frozen and corroded lock nut, using two wrenches, he torqued the rubber gland and it tore. Now who was expecting that.....? Try controlling the hole in his boat, that he created, with band aids and pieces of rope. While he had his finger in the dike with his bilge pump going like mad, his wife ran up to the marina office and managed to have the boat hauled on an emergency basis. Stuff happens, particularly to stuffing boxes. My guess is that this fellow won't be trying this again while the boat is in the water.
.... that repacking your stuffing box afloat doesn't risk your boat, all I have to say is that you don't understand the risks, are naive, or just plain lucky. A guy on my dock tried it for the first time last season. When he attempted to free up the frozen and corroded lock nut, using two wrenches, he torqued the rubber gland and it tore. Now who was expecting that.....? Try controlling the hole in his boat, that he created, with band aids and pieces of rope. While he had his finger in the dike with his bilge pump going like mad, his wife ran up to the marina office and managed to have the boat hauled on an emergency basis. Stuff happens, particularly to stuffing boxes. My guess is that this fellow won't be trying this again while the boat is in the water.
Packing Box Stuffing
I did it last year. Search the archives for packing under Cherinubis. Good infomation. It may take a beer or two, for courage.
Be sure you have the right size flax. If in doubt buy a couple of sizes.
I did it last year. Search the archives for packing under Cherinubis. Good infomation. It may take a beer or two, for courage.
Be sure you have the right size flax. If in doubt buy a couple of sizes.Replacing flax
I did not catch any mention of a helper in the above. Makes all the difference. With a helper inside, I recently removed my prop shaft, installed a new one, fitted on a new coupling,and replaced the gland without taking on more than a gallon of water. Made a 3" sq. X 3/4" wooden "washer" for each end of a length of all-thread plus steel washers and nuts. My buddy pushed the shaft out and placed his wood washer over the forward end of the stern tube,while I pulled the shaft out, shoved in the all-thread with my end made up, and he then made up his end. To install the new shaft, he removed his nut and washers, I pulled it out, and he held his wood washer over the end of the stern tube while I inserted the shaft. He put the repacked gland on the new shaft and tightened it down. I put in the flax in a spiral,making sure the two ends are just opposite each other, and pack it down with a blunt punch. When it is well compacted, it can be slid off the old shaft and onto the new without losing its shape. I drove the new coupling on with a 3# maul, lots of lube, a piece of 2x4, and a big wrap of sheet rubber hose-clamped to the shaft and up against the gland. It all went (pun ahead) swimmingly.
I did not catch any mention of a helper in the above. Makes all the difference. With a helper inside, I recently removed my prop shaft, installed a new one, fitted on a new coupling,and replaced the gland without taking on more than a gallon of water. Made a 3" sq. X 3/4" wooden "washer" for each end of a length of all-thread plus steel washers and nuts. My buddy pushed the shaft out and placed his wood washer over the forward end of the stern tube,while I pulled the shaft out, shoved in the all-thread with my end made up, and he then made up his end. To install the new shaft, he removed his nut and washers, I pulled it out, and he held his wood washer over the end of the stern tube while I inserted the shaft. He put the repacked gland on the new shaft and tightened it down. I put in the flax in a spiral,making sure the two ends are just opposite each other, and pack it down with a blunt punch. When it is well compacted, it can be slid off the old shaft and onto the new without losing its shape. I drove the new coupling on with a 3# maul, lots of lube, a piece of 2x4, and a big wrap of sheet rubber hose-clamped to the shaft and up against the gland. It all went (pun ahead) swimmingly.
Depends on where your Cutless Is
Many boats have the cutless bearing on a "P" bracket remote from the log tube. This means there is plenty of clearance between prop shaft and log tube. Undoing the stern gland and raking out the packing will cause a considerable rush of water. Such boats are hazardous to work on whilst afloat due to the risk of it all going pear shaped and you not being able to seal the leak. There are other types of boat where the cutless bearing is in the lower end of the log tube itself. Removing the packing will only admit water at the rate it can get past the cutless. These boats may be better to work on. Perhaps these matters will explain the wide divergence of views expressed above in this thread.
Many boats have the cutless bearing on a "P" bracket remote from the log tube. This means there is plenty of clearance between prop shaft and log tube. Undoing the stern gland and raking out the packing will cause a considerable rush of water. Such boats are hazardous to work on whilst afloat due to the risk of it all going pear shaped and you not being able to seal the leak. There are other types of boat where the cutless bearing is in the lower end of the log tube itself. Removing the packing will only admit water at the rate it can get past the cutless. These boats may be better to work on. Perhaps these matters will explain the wide divergence of views expressed above in this thread.
