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Rudder Packing Gland Identification and Service

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Ok, tomorrow I re-pack the rudder packing gland and would like to do it right.

This gland, which may be Yacht Specialties, has four bolts--not three, like the similar Edson model.

In this design, both flanges are meant to be installed hard together. There is no adjustment to regulate packing pressure .

So--does one just pack three courses of flax into the top half, bolt the flanges flush together, and pat oneself on the back?

So--when reinstalled, this gland will contain three courses of flax not compressed in any visible way?

Working on this packing gland required loosening and raising the radial disk. The lower part of the gland visible here has already been rebedded and reglassed into the rudder tube.

However, I really don;t know how this gland is designed to work.

In fact, the design and function of this particular gland has so far confused every single Ericson owner who encountered it.
E32-3 rudder packing gland B.jpg
 
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Maine Sail

Member III
Sorry to break break it to you but this has happened on more than 1 Ericson. Your rudder gland has broken free of the rudder tube.:mad:

Rx

Drop rudder
Clean or sand blast bronze stuffing box
Dewax, clean and lightly scuff up inside of glass rudder tube (must, must, must be oil & grease free!)
Coat packing box and inside of tube with 5200 assemble and let cure
Re-install rudder

TIP: easiest to repack rudder box while rudder and gland are out of the boat. Do not use graphite impregnated packing use Teflon based with a grease like Syntef and your boat will 1 finger steer...

TIP: while setting the stuffing box it will pay to purchase a scrap piece of pipe with the same OD as the rudder and use it so it sets up aligned with the shaft and upper bearing.


Ok, tomorrow I re-pack the rudder packing gland and would like to do it right.

This gland, which may be Yacht Specialties, has four bolts--not three, like the similar Edson model.

In this design, both flanges are meant to be installed hard together. There is no adjustment to regulate packing pressure .

So--does one just pack three courses of flax into the top half, bolt the flanges flush together, and pat oneself on the back?

So--when reinstalled, this gland will contain three courses of flax not compressed in any visible way?

Working on this packing gland required loosening and raising the radial disk. The lower part of the gland visible here has already been rebedded and reglassed into the rudder tube.

However, I really don;t know how this gland is designed to work.

In fact, the design and function of this particular gland has so far confused every single Ericson owner who encountered it.
View attachment 13510
 
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Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Right, thanks. The lower half of the gland has already been re-bedded in the tube.

Question is the best way to pack this particular type of gland, which by design provides no way to alter the compression of the flax.

I guess I'll just put in a couple of courses of Teflon packing, cover them with Teflon grease, and bolt the halves back together.
 
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Rick R.

Contributing Partner
From what I've read, you first will need to remove the old packing with an angled pick (a modified dental pick maybe). I've also read that you want the three seams in the packing to not line up. Stagger them.

Good luck with your efforts and hopefully you won't have to do the job Mainesail is suggesting.
 

exoduse35

Sustaining Member
Also on the subject of seams... They should be cut with an overlapping taper. Or in other words instead of the first end being cut square at 90'. cut it at 45'. Then cut the other end to "Fill the missing 45'. This minimizes the inevitable mismatch in the seam. The longer the taper the better, So 30 is better than 45 and 15 even better, so you can put away the protractor. Edd
 

Maine Sail

Member III
On the Ericson 32-3 I did a few years ago there was insufficient room to repack the box with the quadrant in-place. If removing the quadrant the easiest method is to simply slide the top part of the gland right off the shaft and re-pack it. If you are going to that trouble you are probably best to drop the rudder entirely, inspect the shaft clean the log and re-grease everything.

Rings Cut
154310612.jpg


Rings Fit
154310613.jpg


Gland Greased (Spartan Seacock grease makes an excellent rudder grease)
154310614.jpg


Rudder Shaft Greased
154310615.jpg


Re-Install Rudder
154310616.jpg


You can also just drop it to here and do the job
154310617.jpg
 
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Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Marvelous! What a service to us all, as the packing of this particular type of non-adjustable gland is nowhere else explained on the Internet.

Now off to get some of that specific grease--
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Marvelous! What a service to us all, as the packing of this particular type of non-adjustable gland is nowhere else explained on the Internet.

