Stuffing box replacement
- Thread starter rblevens
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I suppose it could depend on the particular stuffing box, but on the three different boats I've owned with stuffing boxes I've never had a problem just letting it leak while I changed the packing. My bilge pumps have always easily kept up with the flow. Just have the packing rings cut ahead of time and ready to go.
Replaced the whole prop shaft in the water with a very good diver. Here is what you can do to replace the stuffing box in the water. The stuffing box keeps the water out that enters around the prop shaft. Between the prop shaft and the stern tube. Take a thin cloth and from the outside under the boat stuff the cloth all around the prop shaft between it and the stern tube. This should plug the water entry way. You can then disassemble the stuffing box and replace it. Double, triple check that you have every thing ready before you start. Think through and check all the steps you will take. Have an assistant that can help out when needed. This can be done.
Look in the "Store" section of this site. Search on "Packing Box" and you'll find the Buck-Algonquin hose designed for that service.
http://shop.hunterowners.com/prod.php?18335
http://shop.hunterowners.com/prod.php?18335
Just to be clear.... You are discussing replacing the packing in the stuffing box ....not replacing the whole gland assembly.
I've had to repack my stuffing box in the water once and it was a little unnerving but is doable. It was 90 plus degrees out and I had just gotten home from a red eye flight from the West Coast with kid kicking my seat back the whole way and a baby with an earache crying the whole flight. No sleep on that plane. Not the best time to do an emergency stuffing box job.
Any time there is water coming in it's a little scary. The problem was that the packing had dried over the winter and leaked badly and would not reseat when the boat went back into the water.
An old salt on the boat yard suggested that in the future I pack he space between the props shaft and the shaft tube liberally with wheel bearing grease before the boat goes into the water. The grease forms a temporary seal and is forced against he back of the poking and kind of lubes the stuffing box and packing. I've been doing the for years not and it works. Don't know if it would be recommended with a dripless system or the composition packing but it works well withy the old fashioned flax packing.
I've had to repack my stuffing box in the water once and it was a little unnerving but is doable. It was 90 plus degrees out and I had just gotten home from a red eye flight from the West Coast with kid kicking my seat back the whole way and a baby with an earache crying the whole flight. No sleep on that plane. Not the best time to do an emergency stuffing box job.
Any time there is water coming in it's a little scary. The problem was that the packing had dried over the winter and leaked badly and would not reseat when the boat went back into the water.
An old salt on the boat yard suggested that in the future I pack he space between the props shaft and the shaft tube liberally with wheel bearing grease before the boat goes into the water. The grease forms a temporary seal and is forced against he back of the poking and kind of lubes the stuffing box and packing. I've been doing the for years not and it works. Don't know if it would be recommended with a dripless system or the composition packing but it works well withy the old fashioned flax packing.
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