Sorry Pete, only guilty of one of the three
Naive? You bet. That's why most of my projects take so much longer than I think they will. Lucky? Occasionally, but not as often as I'd like. Not aware of the risks? Nah. There's always the risks of the unforseen but with preparation and knowledge they can be mitigated. Your dock neighbor's experience was unfortunate and for sure that's a pretty scary story but a couple of thoughts come to mind. First, are you advocating heading for the travelift before loosening the packing nut for adjustment? Secondly, in thinking about your neighbor's predicament I can't help but think that if he managed to rip apart the hose then he might not fully understand the methodology of using two wrenches. I guess in my previous post I assumed a certain amount mechanical aptitude. Additionally, unless he's got a really unusual shaft and log arrangement, the amount of water ingress he experienced couldn't have been any more than the flow resulting from a removed packing nut. In either case the flow is determined by the gap between the through hull aperture and the shaft. The flow (like in my picture below) wouldn't have been any greater even had the hose been completely removed. Mine ran like this for 30 or 40 minutes while I was working with our bilge pump running less than 20% of the time. Eye-opening perhaps but hardly a frantic emeergency. If your guy's pump was "going like mad" trying to manage a couple gallons a minute then perhaps he was working on the wrong system. I'll bet both of us could come up with several jury-rigged repairs to a damaged hose that would slow water flow to a trickle so that a haul-out could more calmly arranged. A damaged hose is pretty rare but still quite manageable with some clear thinking and decisive action. Still, I'm not sure band-aids would have been my first choice It's unfortunate that the very lack of maintenance that probably caused his packing nut to get frozen in the first place will now be exacerbated by your neighbor's increased reluctance to touch the stuffing box unless he's on the hard. That nut needed MORE frequent maintenance, not less. Okay, I'll concede that you COULD sink your boat doing this maintenance. But you'd have to work at it
Naive? You bet. That's why most of my projects take so much longer than I think they will. Lucky? Occasionally, but not as often as I'd like. Not aware of the risks? Nah. There's always the risks of the unforseen but with preparation and knowledge they can be mitigated. Your dock neighbor's experience was unfortunate and for sure that's a pretty scary story but a couple of thoughts come to mind. First, are you advocating heading for the travelift before loosening the packing nut for adjustment? Secondly, in thinking about your neighbor's predicament I can't help but think that if he managed to rip apart the hose then he might not fully understand the methodology of using two wrenches. I guess in my previous post I assumed a certain amount mechanical aptitude. Additionally, unless he's got a really unusual shaft and log arrangement, the amount of water ingress he experienced couldn't have been any more than the flow resulting from a removed packing nut. In either case the flow is determined by the gap between the through hull aperture and the shaft. The flow (like in my picture below) wouldn't have been any greater even had the hose been completely removed. Mine ran like this for 30 or 40 minutes while I was working with our bilge pump running less than 20% of the time. Eye-opening perhaps but hardly a frantic emeergency. If your guy's pump was "going like mad" trying to manage a couple gallons a minute then perhaps he was working on the wrong system. I'll bet both of us could come up with several jury-rigged repairs to a damaged hose that would slow water flow to a trickle so that a haul-out could more calmly arranged. A damaged hose is pretty rare but still quite manageable with some clear thinking and decisive action. Still, I'm not sure band-aids would have been my first choice
It's unfortunate that the very lack of maintenance that probably caused his packing nut to get frozen in the first place will now be exacerbated by your neighbor's increased reluctance to touch the stuffing box unless he's on the hard. That nut needed MORE frequent maintenance, not less. Okay, I'll concede that you COULD sink your boat doing this maintenance. But you'd have to work at it Give the guy a break...
My response, and perhaps the other one's too, focus on David's original inquiry -- and he candidly admits to being "nervous" as in he's never done this before. Not like all the others in this thread who have all that experience under their belts (smile). This isn't about YOU, it's about HIM.
My response, and perhaps the other one's too, focus on David's original inquiry -- and he candidly admits to being "nervous" as in he's never done this before. Not like all the others in this thread who have all that experience under their belts (smile). This isn't about YOU, it's about HIM.
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