Stuffing Box Repacking, What Size ?

[patrick33308]

Have a Hunter 33.5 with a one inch shaft and the stuffing box needs to be repacked. Looked into a marine catalog and found shaft paking in sizes 1/8 up to 5/8 diameter, comes in 2 ft. lengths.

Anybody repacked their stuffing box, what size did you use ????

 

[Claude L.-Auger]

From an old note I had kept: When repacking stuffing for prop shaft boxes use 1/4" packing on plastic stuffing boxes, 3/16" on bronze stuffing boxes with 1" shaft, 5/16" on bronze stuffing boxes with 1 1/4" shaft. Don't forget to get the old packing out completely, then do 3 wraps around the shaft with the split in each wrap located 120 degrees from the previous one. Good luck

 

[Ken13559]

3/16" is right for 1" shaft with bronze gland but some uses 1/4" packing. 1/4" might be too tight.

 

[hewebb]

On my Catalina, the shaft is 1" with bronze stuffing box and it took 1/4" packing. If I remember correctly, I measured the distance from the shaft to the bronze shell to determine the size.

 

[LakeOntario270]

My Catalina with a 1" shaft took 3/16". My owners manual told me what size to buy.

 

[lehighsail]

Go to pBase.com and search for 'stuffing box' and be sure to read Compass Marine guide.
Wont' help with size but is a great 'how to' do it.

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/stuffing_box

 

[Steve Dion]

Hunter recommended 3/16 for all nylon or metal boxes

 

[navigator97]

I have a 1990 Hunter 33.5. I have replaced the packing a few times over the years (I've had her 16 seasons now). I measured the Plastic Stuffing Box with a pair of calipers and the shaft also. I took the difference and devided by 2. It came out to be 5/16". I used 5/16" Teflon Impregnated Flax for the 1st and 3rd ring. For the middle (2nd) ring I put in SynTef Teflon "Putty" which I got at West Marine. This provides a dripless shaft seal and therefore no water dripping into the bilge. Thus a dry bilge nless something is leaking. The Drippless shaft seal has worked well for years. No overheating and no dripping. The Plastic Stuffing was a 1-5/8" G W Morse #49409 - also Glenwood Marine #1215.

 

[patrick33308]

Thank you all for the great information. Just back from the boat and while there discovered that the dripping has stopped. I'm a member of the Tampa Sailing Squadron and keep the boat there. House Rules forbid plugging in the electric unless you are on the boat so I spent last evening worrying about the dripping and the bilge pump running all the time draining the batterys. I'm smiling for the first time in over 24 hours .

Will be at the marine store tomorrow and will also be talking with one of the club members who can fix anything. My sincere thanks again.