[C320-list] Leak on New 320 Mk11.

Tue Apr 13 15:18:43 PDT 2010

Hi Chris and all . Thank you all for you information.  It was right on target .  Tom 916

-----Original Message-----
From: sail at victorianyachtcharters.com.au
To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
Sent: Tue, Apr 13, 2010 5:33 pm
Subject: [C320-list] Leak on New 320 Mk11.

Hi All,
hanks for the input.
 put a bowl under the stern gland / Nut area.
ith engine off I get one drip every 3 seconds so I think that is it.However 
seems to come from the nut assy.Needs more inspection.
gds.
avid Krynski Hull # 1162.
Sent from my BlackBerry® from Optus
-----Original Message-----
rom: Chris Burti <clburti at gmail.com>
ate: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 09:50:56 
o: <C320-List at catalina320.com>
ubject: Re: [C320-list] Leak on New 320 Mk11.
This job can be done in the water, but it is a little intimidating the first
ime as water comes in the boat. If you use a rag to slow the flow and do
our fitting work first it will all be fine... it takes several hours to get
nough water in through the stuffing box with a working bilge pump to do any
amage.  If you are cautious, you can always arrange for your travel lift to
e on standby or have a pro do it the first time and watch.
The standard stuffing box on the C-320 requires two 2-1/4" wrenches.
bviously, two big adjustable wrenches or two pipe wrenches will work also
f you are careful not to damage the nuts. I bought two cheap aluminum
lumber's spud wrenches from a big box. I leave them on board so I can
djust the stuffing box whenever I need to. They work great, are rustproof
nd don't mess with the mind of the autopilot the way steel can. FWIW, I
ever have had any issue with the nuts binding, so I didn't need PB--Blaster
r Liquid Wrench..
To get the old packing out you can buy a tool created for the job or use
our cordless drill to drive a long drywall screw into the old packing and
ise-grips to pull it all out.
To prepare your three packing rings, make one overlapping wrap around the
haft and cut the ends at 45 degrees with a razor knife to make an
verlapping joint that meets perfectly.  Repeat for the next two wraps. You
an actually do all three at once if you like, just make a longer diagonal
ut. The joints should be staggered when put around the shaft.
As to the packing material, the Gore ptf  packing can be adjusted to be
irtually drip-less. Traditional graphite packing should drip 1-2 drips per
inute at rest and a bit more when the engine is in gear so that when the
haft is turning, the water cools and lubricates the packing to keep
riction from burning it up. The ptf packing is virtually self lubricating
nd almost heat proof. It should be adjusted to allow 2-3 drips per minute
hen turning and drip-less at rest. This will keep the packing cool and that
iny amount of water will evaporate before reaching the bilge. As to the
ize packing you need, 3/16" is a bit small and 1/4" is a bit
arge...mathematically you need 7/32" but it doesn't come in that size. You
an buy the Gore packing at any industrial supply for about half the price
hat the "marine" supply houses sell it for.
The traditional graphite packing hardens and should be replaceed every few
ears. The ptf packing needs to be preplace periodically as well becaus silt
nd suspended solids in the water will get embedded in the packing and
ltimately score the shaft. If the scoring is deep enough, you will not be
ble to get the gland tight enough to seal properly and it will eat  up the
acking in short order as well. This will require turning or replacement of
he shaft.

On Mon, Apr 12, 2010 at 8:49 PM, Robert Seastream <
obert.seastream at comcast.net> wrote:
> Best done on the hard.  You'll need two 'packing gland' wrenches, or two
 adjustables big enough for the 'gland' cap/nut diameters.  I think we're
 talking somewhere around 2 inches.  If it's never been done before, then get
 a can of 'PB Blaster' or some other creep in oil, marinate the gland cap/nut
 assembly in it and let it soak for a day or so.  Then go at it with the two
 wrenches described above.  Might even need a 'persuader' (hammer) also.  I'm
 not big on recommending heat, but guess a hair dryer would be OK.  The
 packing gland material I used was actually a form of 'Gore Tex', a material
 used in hiking boot liners because of its' waterproofness.  In this case it
 came in about a foot long length; from this was cut three lengths long
 enough to fit around the shaft (inside the cap/nut gland assembly), with a
 small gap (so the ends didn't actually 'meet' around the shaft), staggering
 the gaps, then screwing the cap/nut assembly back together.  I don't have
 the old packaging from the material, but any marina should be able to supply
 you with something suitable.  Someone else on list may have a more accurate
 answer.

