Rudder Post Stuffing Box

[Charlie]

I have a bilge in the back of the boat that is seperated from my engine bilge and after sailing heeled it fills with water at first I thought it was a leak in my hatches but I am now convinced that the rudder stuffing box is leaking. Problem is I can't figure out how to fix the problem. When I remove the upper two hose clamps I can't move the black plastic fitting. Has anyone ever seen this type of stuffing box before? If so how do you repack it? Picasa Web Albums - mckenzie.charlie - Counter tops

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by Charlie

I have a bilge in the back of the boat that is seperated from my engine bilge and after sailing heeled it fills with water at first I thought it was a leak in my hatches but I am now convinced that the rudder stuffing box is leaking. Problem is I can't figure out how to fix the problem. When I remove the upper two hose clamps I can't move the black plastic fitting. Has anyone ever seen this type of stuffing box before? If so how do you repack it? Picasa Web Albums - mckenzie.charlie - Counter tops

charlie--yours looks like a dripless kind- mine for rudder post is same as my prop shaft one-- but looks better, like not pulled apart-- bronze atop the rudder post--i will take a pic of that --is in my quadrant ROOM, ABAFT THE ENGINES and afore the transom. mine drips.

[atoll]

looks like a ceramic "deep sea seal" type,need to make sure both contact surfaces are clean,possibly flex tubing has become distorted or shrunk so seal surfaces not meeting properly.

sudgest clean with soapy water and depress upper seal ie tap it down,so there is a constant pressure pushing up between the two bearing surfaces.

[Charlie]

Thanks Atoll I will give that a shot.

[Jim Cate]

Charlie,

I can't quite make out what's going on there! But, could it be a standard lip seal inside the hose? I wonder why someone would use a ceramic (expensive) face seal in such a low speed application?

Good luck with it, mate!

Cheers,

Jim

[atoll]

probably fitted with an industrial type of ceramic seal,that are not expensive.

also as a "fit and forget" solution,as opposed to a lip seal that would need replacing after a certain amount of time.

my guess it is the elastisticity of the tube that is causing the problem.
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[Charlie]

Originally Posted by atoll

probably fitted with an industrial type of ceramic seal,that are not expensive.

also as a "fit and forget" solution,as opposed to a lip seal that would need replacing after a certain amount of time.

.

I

I could see it being something like this. But how does it keep water out. The tightness of the fit? Is it something I need to replace or is there some kind of mainteance to perform.

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Charlie,

I can't quite make out what's going on there! But, could it be a standard lip seal inside the hose? I wonder why someone would use a ceramic (expensive) face seal in such a low speed application?

Good luck with it, mate!

Cheers,

Jim

Thanks for the reply. I didn't know what a lip seal was till I researched it last night. Are there lots of different manufactures of lip seals? Yhe ones I saw had a nitrile or rubber seal that was attached at the top and held in place with a clip or some such thing. I don't see a place for that on mine but I will look again.

I sent an email to the manufacture asking them but am not sure if they will remember b/c the ownership changed hands.

[SabreKai]

Charlie, when you do take it apart, how about posting some more photos? I've never seen such a beast and am interested in how it goes together. All I'm seeing in the one photo you posted is what looks to be a piece of rubber host clamped to the shaft with nothing else. (My eyes must be bad, I guess)

Sabre

[Charlie]

The picture is a crop of a much bigger photo so it is not very clear. There is a piece of plastic that I think looks similar to the piece in #7 that sticks out the top of the hose. This piece seems to stay in one place given that there is no twisting in the hose and allows the rudder post to turn inside of it. It is secured in place with two hose clamps. I attempted to take it apart once but it wouldn't move after I took the clamps off. It lets about 3 or 4 gallons of water in that I have to bail out b/c there are no limber holes. I could add a limber hole but I don't like water to go into my engine bilge. The other choice would be to create a diversion dam that would let the water go into my main bilge.

If there is no maintenance on the item then I will have to replace it which entails removing the entire rudder. I may drop my rudder this year as a preventative maintenance but haven't settled on that yet. Whatever I find out I will post pictures etc.

[hellosailor]

Charlie, it LOOKS like the rubber hose is just there to provide a way to clamp the ceramic ring in place (vertically on the rudder post) and the ring is simply a low-friction "o-ring" keeping water from coming further up. With some weepage, yes.

Is the ceramic still snug on the rudder post, or has there been enough wear (on the ring OR the post) to let water by? If that's the case, perhaps using some teflon or other plastic sheet as a shim (wrapped around the rudder post, slid under the bearing) would be enough to get you through until a replacement can be found?

I know someone who used a section of plastic soda bottle as a rudder post shim. Not Very Proper but it lasted several years. If you've got no other shim stock available...that and Tyvek sheet (from Fedex/USPS etc. mailers) make fast grabs.

[SabreKai]

Thanks Charlie, now I get it. Kinda difficult to see the tiny little rim at the top above the hose. That's what I missed.

Sabre