Stuffing Box getting "hot"

Stu Jackson · Apr 28, 2014

Not necessarily a good idea to back off on a packing nut once tightened, you've already compressed the packing inside the nut, it won't magically re-expand.

How hot? Seriously. If you can keep your hand on it, it should be OK. Here's a link to some details, with links inside that refer to Maine Sail's website, please read those, too.

http://www.c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Stuffing_box_packing

JK_Boston_Catalina310 · Apr 28, 2014

I had a similar problem on mine. Part of the reason I recently went to a dripless.

So my advice is to completely read the link from Stu and this article from Maine Sail (http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/stuffing_box). Also, go pick up an IR thermometer. You can get a decent one for under $20 and a good one for under $100 (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...eywords=ir thermometer&sprefix=ir+th,aps,1198) There are lots of good uses for it on a boat. Part of my standard equipment now.

I am no expert but I am guessing you have over tightened the packing and now have to repack. As Stu said, they don't like being loosened after over tightening. It will likely just continue to leak. I couldn't get mine adjusted correctly to be dry yet not hot. But that was my fault not the stuffing box. I just decided to change equipment instead.

Fair winds,

Jesse

Ralph Johnstone · Apr 28, 2014

c130king said:
Replaced two wraps of packing gland...that was all we could pull out and put in.

I'm taking a wild guess that you've still got one (or even worse) a partial ring of old packing left in there. The old ring is probably adding nothing to your sealing ability and if it has partially broken off, you now have the two new rings sitting on top of a partial ring. Either way, not good for getting a decent seal.

If you want to do this in the water and spend all day at it without getting your sox wet, try the arrangement shown below. Either way, all of the old packing MUST come out before the new goes in.

Stu Jackson · Apr 28, 2014

Jim, as suggested in my link, get a long sheetrock screw from Ace Hardware. The squiggly picks sold at WM are too big to get in there, although some have reported success. I haven't in 15 years.

rpwillia · Apr 28, 2014

I like the gore tex flax

You can have it a little tighter so it hardly drips at all and stays cool.

cloydmilton · Apr 30, 2014

I use GFO packing. See www.gore.com This packing does not drip so bilge is always dry and the packing gland is also cool. I feel this is a much better choice than dripless

Long Story · Apr 30, 2014

For what it is worth, I did mine last spring. Yes I went the sheet rock screw route, worked perfect for picking all the old packing our. My one note is that, I ended up with four (4) rings in there. (Gore) I drip very, very little under full power (about 6.5 kts) no drip at all when docked and most important I run cool to the touch. (if you only put two rings in there, my guess is that you missed something.

KZW · Sep 23, 2014

I just replaced the 10 yr old packing on the 2005 C-310 I purchased two months ago. It has been leaking about 1/4 gallon per hour. There was a lot of corrosion on the shaft and nuts. Getting the nuts loose was a real problem. I used a lot of PB Blaster and a brass brush to clean up the threads, etc. No matter how much tapping on the nuts and pressure on wrenches, they wouldn't come loose. Finally a drift and hammer were applied to the lock nut which finally came loose. Thank goodness it didn't split!
After the nut was backed off a rag and rigging tape were applied to limit the amount of water entering along the shaft (yes it was done in the water). Once the nuts were loose T-9 was applied with a wire brush on a drill to clean the nuts and threads. There were only two rings of teflon packing in the nut and it wasn't inclined to come out. It took a lot of digging with the hooked tools to grab it and pull it out. I had three rings of 3/16" Ultra-X cut and ready to go on. Alas, it needed 1/4 inch. That surprised me as most of the write-ups for 1" shafts in Catalina boats say 3/16". The marina had some 1/4" GTU so I went with that - the alternative being relying on the bilge pump to keep the boat from sinking. The three rings of 1/4" GTU went in reasonably well and it is all back together. Now to run it and adjust as required.

Stu Jackson · Sep 23, 2014

KZW said:
I had three rings of 3/16" Ultra-X cut and ready to go on. Alas, it needed 1/4 inch. That surprised me as most of the write-ups for 1' shafts in Catalina boats say 3/16". The marina had some 1/4" GTU so I went with that - ...