 Bob Seastream
 Intuition # 906

 On Apr 12, 2010, at 8:35 PM, conneelythomas at aol.com wrote:

> Ok, Anyone have a way to replace the packing gland ?? My is 7 years old
> and have about 600 hours on the engine .  Should I replace it ??
> Also , as a side note I have just replace my exhaust riser.   It needed
> it!!  Tom 916
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Seastream <robert.seastream at comcast.net>
> To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
> Sent: Sun, Apr 11, 2010 12:58 pm
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Leak on New 320 Mk11.
>
>
> I'll bet any money the source of your leak is the packing gland, located
> where the prop shaft exits the hull. Needs tightening, surprised Catalinas'
> reps didn't catch it.
> Additionally, always, always, always have your bilge pump on auto, unless
> your boat is on dry land. I've never (boating since the '60's) heard of
> anyone doing otherwise.
>
> Bob Seastream
> Intuition # 906
> Newington, NH
>
> On Apr 11, 2010, at 10:22 AM, jim brown wrote:
>
> Also check around the rudder post and post packing.
>>
>> --- On Sun, 4/11/10, sail0983 <sail0983 at aol.com> wrote:
>>
>> Check the cap on the port side "Vent Loop" that is accessible > through
>> the port cockpit locker. When my boat was new that cap was > not secure and
>> ended up with a water in the aft cabin.
>>
>> Dave Marchant
>> Illumination #983
>> Solomons, Md
>>
>
> From: "Stephen Cox" <scox at timmin.com>
>> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Leak on New 320 Mk11.
>> Date: April 11, 2010 4:57:51 AM EDT
>> To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>> I have had a water leak appearing in the bilge since new on
>>> hull no.1162.
>>> It appears to be salt water and appears even when the boat
>>> has been tied up at the marina for a few days with no rain.
>>> (definitely not rain water) Have put food dye in both water
>>> tanks , and water in the bilge is clear so have eliminated
>>> fresh water.
>>> The water is first spotted under the aft. floor section
>>> where the water tank valves are located .It then appears to
>>> make its way to the 2 forward sections of the bilge.
>>> Initially after 3-5 days it used to only cover the keel bolts
>>> but recently has got worse ,now covers 90% of bilge height
>>> after 1 week.
>>> Have had to turn on auto bilge pump.
>>> Water also comes in with sea cocks off. (except engine) Cant
>>> see a water path from engine bay or stern land to that
>>> section where the water appears.
>>> The Catalina Agent has had a couple of shipwrights have a
>>> look ,and they fixed other leaks which were there( rainwater
>>> related),but this main leak is still there.
>>> It has been 12 months now and am seriously considering asking
>>> Catalina to take the boat back if they cannot find/fix the leak.
>>>
>>> Anyone got any ideas?
>>>
>>>
>> David,
>>
>> Water from the stern gland area will flow down past the freshwater >
>> valves to
>> the bilge, even if you can't quite see how.
>>
>> My Mk II has always had water issues from the stern gland. I had it
>> adjusted a couple of times after purchase by the dealer but it still
>> proceeded to let in water for a few days after running the motor. I >
>> have
>> tweaked it myself on several occasions and this summer on haulout I >
>> tried
>> replacing the packing and doubling it up, but the extra ring was too >
>> much
>> and I couldn't get the gland screwed back on with enough thread >
>> engagement
>> without all but locking up the shaft. IMHO one turn of packing is not
>> enough. So for now I put up with it dripping for some time after >
>> running
>> the engine. Next haul out I hope to put a dripless seal in to get >
>> around
>> this and finally, hopefully, have a dry bilge.
>>
>> I have a BEP Power Monitor which will monitor current usage on one >
>> battery
>> and voltage on up to three. Alternately, the third battery voltage > can
>> be
>> flipped to keep track of the bilge pump usage. This reports the > number
>> of
>> times the bilge pump has run and the total run time since the count > was
>> last
>> reset - very reassuring when you think you have leakage issues.
>>
>> BTW, I think you are very brave to not have your automatic bilge pump
>> switched on at all times. I live two hours away from my boat and >
>> wouldn't
>> like to drive that far after a call from the marina without knowing
>> something was trying to keep the boat afloat. By the way, the > obvious
>> fuse
>> on the control panel for the bilge pump doesn't do anything, at > least
>> on my
>> boat, as that fuse is switched by the 1-2-both switch. As it came, >
>> there is
>> a line fuse behind the electrical panel and the bilge pump is wired
>> effectively direct to battery one, independent of the 1-2-both > switch.
>> It's
>> a glass fuse not a two pronged spade type - you might want to get some
>> spares. I swapped mine out for the common fuse type on the boat so I >
>> had
>> plenty of others to use if needs be.
>>
>> Stephen Cox
>> Canberra AUSTRALIA
>> Tegwen #1141
>>
>
>

- 
hris Burti Farmville, NC