Now off to get some of that specific grease--

Maine (if you're still monitoring this thread),

I have a question about the Spartan grease. In the past for lubing a rudder post I've just used a Teflon grease, specifically SuperLube. Teflon is what Catalina recommended (back when I had my C30) and I continued to use it when I replaced the rudder on my E26. Is the Spartan grease more tenacious or have other characteristics that would make it better for that application? If so, when I drop my rudder for cleaning and lubing at my next haulout I'll make the switch.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
If we had a rating for "better than excellent" this thread would be one of those!
:egrin:

Thanks to Maine and to everyone else.

Regarding the proper grease, I wonder if the product used for feathering props would also be a good choice?
http://www.pyiinc.com/?section=browse&action=browse-category&dept_id=79
(LUBRIPLATE #130-AA GREASE)

I used this successfully on my former feathering prop, after the standard marine "green grease" proved to be too stiff in our colder waters.
(The problem was that the prop blades would occasionally NOT rotate when going from reverse to forward. Rather scary in a tight situation in a marina.)

Loren
 
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GregB

Member II
Your timing is perfect.

This will be my first project upon taking possession! It does indeed leak. Thanks for doing all the heavy lifting. I will let you know what you should tackle next :nerd:
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Congrats! But i am now finished the big projects--and hereby officiAlly pass the torch to you. Sent from iphone on ski slope eastern sierra.
 

Rocinante33

Contributing Partner
I've been wondering how the snow is at Mammoth. Is there any?

I just realized that I hijacked this very excellent thread. What was I? Thinking? Obviously not. Sorry!
 
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Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Thread Creep Warning to California Haters

Oh just another day with three new feet, kinda soft. On the 4000 acres of varied and challenging terrain with all lifts operating, about 100 skiers total. A blue sky, hardly any wind. Only problem was several attractive young women joining me on on the empty high-speed chairs because of loneliness. It was 70 degrees driving home, and in the used-book store in Bishop I found a 1976 Adlard Coles "Heavy Weather Sailing" for $4.

Tomorrow I guess I'll take the dinghy out for a sail. Forcast is for 77F.
 
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Rick R.

Contributing Partner
Oh just another day with three new feet, kinda soft. On the 4000 acres of varied and challenging terrain with all lifts operating, about 100 skiers total. A blue sky, hardly any wind. Only problem was several attractive young women joining me on on the empty high-speed chairs because of loneliness. It was 70 degrees driving home, and in the used-book store in Bishop I found a 1976 Adlard Coles "Heavy Weather Sailing" for $4.

Tomorrow I guess I'll take the dinghy out for a sail. Forcast is for 77F.


Hater! Brutal even....:boohoo:
 

Akavishon

Member III
Oh just another day with three new feet, kinda soft. On the 4000 acres of varied and challenging terrain with all lifts operating, about 100 skiers total. A blue sky, hardly any wind. Only problem was several attractive young women joining me on on the empty high-speed chairs because of loneliness. It was 70 degrees driving home, and in the used-book store in Bishop I found a 1976 Adlard Coles "Heavy Weather Sailing" for $4.

Tomorrow I guess I'll take the dinghy out for a sail. Forcast is for 77F.

:hail:

canthearyou.JPG
 

Glenn McCarthy

Glenn McCarthy
I'm in the middle of replacing the flax on the Ericson 35 MkII, the gland looks like the first on in this post. The old piece of flax looked to be 5/16". For others who have done the replacement on the E35, would you agree or disagree with 5/16"?

Next, pushing the flax into the top piece of the collar is fighting gravity. As I push it in and rotate the collar, it starts falling out on the backside. Listen, I'm 6'2" 230 pounds and I don't belong in here! There's not much room for me, when I need twelve sets of hands to hold it all in place.

Would it be better to drop the rudder so that the rudder shaft is sticking up an inch or two above the lower glad piece, which then would allow me to put the flax in with the top piece in my hand flipped upright, then slide it down over the top of the post?

I spent an hour yesterday sweating bullets trying to get the flax in with no success.

Thanks.

- Glenn
 
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