Replacing Stuffing Box Packing In Water

[fsuhansell]

Hi all,

First I'd like to say thanks to the forum for being so helpful with all the questions I have posted in the last coulple of months since I bought my (first) boat. A few days ago I finally put my 1979 Columbia 8.3 in the water only to discover I am slowly sinking from a continous stream of water flowing in from the stuffing box. For now the bildge pump is kicking on about once every 20 min and keeping me afloat, but it is very stressful knowing if the bildge pump or float switch go my boat will be a submarine in a few hours.

I did some searching on the forums and found a lot of useful posts and websites that go over how to replace the flax in the stuffing box, but read mixed thoughts on doing the job while the boat is in the water. Right now my plan is to jump overboard with some sort of plumbers putty and try my best to seal the joint between the shaft and the hull then remove the packing nut from the stuffing box and replace the flax. My only problems are

a) I don't know what sort of putty will work to create a decent seal underwater
b) I don't know what size flax to use for my 3/4" shaft (the stuff box nut is 2") and
c) I really have no clue what I'm doing.

I really don't want my boat to sink, but I really really don't want to pay to have my boat pulled off the bottom of the marine. Is it worth it to try to do this job in my slip? Should I try to intentionally ground the boat near a beach a low tide? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

As always thanks guys. I'll keep you updated.

[DeepFrz]

Dont forget to wrap the putty in plastic wrap so you can get it out when you are finished, and dont forget to remove it.

A number of people have done it just by jamming rags on the inside after backing off the packing gland. That reduces the flow to a trickle.

[motion30]

I have done mine in the water no problem Just cut the rings to length first and work quickly . Maybe you could have a professional help, show you the first time

[Tynesider]

Originally Posted by fsuhansell

Hi all,
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
As always thanks guys. I'll keep you updated.

You do not mention if you have a grease nipple on the stuffing box as most do, if so get filling it with grease that will eventualy stop the flow.
(see picture).
OR can you get your hands on a tin of 'Stay Afloat' emergency sealant available at a lot of chandlers, just wrap it around the stuffing box and it will seal the water ingress, it's very good!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvorHXLZbIQ

Have you tried 'tightening' the stuffing box nuts?

I use 1/4" stuffing flux on a 1" dia shaft

Hope this might help
Mike

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by motion30

I have done mine in the water no problem Just cut the rings to length first and work quickly . Maybe you could have a professional help, show you the first time

For the first timer, I would second Motion30's advice. After you have seen it done correctly then thereafter it is easy.
- - But there may be problems with stuck or corroded nuts, etc., and an experienced person would how far to force things so as to not break something and have to have an emergency haulout.

[S/V_Surya]

I assume you have tried tightening the nut on the stuffing box to slow it down. Also leaks like this tend to slow down by themselves after being in the water a few days. I would not do it while in the water unless I had to but all the above ideas look good for that task. Packing it is simple and easy and there are plenty of pictures on how to do it online.

[Charlie]

Here is an excellent how to by Maine Sail Re-Packing A Traditional Stuffing Box Photo Gallery by Compass Marine at pbase.com I read this before I did it for the first time. It really isn't that bad as long as your calm under pressure. There is quite a bit of water that can enter before you get it back together. I din't wrap the outside I just took it apart and did it.

[sdowney717]

use GFO marine packing
http://www.gfopacking.com/

it does not leak.

[HopCar]

I'm kind of surprised at all the concern over repacking the stuffing box while in the water. I've always done it in the water with no problem. My bilge pump easily stays ahead of what ever water comes in. No putty, no rags, I don't even hurry. The clearance between the shaft and stern tube is very small. Maybe it's larger on other boats? The hard part for me has always been getting the old packing out. I use a cork screw type packing puller and an ice pick with the tip bent over to form a hook.

[gonesail]

the hardest part can be loosening the nut .. use 2 wrenches so as not to rupture the hose. you might think about that before proceeding any further or seeking help.

[Cheechako]

getting the old packing out with water shooting in might be a chore. You need a tool to extract it. Have 3 or 4 rings precut. Have you tightened and run the engine a little? On one boat I was able to add one ring in the water.... This really should have been done out of the water. Quite often you will find the shaft corroded where the packing is... especially on boats that have been sitting in salt water without use. (oxygen depletion) I had one that looked like worms had eaten into the shaft! New packing wont last long at all with a corroded shaft.

[fsuhansell]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think ill get 1/4" and 5/16" packing and have 4 rings standing by as well as an AC pump and the marina managers cell phone number just in case it hits the fan and I need to be pulled. I'll attach a picture of the stuffing box.

[HopCar]

I would have guessed that a shaft that small would use 3/16 packing but I went to the Buck Algonquin catalog to check. They say theirs takes 3/8"! I wonder if that is a typo? Maybe not, it looks like they use the same casting for the 1" shaft and just drill a smaller hole through it. The 1" shaft uses 1/4" packing so you would need to go to 3/8" packing for a 3/4" shaft if you were using the same size packing nut.
Does that make any sense? Take a look at their catalog and see if you can figure it out: http://www.buckalgonquin.com/downloads/CAT911.pdf

[Chief Engineer]

I have done Tugboat packing in the water.....we are talking 12" shafts.

The amount of water that comes in is minimall as long as you have a decent bilge pump.

[thomm225]

I just did mine on my Bristol 27 last weekend. It was 3/16 packing. I bought both 3/16 and 1/4 but it turn out to be the 3/16. Plus, the original owner had some old 3/16 flax packing on board. I discovered that later. I used teflon.

Btw, my stuffing box looks exactly like this dude's picture above. (And) I had to use a wood screw to get the old flax out. I used a screwdriver to get the screw in, then vice grips to "lever" it out along with the packing. My boat which I just bought two months ago has been 'on the hard' for 5 years. Maybe that is why it was so hard to get the old packing out.