Repack stuffing box:There is such thing as a stupid question

[Rperlot]

The only reason I would have for haul out this year would be to replace the packing in my stuffing box. Before you all roll your eyes, I've checked the archives. My queries against the archives bring up many discussions about stuffing box packing that lead to an assumption that the boat is out of the water, but I don't want to ass-u-me considering the cost of haul out. Do I really need to take the boat out of the water just to have this one job done? Just getting to a haulout is a full weekend ourdeal for me at best. It would be nice if I could hire an experienced technician to pack stuffing box at my home marina. Is this even possible? I have no idea how aggressive the flow is with the packing pulled out. Obviously, the bilge pump would be operating with 2 backups.

[Bill Goldsmith]

Do I really need to take the boat out of the water just to have this one job done?

Yes. It's a good time to inspect and/or replace shaft zincs and re-grease the seacocks while you're on the hard.

[Jim Lewis]

Let me know how you manage your repack, I have always been near slings when removing packing nut. I have been told that it can be done in the slip, but I am not comfortable not being in or close to slings if I dig the packing out....there is suppose to be three rings in there but who really knows? Others have said dig two rings out and then replace two rings till you can haul, I don t have enough nerve to do that in my slip. I have to be at least sitting in slings. A yard sometimes can be accomodating about that with little on no fee if you are a regular customer and do the work yourself. Just pull the boat into the slings and try it..........
Let the board know how it works for you, all of us need all the info we can get. Good luck, a weekend lost repacking on the hard is much better than seeing stream of water coming in.

[Jim Sullivan]

I repacked the stuffing box on my CD22D while she was in the water without any problems--did this on the mooring. Water did come in but by no means would I consider the amount excessive. The process of removing the 3 rings of packing and adding new packing took about 10 min. I used dental picks and a small screwdriver to remove the old packing. I had the 3 rings of new packing ready for quick install.

This is a job that is best done while the boat is on the hard. If the packing has been in place for many years, it may take considerable time to remove it. Obviously, the longer it takes to remove the packing, the more water will come in. In my case, I had recently packed the stuffing box with 3 rings of 3/16" teflon packing while the boat was on the hard. I found the stuffing box to run quite warm and then decided to repack with the conventional flax packing. I could have waited until the boat was hauled. I had recently replaced the cutless bearing which may have also limited the amount of water coming in when this process was done.

[wayne greiner]

A stuffing box is almost never a life or death issue-even with worn old packing at most you should get only a small leak that the bilge pump should handle-why not try tughtening it up and see if you can live with it until you do haul out? I suppose if you had to you could replace the packing while the boat is in the water-but everything is complicated by the fact your stuffed in back of the engine-you could (you will) drop your tools in the bilge etc.-again-a stuffing box is a compromise-too tight-it gets too hot-too loose it drips-its just one of those things you have to live with on a boat-before I went with a dripless seal I went 10 years (at least) without replacing the stuffing-because I didn't have room to get the retaining nut off without pulling the engine (because someone added a flex coupler)-so do what you think is best-some yards will only charge $100-150 for an in the slings and back in again haulout-

[Keith Newlin]

Last fall I repacked the stuffing box of my CD28 while in my slip. The water ingress is fairly minor, at least on my boat, with a two-year-old shaft and cutless bearing. My existing packing had compressed so much that further tightening did no good to slow the drip, and it took considerable time to get it out. As part of the process, I broke the cheapo corkscrew-type puller and had to go get a more robust replacement--and also called a friend to come with a more extensive bag of tools. I'd guess the job took about 2 hours, with the accompanying snafus. I think my bilge pump probably cycled on once. (The teflon packing, and its accompanying grease, is great stuff: no more drips and a cool packing gland.) So: I wouldn't hesitate to repack in the water, provided I had the materials ready. (Full disclosure: my slip is next to a boatyard, with a crane at the ready. And I made sure to do the operation in the morning of a workday. But I would repack my own gland even without the safety net of the haul out crane, based on my experience with this, my first and only repack.)

[Rperlot]

Thanks for all your comments. I talked to a guy at the yard today who says one thing he does is to do a repack on a day that he is diving on the boat. Then he wraps a grease soaked rag around the shaft and pushes it tight up to the hull. This helps slow down the leak during the repacking. But it doesn't sound like there will be much water coming in.

[Bruce Kurtz]

I have a CD 330 and have repacked the stuffing box twice over the past 10 years. Both times the boat was in the water and the job ended up being more work and taking longer than planned, the water leakage was minor and never of great concern. I'm getting ready to repack again and this will also be done in the slip, dirty water and all. It's definitely more fun than anyone should be allowed to have! Laying over the engine with all those nuts, bolts and other assorted parts digging into your body; aren't sailboats grand?!!

[rperlot]

Luckily the guy who had the boat before me put a hatch in the floor of the cockpit. It is right above the stuffing box. I can sit in the cockpit and look straight down at it.

The previous owner, BTW, upgraded to a CD330.......with no hatch. I think he probably feels your pain even more deeply now, remembering what it used to be like, in the day.

Rich.

[Jim Lewis]

Well after all the good info on this post I put two new teflon rings and teflon grease on shaft while in slip, no where near a haulout.
I guess the old packing was worn down to about a one ring size equivalent. Put one ring in at a time hand tightening the nut till it wouldn t tighten anymore, then backed it out and installed another right with slit 180 degrees from other ring....tried for third ring but not wouldn t go on threads, so settled for the two. Figure when I haul out in a year or so will dig it all out and put back new..Thanks for all the info, has sure been helpful to me......