Rudder Stuffing box

[rebuckley]

So I have found slow and annoying leak in my lazerette - it is the rudder stuffing box. I am guessing it is just time to re-pack the box and there is nothing else major going on. The leak is pretty slow - but is also constant - I am hauling for the season next week, and figure the fix can wait until I am on hard ground. I ran through all of my other thru-hulls and it seems this is the only place I am taking in water. It seems to be getting to the bilge by running along the water or electric lines on the starboard side - then leaking in under the S-side fuel tank. It is nice clean river water - so I am not worried about additional fluid leaks.
Has anyone here every re-packed the rudder box? I was jst looking around the area yesterday - and it looks like it will be an adventure.
Any advice or changes that I shoudl think about while I am jammed in down there?
Thanks

[Russell]

If you have not tried tightening it I would do that first. As the packing wears it needs to be tightened periodically and then when that fails to stop the leak you need to repack.

[loubennett]

Repacking the rudder stuffing box is relatively easy. Just remove the packing nut, dig out the old packing material and replace it. Usually there are three rings of packing material. Be sure to get the right size and cut three lengths that match the circumference of the rudder shaft. Cut the ends at an angle so that you get an overlapping joint and stagger the joints at 120 degrees so no two are aligned. You'll need some kind of blunt tool to push them into the packing gland. Replace the packing nut and tighten it just enough that the rudder moves freely. You may have to readjust it after a little use to stop any leakage. It's OK for this gland to have zero leakage since it's a low speed seal. A prop shaft stuffing box should leak a little when it's running to lubricate it. The job can be done in the water if the stuffing box is above the waterline but if you plan to be on the hard do it then. Just be sure to check it for leakage when you launch and tighten a little more if necessary.

[Denis]

Just to add, use three pieces of 3/8" packing for the rudder. It's a pretty easy job. Denis

[bccanucker]

rebuckley: My rudder shaft has just started leaking as well. Easy eh? It's under the head of the bed (if you have a queen island bed) so you end up upside down from the waist. Welcome to a 36' classic
I took pictures.

Rudder shaft1.jpg

Stuffing box is underneath aluminum bracket

rudder shaft2.jpg

I think this is a job for the little gremlin guy we keep in the anchor locker
If you find this really is 3/8" packing, I would appreciate knowing. I tightened up the 2 nuts and am going to wait till next spring when I haul out

[jleonard]

You might be fine by just tightening those nuts a little bit. I did just that 4 years ago on mine. I barely see a trace of a trickle.

[Denis]

I didn't realize how tight it might be in your boat, guess it's time to sell it or sink it. Just kidding of course, but it is amazing how little thought manufacturers put into maintenance. They know at some point someone is going to need to get into certain places but they put no thought into it while they are designing the boat or car or whatever. Denis

[jleonard]

They know at some point someone is going to need to get into certain places but they put no thought into it while they are designing the boat or car or whatever. Denis

Yes they know the sooner it breaks, the sooner you will buy a new boat (or car, etc).

[bccanucker]

Denis: It's all trade offs. Get more room here then there's less room over there. Then the Admiral complains her kitchen is too small. That's why people buy bigger boats. We have a club member who solved his problems by getting an 85' boat. He still has problems --- we all hate him cause when he pulls in he not only blocks the sun, he blocks the whole day.
Sell my boat!!!!! I just bought it
How could you suggest that
Look at her

summertime 2010 161.jpg

Beutifull lines, swoopy bow, lots of teak, solid in the water. Prettiest boat in the marina.
Gets the girls.
What would I do if I didn't have to spend all the time working on the boat.
Golf, bike ride, photography.
Hmmmmmm
What'll you give me for her
Rebuckley: One of the things I did to the rudder shaft of my last boat and plan to do to this ones rudder shaft is to use Drip-Free Packing (from a company by the same name out of St. Pete Beach Florida)
This product is used along with your regular packing for rudder or drive shaft and you can crank up the stuffing box to dripless. I was really pleased with it

[joe.baar]

Watch out for those dripless stuffing boxes -

From Fiti Huahine in the 28TE forum, Fri Oct 15, 2010 2:23 am:
======
"My 28 is out of the water due to the fact I noticed the dripless shaft was dripping and actually started flowing water. Somehow the seal cracked and bilge was coming on every 5 minutes. This is not an inexpensive fix. We didn't have to pull the engine - it is very tight to access but to cut to the chase - to pull the shaft, check that, replace bearing and re-install was like 2 days of labor and total - $5K bill for everything..including new bearing.

Pay close attention to this if you are buying a used Albin - mine was only a few years old, but we put plenty of use on it."
======
I've heard other horror stories as well. The fact is, the concept of packing around a shaft has been with us for a thousand years and IT ALWAYS WORKS. It never fails catastrophically. Even though the space available for the work in a 28TE is uncomfortable, You Can Do It. Haul the boat, then just clear out the port side under-deck and use a short pry-bar on the UNDERside of the jam-nut (the one closest to the shaft tube). It might only be hand-tight anyway. After that, back off the packing nut and extract and replace the packing material. Finally, screw the packing nut back up a little more than hand-tight with a tap or two on the knobs and snug up the jam nut. Run the engine in forward and reverse for at least a few minutes and re-tighten if necessary. You should have no more than a drip every 10 seconds, preferably every 20 seconds or more.

My bilge is now totally dry for the first time in years. It is still filthy, that's next on the List.

IMG_2183a.JPG

[rebuckley]

Thanks to all !!
She is on land now - and I am going to wait until the air temp is back up in the 40's or 50's before I venture back into the bilge.
My stuffing box is in a tight spot (albeit not as tight as the pictures on here) I guess I have a slightly different layout - as the rudder packing area is in the aft lazarette - so a little bigger then the gremlin's work spaces. But the layout is pretty close to exactly the same - right down to the metal arch over the stuffing box area.

Thanks again - - waiting for summer to come back !!

[gerber30]

Joe.Baar You might want to inspect that dipstick tube in your picture above. It should connect to the bottom of the oil pan with a banjo bolt. That tube is made of steel and will rust away and cause a terrible oil leak. It looks like yours is beginning to rust so you might want to change it out. The part is only about 50 dollars but if and when it fails due to rust, you could loose all your oil in the bilge!! Why Yanmar would make this out of steel and not aluminum or stainless is beyond me. Just a thought.

[joe.baar]

gerber30 - Thanks so much for noticing that and explaining the consequences. I'm sure the dipstick's steel tube is an artifact of Yanmar's incomplete "marinization" of these tractor engines. I'll take a closer look next week when I'm up there.

[bccanucker]

We're hauling the boat in 3 weeks and I want to change my rudder packing. Is there anyone out there that has the same system as we have on the Blue Heron? (See pictures above from Oct 15th.
Thanks

[crowra]

Roy or anyone with a 36' Classic: Two of the nuts are missing from one of the bolts on my rudder stuffing box. (I have two on the other one). I just purchased the boat last Sep. and who knows how long the nuts were missing. I figured I would simply buy two more. Not so. 7/16" (course thread) is too small and 1/2" too big. It appears to be 12mm but the most course pitch is 1.75 which isn't course enough. Anyone have a clue where I can purchase non-standard 1987 vintage Taiwanese nuts? Or do I need to use a die and re-thread them? For now, I moved one of the nuts to the other bolt. LocTite is an option but it'll be a royal pain getting them off someday.