That's quite true, some, but not all Catalinas with 1 inch shafts require 1/4", but most are 3/16". It depends on what box the factory put on the boats. All of our C34 mark Is use 3/16", some of the early Mark IIs (1994 +) used 1/4" and then went back to the 3/16". Logic does NOT apply.

KZW · Sep 23, 2014

Stu,

I find it weird. The nuts, either 3/16 packing or 1/4 packing, take a two inch wrench. Yet the interior dimensions are different. At least now I know what my boat requires for this.

It boggles the mind that the boats are all made at the factory, with the same drawings, and yet each one appears to be individual. I guess it is the difference between an automobile assembly line and something that is hand built with whatever parts were available at the time.

Stu Jackson · Sep 23, 2014

KZW, you're right. The factory, quite correctly and not unreasonably, buys material in bulk, and installs what's in hand. However, one of the things we continually stress is "RTFM", because in most cases, Catalina got it right. The manual for our C34s has what I consider a tremendously well written presentation of the stuffing box, which explained how to deal with it in words and a cross section drawing. Since I'm an engineer, I studied it and understood it easily, perhaps not so easy for others. But this, for me, was when I bought our 1986 in 1998 and when I first did the box in 1999 and then did my writeup on our website that I frequently provide links to, and which I updated to include links to Maine Sail's excellent photo tutorial which simply hadn't been written in 1999.

Those manuals had the right size packing noted for the two different models, and, IIRC, they changed from 3/16 to 1/4 and then back to 3/16, properly for the boats that came with those dimensions. However, I have also cautioned on this and other forums for skippers to buy BOTH 3/16 and 1/4 if they don't know or didn't know how to or didn't want to measure their boxes. I use Maine Sail's recommended Ultra X. Since I know MY size, I bought enough length of it for three replacements, and including s&h it was all of like $16!!!

Like bleeding diesels, it's not that hard once you do it the first time.

KZW · Sep 23, 2014

Stu,

The information you and others have posted, including tutorials with pictures / videos have been a huge help. I've expressed my opinion on the C-310 manual elsewhere so I won't go into it here, except to say it is flat wrong in some places and fails to list things (like stuffing material sizes, etc.)

The boat is easy to sail, very comfortable, and well equipped for coastal cruising. I very much enjoy sailing it in our local bay. Keeping up with, and learning about the systems, has been more challenging than I expected. But it is interesting (work keeps interfering). I'll keep at it.

Please keep posting and helping newbies like me!

KZW · Oct 28, 2014

I've been unable to get any drip out of the stuffing box. I kept readjusting the nut looser, but it finally fell off the thread. Then there was a lot of water.

I've taken one ring of 1/4 GTU out, leaving two. The nut is now probably a bit loose as I am getting water. Will keep turning it a flat or two at a time until it is right.

Stu Jackson · Oct 28, 2014

KZW said:
I've been unable to get any drip out of the stuffing box. I kept readjusting the nut looser, but it finally fell off the thread. Then there was a lot of water.

IIRC, the nut HAS to come off and forward to be able to get the old stuff out and the new stuff in.

Good luck.

Bob S · Oct 28, 2014

I went through a similar experience. I bought the 3/16 and found out it used 1/4". I cut three rings but realized the third ring just barely fit so I removed it before I tightened the nut. Did mine on the hard. It was flawless for two seasons but needed adjustment this one. My stuffing box sits directly under the galley cabinet face and is impossible to access. I had to have two offset wrenches fabricated to make any adjustment at all. I wire brush and exercise the nut on the offseason

KZW · Oct 31, 2014

With two rings of 1/4 GTU and the nut snugged up finger tight I'm getting sufficient water to keep the nut just tepid warm after 1 hr of running. It drips very slowly, maybe a drop every two or three minutes, with the shaft not turning. I'm going to tighten one flat at a time to see if I can get it to a point where it won't drip unless the shaft turns, but drips sufficiently with the shaft turning to keep the nut at a reasonable temperature.

Stu Jackson · Oct 31, 2014

Great, that's the right goal.

Stuffing Box getting "hot"

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