Stern Gland packing

[Hoppitty007]

Hi All
After Some expert Advice on replacing the packing On This stern Gland .
It is leaking around every 15 seconds while sitting at Mooring .
Very hard to get to and looks pretty well stuck on their , any advice would be appreciated .
Jason.

[newhaul]

Ok first you need to. Place a wrench on both parts of the stuffing box
Loosten the locking nut . The one closest to the engine . Now tighten the one closer to the stern tube approx 1/4 turn at a time and observe the drip for a few minutes. Repeat untill the drip just stops when you are at anchor.then placing two wrench rule on the gland nut and the locking nut . Tighten the locking nut while not letting the gland nut move.
Observe the drip when next underway under power. It should have a drip about every ten to twenty seconds.

[Hoppitty007]

Thank-you Newhaul , Very Much appreciated .

I did ask the Boat yard to do it while it was getting Its Bottom Cleaned but they were wanting to Cut the shaft and replace the whole thing.

I dont think i would have the room or the speed to change the packing while she is moored before I sunk it, it has 2 inches of water after a 5 Minute Run Of the engine, There Must be water coming from somewhere else as well??

Regards

Jason.

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by Hoppitty007

Thank-you Newhaul , Very Much appreciated .

I did ask the Boat yard to do it while it was getting Its Bottom Cleaned but they were wanting to Cut the shaft and replace the whole thing.

I dont think i would have the room or the speed to change the packing while she is moored before I sunk it, it has 2 inches of water after a 5 Minute Run Of the engine, There Must be water coming from somewhere else as well??

Regards

Jason.

Possible other water ingress however a drop a second will really add up fast . Try to tighten it a bit if you have the threads to do it if not you may need to add a ring of packing . Let me know in direct messages

[Nicholson58]

Assume the gland and shaft are in good condition. Follow Newhaul’s advice.

If you need to add additional rope packing material I have found graphite packing works best, holds better, leaks less, lasts longer, needs the least attention. Shop at McMaster-Carr on line
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/pa...aphite+packing

On my boat the shaft was scored and worn. The bore on the gland was pitted and rough. I had no choice but to repair the 50 mm shaft as no new replacement was possible. I cut the worn area down in a large lathe. The undercut was filled with a super corrosion resistant powder plasma spray weld. The repaired area was turned to size and polished. I used a high speed flap wheel inside the bore of the gland to hone the surface relatively smooth. Having the bore smooth assists when compressing the packing. I also used copper Never-Seize liberally.

Subsequent to the repair I tried flax then Teflon then graphite packings. Once worn in, the graphite is tightened to just zero leakage and no more. Its self lubricating quality and polished shaft lets the packing run cool without water leakage. I have not adjusted it in eight years. Frictional drag is crazy low.

[Hoppitty007]

Thank-you nicholson58 , great advice and pictures .
i will take it onboard .

[newhaul]

Eventually I'm adding a greese zirk fitting making it a dripless shaft on the cheap.
https://www.sailboat-cruising.com/sa...ssion_31450906

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by Hoppitty007

Hi All
After Some expert Advice on replacing the packing On This stern Gland .
It is leaking around every 15 seconds while sitting at Mooring .
Very hard to get to and looks pretty well stuck on their , any advice would be appreciated .
Jason.

Well at least you have the option of removing the R&D flexible spacer to give the gland nut enough room for you to put in that extra row of packing. West marine once sold a soft green material for this type of shaft seal, I’ve never heard anything other than good things about this stuff, but I still prefer the Teflon or grease impregnated square rope, no surprises with that age old system……….well, then again, there is the possibility of disaster if the packing is too tight and the assembly spins with the shaft, that ain’t good.
I just zoomed in on your photo of the stuffing box and it looks like the propeller shaft is necked down in diameter in the gap between the stuffing box and the coupling, maybe just the camera angle but well worth your time to take a closer look and while you’re in there, she could use 2 new hose clamps on the extension rubber hose. Next haulout, replace the hose , clamps and all the old hard packing and by the look of it in the photo, the shaft coupling. I kinda see why the yard workers might have had a moment of memory loss or deafness when you asked em to throw in an extra row of packing.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Eventually I'm adding a greese zirk fitting making it a dripless shaft on the cheap.
https://www.sailboat-cruising.com/sa...ssion_31450906

It's still the best.
For decades savvy NAs/Marine engineers have been saying it.
"Fill the whole stern tube with grease from packing to Cutless"
I first read about it over 40 years ago from writings by William Atkin that were done in the 1930s.