stuffing box drips

[alcodiesel]

For me, the drip rate is in direct proportion to difficulty of tightening the stuffing box. the more difficult it is to get in there, the higher the drip rate I am willing to accept.
It is brutally hard for me to get at that area on my boat, therefore I accept 30 drips per minute. It was 30 two years ago and is 30 today. Helps keep the bilge fresh!

[JOHN COOKSON]

It is brutally hard for me to get at that area on my boat, therefore I accept 30 drips per minute. It was 30 two years ago and is 30 today. Helps keep the bilge fresh!

Also with 30 drips per minute you are assured the packing will never overheat. It will always run cool.

TRUE GRIT

[roadnsky]

it is no big deal to repack in the water. You remove the nut and water flows in. If it worries you, you just pack something in there between the shaft and the box...

I did mine in the water last year about this time.
I wanted to have the luxury of lots of time to deal with getting the old packing out and stuffing the new in correctly.
So, to stop the flow of water coming in, once the nut was loosened all the way I wrapped some RESCUE TAPE around the box and it stopped the flow completely.
That allowed me plenty of time to get it right without dealing with the water flowing in.
Once I had the packing replaced, I just unwrapped the tape and screwed the nut back on.
Less than a half-gallon total in the boat.

Remember when you do the first adjustment to leave it way loose for the first few hours of running to get the flax nice and lubed with water.
Then gentle tightenings over the next few hours of running until you get it where you want.
Mine drips 3-5 per minute while running and ZERO drips at rest.

I also use the same two wrenches that Neil pictured.

[romantic comedy]

I inherited one of those wrenches that Neil has pictured. The cheap chrome one. POS, tossed it overboard.

You will break fingers with that wrench.

(not really, just put it in the garbage, but yes I did)

[goodoldboat]

drips

the PO says the wrenches needed are on the boat which i have found..

Off I go to crawl around in the belly of the beast ..

[TomG]

I just repacked the stuffing box on my boat yesterday. Of course, my boat is on the hard, so water intrusion wasn't my concern, but even if it were in the water, a few wraps of rescue tape like Jerry said will solve that while you repack. If tightening the nut doesn't help and it's actually time to repack the flax, it's really no big deal to do it in the water. You'll save a lot of time and swear words if you have a set of sharp dental style picks to get the old flax out of the nut. I also cut a piece of 1" PVC pipe in half long ways to hand clamp around the shaft to press the new flax into the nut.

[roadnsky]

...I also cut a piece of 1" PVC pipe in half long ways to hand clamp around the shaft to press the new flax into the nut.

Tom-
I did that too.
It really made pressing each flax piece into the nut a LOT easier.

[Marty Levenson]

confused and curious

Feeling dense, but wondering where one would wrap the rescue tape when restuffing the stuffing box?

Thanks!

[TomG]

Feeling dense, but wondering where one would wrap the rescue tape when restuffing the stuffing box?

Thanks!

The flax packing lives in the nut of the stuffing box. The prop shaft exits the flange and the flax presses against the flange when the nut is tightened. Just a few wraps around the shaft where it exits the flange will keep most, if not all, of the water on the outside!

[Whippet]

great tutorial

Besides the one Neil mentioned, I used this as reference when i re-stuffed mine. good luck

http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/stuffing_box

[Marty Levenson]

rescue tape?

Is this the same stuff as "rescue tape"?

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.1-in-x-10-ft-stretch-and-seal-self-fusing-silicone-tape-black.1000405020.html

[roadnsky]

Is this the same stuff as "rescue tape"?

Looks like it could be similar.
If you want actual Rescue Tape they sell it at Lowes, True Value, Ace, Walmart and West Marine.
Online at Amazon as well...

Amazon
Wallmart