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Spring Launch: Stuffing Box information

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Seems like a good time to reference Maine Sail's excellent article about this regular maintenance chore.
Attached is the article from his own site, and then a synopsis posted on another major sailing site.

We have a PSS shaft seal and like it, but I know many other sailers that like their traditional stuffing box.

https://pbase.com/mainecruising/stuffing_box&page=1

https://forums.sailboatowners.com/i...traditional-stuffing-box.125430/#post-1530812

Note that he also address how often owners ignore ancient stuffing box hoses. Those specialty hoses have a finite life and the replacement has to be of appropriate construction and Not a piece of ordinary exhaust hose.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Thanks Mom! Here is a nice listing of the shaft log hose sizes available
https://www.go2marine.com/product/5...uChG0IcwDA60MjZi-CXT3a5SdRVHvu9BoCxjEQAvD_BwE
The last time I had the boat hauled, (and had the shaft out) I could not seem to find the smaller sizes available anywhere and just put the old one back in with new hose clamps. Who knows how old it is. The smallest hose on this list appears to be the correct one for those of us with 3/4" shafts. I don't suppose there are any logs smaller than that. (?)

Worth noting that the OD of the smallest hose on that list is 2-1/4". The OD of the hose on my boat at the moment is 1-15/16 and it feels a little soft. Just like the picture in Maine Sail's blog. Silly me, assuming that it was "right" just because it was already there. :0

In other news, I just found the two rolls of GTU packing that I knew I had somewhere. Yeah! I've spent a lot of time over the last year, searching for that stuff. Of course, the way I found it was to buy a new roll. Then the old ones magically surfaced. :rolleyes:
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Besides Mom's advice...... there's......

Toddster,
Then there was the advice from Roger Waters......
"If you don't eat your Meat, you can't have any Pudding!"
 
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u079721

Contributing Partner
Just thought I'd add that you can't depend upon the manual to give the correct size of packing that you need. In my case IIRC the manual said I needed 3/16" packing, so that's what I bought. Then after I tore out the old and tried to insert the new I found it curiously loose. It was during layup, so I wasn't in a hurry - so I called Ericson and asked what's up? I was told that come to think about it, they had switched to a larger unit on later model 38s, and that the correct size was now 1/4" packing. So biggie, as I just stopped by West Marine to get the correct size, after which everything worked out just fine.

Now it IS supposedly possible to change the packing on your stuffing box with the boat in the water, though I sure wouldn't want to try it. But if you are so inclined, and it's the first time you've changed the packing, I might suggest having more than one size of packing on hand and pre-cut to size - just to be safe.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Here we go again

It's Deja Vu all over again! I went through this six years ago but somehow forgot the details. Making detailed notes in the maintenance log now... :rolleyes:

This old boat with 3/4" prop shaft, and others like it, have 1 1/4" packing box and shaft log tube. (Actually the box measures 1 5/16 and the tube is 1 3/8, so I assume a 1 1/4" hose could be made to fit.)

The smallest packing box hose that Buck Algonquin (or anybody?) seems to sell is 1 1/2" ID. This is where I gave up last time and re-used the nasty old hose.

Here's the secret: The 1 1/4" stuff is only listed under "12 inch sections" of hose. It's item 80ho12512 One will have to cut a piece of it to fit. If successful, one will end up with two spares!

So I'll just leave that here.

Good thing, too. The old hose is so mangled and deformed I can't actually tell what it was to begin with, and I was starting to entertain thoughts of "shimming up" the hardware with bits of bicycle inner tube or such, to fit the 1 1/2" hose.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
getting hosed

Ah, the mail person just brought my new stuffing box hose! Here's a pic for comparison.
Left to right. 3/4" packing gland. What Was On There Before. 1 1/4" Buck Algonquin hose. 1 1/2" Buck Algonquin hose ordered in error.
IMG_2228.jpg
Note that the wall thickness of the smaller hose is the same as the larger, and much thicker than the (exhaust?) hose that was on there before. Which is deformed and starting to split.

The band saw made quick work of neatly slicing an appropriate length off of the bulk piece (see previous post.)

Anybody need a piece of 1.5 or 1.25 inch packing box hose? I can make you a sweet deal.
 
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toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Well that was ridiculously difficult. After fighting the shaft log in 105° heat until I was exhausted, sweating, and bloody, I replaced the prop shaft with a piece of all-thread and used a nut and some washers to press the hose onto the tube. It fought all the way, but this worked. There is probably some blindingly obvious way to do this with less effort. Some day, I'll figure these things out before the boat draws blood. (Thanks, whoever put that rusty piece of angle iron in there to stabilize the shift lever.) I suspect that the shaft log was put in post-factory, when all the other suspect drive-train mods were made to this boat. It may or may not be exactly the right size. But there is just no leverage to work the hose onto it at the bottom of the battery compartment. Some of those battery cables need to be re-routed and secured better too. Might have to make them longer to do so.

IMG_2230.jpg
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Access and Pain

"Sweat Equity" is sometimes both too literal and somewhat overrated. :(

FWIW, I have spent some time under parts of our interior moldings with a oval file, rat tail file, Dremal tool, and 1" round rasp attachment on a DC drill motor. All to either improve access or de-burr parts that were hazardous to hands and wrists when working in those areas.

This work will pay dividends the next tim you need to deal with wires or hoses in those areas.

BTW, it is still 97 degrees at our house, at 7 pm. Sheesh........
:0
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
Well, it was only 100 outside, but 105 inside the boat. Had to remove the batteries to get my shoulder in there. No fans.
Pretty unusual to get this much heat this early in the season. The Roses and Philadelphus are still in full bloom and they're putting out this weird carmelized perfume odor.
 

Alan Gomes

Sustaining Partner
Well that was ridiculously difficult. After fighting the shaft log in 105° heat until I was exhausted, sweating, and bloody, I replaced the prop shaft with a piece of all-thread and used a nut and some washers to press the hose onto the tube. It fought all the way, but this worked. There is probably some blindingly obvious way to do this with less effort. Some day, I'll figure these things out before the boat draws blood. (Thanks, whoever put that rusty piece of angle iron in there to stabilize the shift lever.) I suspect that the shaft log was put in post-factory, when all the other suspect drive-train mods were made to this boat. It may or may not be exactly the right size. But there is just no leverage to work the hose onto it at the bottom of the battery compartment. Some of those battery cables need to be re-routed and secured better too. Might have to make them longer to do so.

View attachment 27223
I have this job in my near future. I can't wait....
 

supersailor

Contributing Partner
Having to cut tools in half to fit and redoing the job at least twice a year is why I put a PSS shaft seal in. My knuckles are now purdy!! The access in the 34 is god awful bad. The bilge is now completely dry except when it rains. Dam* holey mast. Oh well, at least the water is fresh.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Never... toss out a straight line to EY.o

And, Never dispute anything...
with a scowling Scot...
with Scarred Knuckles...
:egrin:


*full disclosure- unless the deer are again eating the flowers off his shrubs, Bob seldom scowls!
 
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