[C320-list] Good stuffing box trick

[Scott Thompson]

You should be able to put your hand on the stuffing box comfortably, 
even after a long period of running. Warm is OK. Hot is not.

I was working on my stuffing box yesterday. The GFO instructions say to 
only make it snug at first, then tighten to no drips after several hours 
of operation. You may have a good bit of water come through during that 
initial run-in period.

BTW, they also warn to NOT use other lubricants (e.g. axle grease, winch 
grease, etc.).

I'm curious how your "pusher" works since I see no way to put a pipe 
around the shaft without major disassembly. I pushed mine in by just 
snugging the packing nut up against the box and tapping gently with a 
hammer until the packing was in far enough for the threads on the nut to 
catch.

Scott


On 5/22/2022 10:56 AM, KEN GEIGER wrote:
> I just repacked my stuffing box with 3 rings of 1/4" Gortex.  Pretty easy with a pusher I made from a 1 inch ID steel tube..  But now we are launched and no drips but a warm to hot packing gland on a short run to dock.  I may have over tightened initially.  Nut backed off and now engaged about 2 turns.
> Any guidance to avoid/reduce overheating of gland.  What would be a maximum operating temperature?  1 inch Brass shaft, fresh water lake.
> Thanks
> Ken Geiger on Northern Dream#765     2000
>
> Sent from the all-new AOL app for Android
>   
>    On Sat., 21 May 2022 at 21:29, Joe Grande<joe_grande at msn.com> wrote:   Thanks for sharing Jack! I too, use the 3/16” Gortex. The addition of axle grease is a new trick. I imagine that winch grease should work as well.
>
> Thank you,
> Joe Grande #772, S/V Whisper 2003
>                Marina:  WESTLAKE LANDING
> 2046 Westlake Ave N, Slip 34
>      Mail:  2132 Westlake Ave N, PMB 103
>              Seattle, WA 98109-2404
>    Phone:  206.940.1231
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: C320-list <c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com> on behalf of Jack Brennan <jackbrennan at bellsouth.net>
> Sent: Friday, May 20, 2022 5:55:05 PM
> To: C320-List at Catalina320.com <C320-List at Catalina320.com>
> Subject: [C320-list] Good stuffing box trick
>
> Here’s a good stuffing box trick I learned recently from the diesel guru at Boot Key Harbor in Marathon, Fl..
>
> I hired him to help me change the packing, seeing as the 320 is the first sailboat I’ve owned in which I could actually access the stuffing box with my 215-pound body.
>
> We used the Goretex packing. What he did was dip the packing liberally into a jar of waterproof axle grease before inserting it into the nut. What a difference. The shaft turned more easily and, just as important, six weeks and many hours later, I get a drip or two a minute. The stuffing box is cool to the touch after a good motoring.
>
> It’s very possible that the boat yard just did a lousy job when it replaced the packing a couple of years ago. I always had too many drips, and re-adjustments would last only a short time before I had to tinker with it again.  But still …
>
> Also, for the record, my stuffing box took 3/16, not quarter-inch, packing. The water leak was easily handled by my 800-gph bilge pump. If you’re worried about it, an old bicycle tube can be wrapped around the shaft to slow the leak to a dribble.
>
> Hopefully, I won’t have to do it again for several years, but it is now a DIY project.
>
> Jack Brennan
> Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
> Tierra Verde, Fl.
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> Sent from Mail for Windows
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