ChrisS
Member III
Recently I've noticed an increase in bilge water after a sail. Last season, I would get some water in the bilge, but this year it's enough to activate the bilge pump float switch, whereas last year if I sponged out the bilge before a sail that wouldn't happen (but I did get some).
The through hulls are all dry at the dock, and don't show any signs of pitting.
While motoring I can see a drip from the propeller shaft's stuffing box, maybe one grip/5 seconds, which is double what I have read it should be. While sailing I can see a very faint trickle of water from aft of the prop shaft, which tells me there's water coming in from the rudder assembly (there is a bit of sop in the steering tube, and I wonder if this has something to do with it).
Can I service the stuffing boxes at the dock, or do I risk turning my boat into a submarine?
If I can do this at the dock, does anyone have any tips regarding procedure or tools that will make this easier? Should I first try to adjust before I replace the packing?
I understand how stuffing boxes work, but I would really like to see a schematic before I take this one on, so if anyone knows a link to one, I'd appreciate it.
The photo below is of a test run of a new sail last weekend.
The through hulls are all dry at the dock, and don't show any signs of pitting.
While motoring I can see a drip from the propeller shaft's stuffing box, maybe one grip/5 seconds, which is double what I have read it should be. While sailing I can see a very faint trickle of water from aft of the prop shaft, which tells me there's water coming in from the rudder assembly (there is a bit of sop in the steering tube, and I wonder if this has something to do with it).
Can I service the stuffing boxes at the dock, or do I risk turning my boat into a submarine?
If I can do this at the dock, does anyone have any tips regarding procedure or tools that will make this easier? Should I first try to adjust before I replace the packing?
I understand how stuffing boxes work, but I would really like to see a schematic before I take this one on, so if anyone knows a link to one, I'd appreciate it.
The photo below is of a test run of a new sail last weekend.