[C320-list] packing gland and winter--follow up

[wflowe3 at aim.com]

 FOLLOW-UP:
I'm pretty sure that the cause was/is differential contraction/expansion of dissimilar materials but was curious if others had had the same thing happen.

I had the marina check the boat yesterday (3 days after I vacuumed all the water out of the bilge) and they reported that it was dry and didn't see any drips from the packing gland.  The only difference between yesterday and last Monday when I was out there, was that the de-icing pumps were on yesterday but not Monday. I assume the pumps brought warmer water from depth and warmed the boat enough for the packing gland area to expand enough to stop the drips.

Winter sucks

 
Bill
#1146

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Graeme Clark <cg at skyflyer.co.uk>
To: c320-list <c320-list at lists.catalina320.com>
Sent: Wed, Jan 22, 2014 5:37 pm
Subject: Re: [C320-list] packing gland and winter


> 

I’d guess that the cold makes the prop shaft contract, whereas the gland 
material will have very little thermal expansion or contraction so allowing a 
tiny leak. Our boat comes out in winter and always we have to adjust the gland 
on re-launch due to it having dried and shrunk!

Graeme
#303, UK

> Message: 8
> Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2014 09:40:06 -0500 (EST)
> From: wflowe3 at aim.com
> To: c320-list at catalina320.com
> Subject: [C320-list] packing gland and winter
> Message-ID: <8D0E596FA27B6F2-C92C-A281 at webmail-va002.sysops.aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> I visited the boat the other day for the first time (I'm about 60 miles away) 
this winter. I have always had a dry bilge but there was water in it that day.  
The boat is in the water with an over-the rail winter cover so snow /rain was 
not the problem but I traced the trail of water to the packing gland.  I have 
never had much water dripping even when motoring but this drip has started with 
the boat winterized and just bobbing in the slip. The marina places pumps under 
the slips to keep ice from forming around the hull so I assume that water temps 
below the waterline inside the boat are above freezing.
> 
> The leak is  a couple of drips a minute and because of the cold temps I didn't 
want to try and tighten the nut for fear of making things worse.
> 
> I have new batteries and the charger is plugged into shore power so I'm not 
too concerned about keeping water in the bilge under control but it is rather 
disconcerting to know that I have a "leak".
> 
> Has anyone else had cold water effect their packing material?
> 
> Bill
> #1146

I
>