Changing stuffing box stuffing in water

[Captain Bob]

Good replies all especially about sinking worries. Make sure that you have the correct packing It is sized by shaft diameter and any decent marine chandlery can point you in the right direction. There are several types of packing material - get the good stuff - teflon impregnated. Most packing glands will accept three rings offset by thirds. Take the time to cut the three rings exactly around the shaft using a razor blade for as precise as possible parallel face cuts. Cleaning out the old packing completely is important. Just have some extra rags or towels around to soak up the seawater (minimal), take your time and reward yourself with a cold one after the job is done.

Do not be tempted to overtighten the packing gland nut. Run the engine in gear for several hours and then re-tighten the nut so it only drips about one drop every several minutes. Teflon packing requires no drip at all but check the packing gland often to make sure that it is not generating heat.

Radio Shack used to carry (they are now in bankruptcy) an inexpensive digital pyrometer (about $25) that is perfect for this and many other marine applications.

[stevebein]

i once made a custom filler with the commercial cord for stuffing box. I used a synthetic wax plus bees wax. I then went from Los Angeles to Puerto Vallarta and back. Not needing adjustment, no leaks, amazing. That was 25 years ago. I since sold that boat and do not know what the new owners did. By adding a thin roll of the "custom wax", I added lubrication and did not tighten the nut too tight. . By the way, it was done while the boat was in the water. No biggie.

[captlloyd]

One more tip, when installing your pre-cut rings, make sure you off-set the joints on each of the three rings. Another words, you don't want the joint part of each ring to be inline with the other joints. Just makes a more leak-proof job.

[bsurvey]

it Florida not the artic,


dive under the boat with a piece of foam rubber and chink it into the shaft opening tied to a piece of string. it will limit the water to a drip so you can take your time. I have always found that extracting the old stuff takes longer. make sure you cut both ends of the pack in a long diagonal so the first and last coil lays flat. pull the string will remove the foam so no second dive needed


you want excitement try changing the whole stuffing box while the boats in the water.

[2kr]

stuffing box...a racing boat worth $$$$$$$$$ left Colon 3 days ago for Florida and NYC. She was registered in the NYYC...$$$$$ 50 + feet, sails at over 20 knots. 50 miles off shore, the captain lifted a deck board and the bilge was full. No bilge alarm. not enough pumping power to get it out of the boat. The crew was bucket bailing. The dripless shaft seal had failed and they couldn't jam anything into it. A stuffing box fails, and some water leaks out. The bilge pump will do fine. When a dripless fails, the boat is at risk. There is a lesson for me. They made it back on Saturday afternoon, just before the haul-pout crew left. They are looking at a month to get a new one. I could use rope if i had to.

[chuckr]

We have a dripless shaft bearing and it started leaking last year and we had no intention of pulling the boat that year. So it was changed in the water not by me but a guy who knew what he was doing and had done it before. Got a lot of water but bilge pump handled it nicely.

[chiefcoxswain]

Do in the water, get a pound of butter from the store and when you pull the compression ring back stuff the butter around the shaft to stop water flow, replace stuffing rings, remove butter with wire hook replace compression ring, run motor in gear, remaining butter melts, do final adjustments for drip.

[Boatyarddog]

Just a rag tied to the shaft and slid up to the gland nut housing will suffice for a repack, really not that much comes out due to the packing gland housing has a sleeve that the shaft comes thru, and kit a pretty snug fit.
This will vary with different boats, just be cautious.


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[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by chiefcoxswain

Do in the water, get a pound of butter from the store and when you pull the compression ring back stuff the butter around the shaft to stop water flow, replace stuffing rings, remove butter with wire hook replace compression ring, run motor in gear, remaining butter melts, do final adjustments for drip.

Can I use "I can't believe it's not Butter" I'm off Dairy.😎


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[lockie]

Forget getting butter all over the place, just use a rag. Even without the rag it's not really a problem, unless you leave the boat for hours and don't have a functioning bilge pump.

[palm trees]

DONE!!!! got the SB done today and the Volvo 2002 up and running a great day in paradise. Just let you know the access I found out was just screwed in and I unscrewed it and pushed and room for this old asswhaffler....changed the flax on the water very little water intrusion maybe 2 inch in the bilge and maybe 6 inches down the shaft under the engine never did run bilge pump till done took about... 30 min due to not having been done in who knows how many yrs. had to use pipe wrench to get box nuts loose very corroded as u can see from pix...Larry this whole project the stuffing box has been driving me crazy for 2-1/2 weeks since I put the boat back in the water. After figuring out that I could remove the panel between the engine and the SB area and get two arms and hands in it became a no nothing project.

[fallingeggs]

That is an amazing amount of access. Wow.


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[lockie]

Good on ya mate!

Isn't it great when, after getting your knickers in a knot over stuff like this, you finally htfu and give it a go and nail the bugger!

Satisfaction, plus a heap of money still in your pocket.

[Boatyarddog]

Sweet, well done.
Now you can boast how easy this can be.
Or not😄


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