Rudder Stuffing boxes on 1981 Californian 34

[3dog]

Anybody repacked the stuffing boxes? How big of a job is it and I am assuming that the boat has to be out of the water?

 

[chc]

I've repacked & rebuilt mine; depends on the problems involved. Simply removing & replacing old packing can be done in the water w/luck. Obviously, it is easier while the boat is hauled. If the shaft tube has worn to allow lots of wobble & poor sealing, you'll have to haul to repair or replace. On my '84 Californian 34, access to the boxes is fairly easy. My boat is in Essex, MD if you need any help, let me know.

 

[Edelweiss]

Yes, easy enough if you have the know how to replace stuffing properly. If not, have someone show you how the first time. I do mine in the water, since you can't adjust them properly until the boat is . . . in the water.

When you take the packing nut loose, there will be a significant amount of water coming through the shaft log tube. You can stem the flow to a trickle by packing some old rags around the shaft and into the tube. Probably not a wise choice to run for parts when its in this state. It may take you a while to dig out, then cut and fit the new packing, so make sure your bilge pump is up to the task and you have the correct size packing on hand.

Larry B

 

[koliver]

Mine were difficult to see, under the water tanks in the lazarette and leaking. The shafts appeared to be the same size as the propeller shafts, so I had some packing ready. When I got the stuffing box apart, the space was considerably smaller than the size of the packing so I just cut it down to fit. Took a matter of minutes, and since the depth of the gland was only a few inches below the water line, not much water came in while it was apart. That was years ago and I haven't had any leaking since.