Spare Parts?

[kimberlite]

we have on board a stainless steel banding kit consisting of heavy gauge ss band about 1/2 inch wide .
it comes with a vise like tool that you can make hose clamps all the way up to splinting a broken boom.
i believe it is a newport to bermuda must have.

with respect to parts manuals- we have a shop manual for both the diesel and main engine , and a parts manual.
when i buy a spare i highlight it on th eparts page then i know i have it. we also have manuals for all items on board.

we keep an inventory of the quantity and location of all spares on a computer.
it consists of about 700 items.
fair winds
eric

[Vasco]

kimberlite once whispered in the wind:


we keep an inventory of the quantity and location of all spares on a computer.
it consists of about 700 items.
fair winds
eric

We keep it all in the back pages of the log book. One day I'll get around to getting it in alphabetical order. Right now, I have it listed by location, various tubs in the bilges and lockers, not to forget under the seat in the nav station. Not too scientific or organized but it works. Hope you print out the computer list and keep a hard copy.

[sneuman]

forgive me if these have been mentioned, as I didn't get a chance to read through the whole thread. They bear repeating in any case:

Hose clamps of every size
Spare hose of every size
bicycle inner tuble (great for jury-rigged repairs)
bailing wire
all sizes cable ties

[Vasco]

sneuman mentions this and it is an important item. I have used it often to re-pack the stuffing box while in the water.

[GordMay]

Rick I:
Please explain how & why you’ve “... used it (a bicycle inner tube) often to re-pack the stuffing box while in the water.”

[sneuman]

for the record, i used it to patch a hole in the exhaust manifold - saw it in (i think) one nigel calder's book. i think it would come in handy for lots of things - and they throw the stuff out the back door at bike places.

[Vasco]

Hi Gord,

After I've backed off the locking nut and unscrewed the stuffing box off the shaft log I wrap a piece of inner tube (stretching tightly) around the shaft log and the shaft and tie it off. This seals the gap left beween the shaft and shaft log and no water comes in. On my boat I've got about a foot of shaft fom the log to the coupling to work with. Slide the stuffing box forward as much as possible and start picking at the old packing with an old ground down screwdriver , the image shows shaft log, hose and stuffing box but no shaft..

[Vasco]

forgot to say why. On the trips up and down the ICW I used to do a fair amount of motoring. I do not re-new the packing as regular maintenance but do it as required. This is when water fills the bilge and I can't turn the stuffing box down any more! This happens every three years or so. I always have spare packing so after the day's run I take about an hour and replace the packing. Most of the time is taken up by trying to pick the old stuff out. Also as I put each coil in, I turn it down because I find I can't fit three coils in without turning each one down.

[GordMay]

Vasco (Rick I):

Thanks for the tip on the temporary rubber dam.

I think it took me about 10 - 15 min. to replace the packing while afloat. I kept 3 pre-cut (biased ends) to length pieces, and used a rag to slow down the ingress of water - ending up with 5 or 10 gallons in the bilge. It was a wet messy job though.

I would recommend replacing the packing as a regular maintenance item - I did mine (almost*) every year, prior to heading to the Bahamas.

* The “almost” accounts for my experience changing it afloat.

Here’s a packing extractor, that works much better than a screwdriver: http://www.industrialpacking.com/otherprod.html
Be careful to not scratch the shaft.

I shaped a couple of hard wood dowels for insertion tools.

[sneuman]

what kind of lubrication do you use?

and what about just using a (wine) corkscrew?

[Vasco]

I just use the plain old fashioned flax packing. The ground down screwdriver has a small hook-like bend in it and works fine. It was "custom-made" for the job and fits well. My problem is not being able to see in to make sure it's all gone. Gotta go by feel. Gord, first time I did it I used a rag but it let in too much water and in my boat it takes about a week of pitching and rolling around for that water to get from the stern to where the bilge pump's located. It's not a big boat but it sure has a lot of nooks and crannies under the floorboards not to mention limber holes that were drilled with a large drill so they're a tad too high and need filing down. That job's on my list, been there 15 years.

[Euro Cruiser]

Rick, the reason it take you so long to fish out your packing is because of how shredded and compacted it is by the time you can't turn down the gland nut any more. This can also lead to shaft wear (which of course you don't want).

If using flax packing, insure you buy the teflon type. If you want longer service and no leakage, add either the green teblon packing inbetween 2 layers of regular teflon-loaded flax packing. It seems to work for 2-3 years of heavy use, IME. I notice on these boards that people are recommending Gore dripless packing, similar to the green stuff but cheaper. I'll be buying some of that to take back to Europe with me.

Jack

[Vasco]

Thanks Jack, I know I should change the packing before it gets to that stage but I never seem to get around to doing it until I really have to. I've stayed away from the stuff where you have to have a middle ring of a different type because I sometimes have problems getting 3 rings on. So far no wear on the shaft. I always check the stuffing box after new packing or tightening to make sure it's not running hot. Luckily the access is real easy, just under the aft berth.

[sneuman]

replacing the packing is one of the few things i haven't done yet - and i am about to. can anyone advise: am i right that there's a lubricant of some sort that goes with the flax (perhaps between each ring)? if so, what is the stuff?

[Vasco]

sneuman,

There're four or five different types of packing. Some fancy dripless, moldable types which also require a ring of regular packing, some flax and teflon types, some synthetic teflon types and then there is the plain old fashioned flax type which is the one I use. Prices range from about $80 to $10 . Whatever you get make sure it's the right size for your stuffing box. Sizes range from 1/8" to 5/8". No additional lubrication is required whichever one you choose. The moldable one comes with a tube of stuff. The plain flax is already impregnated with some sort of waxy stuff and a little bit of water is all the lubrication needed.

I have found that the ordinary stuff works quite well if the stuffing box is tightened correctly. Usually a drop a minute but you should test it to see that it doesn't get warm to the touch.