[C320-list] ? Add packing in the water?

[Chris Holt]

I should do the same with my speed transducer since it always stops working 
at one time or another during the season.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Burti" <cburti at yahoo.com>
To: "C320-List" <c320-list at catalina320.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 3:36 PM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] ? Add packing in the water?

I don't disagree, I am just a little conservative. The slow drip on 
Commitment does not make it to the bilge. The water in my bilge, when I have 
it, comes from changing out the speed transducer at the beginning and end of 
a sail to keep marine growth off of it.

FWIW, I bought my GFO packing at an industrial supply at about half the per 
foot cost of a marine supply.


Chris Burti
"Commitment"
Catalina 320, #867,
Farmville, NC


----- Original Message ----
From: Chris Holt <oldman1030 at hotmail.com>
To: C320-List <c320-list at catalina320.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 11:19:45 AM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] ? Add packing in the water?


Chris,

I have the GFO packing and mine definitely doesn't leak every minute while
running.
It might drip 3 times the whole trip (not really sure how often it drips but
I've watched it before for awhile and haven't seen a drip).  My stuffing box
stays cool and does not heat up.  I think the tell tale sign if you have it
over tightened is that the packing nut will heat up and get hot.  I had it
too tight the first time I did it and the packing nut got uncomfortable to
touch.

Great tips on getting out the old packing!  This is definitely the most time
consuming task.  It took me quite awhile to get the old flax packing out.

Chris
#447

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Burti" <cburti at yahoo.com>
To: "C320-List" <c320-list at catalina320.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 10:51 AM
Subject: Re: [C320-list] ? Add packing in the water?

"Adding" packing is highly discouraged, it is simply a bad practice.

Replacing the packing while in the water is a bit intimidating the first
time, but is done salely all the time.

Cut your three rings before you remove the old packing. Overlap the ends of
a ring on the shaft and cut through both ends at one time on the diagonal
with a razor. This creates a perfectly fitting, self sealing ring, where the
diagonal faces meet.

Get some rags to slow down the water and make sure your bilge pump is
working properly.

Remove the nut and dig out the old packing by drilling in a sheetrock screw
and pulling it out with vise grips. Use a dental pick to clean out the stray
strands. The water that comes in around the rags is perfectly managable.

Put two rings on with the joint at 90 degrees apart, snug the nut down hand
tight. Back off the nut again and put in the third ring at 90 degees. If you
are using the Gore product, snug down slowly until the drip just stops.
Start the engine and run in gear. No drips at rest and a drip every minute
while running is the considered by many to be the ideal adjustment in
practice. The stuffing box will stay cool and your bilge will stay dry. If
it doesn't drip at all when running, I would worry that it was too to tight
and and that undue friction would dammage the packing.

If you use traditional flax, 1-2 drips per minute at rest is the recommended
rate. The water is the lubricant. Insufficient water will result in friction
caused overheating that will destroy the packing and could result in scoring
the shaft which would prevent proper sealing.


Chris Burti
"Commitment"
Catalina 320, #867,
Farmville, NC


----- Original Message ----
From: "sholdr at aol.com" <sholdr at aol.com>
To: c320-list at catalina320.com
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2007 9:56:18 AM
Subject: [C320-list] ? Add packing in the water?


Have Hull #322 with original shaft packing which is near the end of it's
adjustment but leaking a little more than recommended.  Bought the boat and
brought it to a lake with no lift large enough to handle this size boat --
can I back off the nut, add packing and re-seat the nut, or is this asking
for trouble?

When I have to have the bottom re-done (Just completed last year by prior
owner) will switch to the dripless type.

Thanks

Phil Hansen
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