Flax size for Marine Trader 34

SeaBreeze · 08-29-2018, 11:55 AM

Does anyone know the flax size used in a 1973 Marine Trader 34 sedan ? I need to repack the main shaft cutlass with Equalseal GFO flax and don't know what size to get. I am not near my boat so I can't pull out the old flax to determine the size.

SeaMoose · 08-29-2018, 12:57 PM

Hi Sea Breeze, Welcome Aboard.
I think you're asking about stuffing box packing, not the cutlass bearing.

I'd use the 3/8" wide. I find that trying to get the 45 degree splice where the two ends meet precise on anything smaller to be quite challenging.

HTH

SeaBreeze · 08-29-2018, 02:52 PM

Yes I did mean stuffing box thanks! The previous owner did have issues with the stuffing box leaking excessively every 10 hours after adjustment and he wasn't able to figure that out. He was using 5/16th's flax so I wonder if that might have been the cause. Could it have been that the flax was a little too small and not sealing well?

milt · 08-29-2018, 04:02 PM

I did the stuffing box about 2 years ago. I used 3/8's I think.

I pulled out 2 rings and replaced with 3 rings.

I did not try to match beveled sacrifices, just butted them together making sure the butts were not in line with each other.

Adjustments now and then to keep the drips about 1-3 per min.seems to work for me.

When I leave for 4-5 mo. I tighten both prop shaft and rudder shaft to where
they don't leak.

You may want to take a little of the old stuffing out to use as a reference

**koliver** · 08-29-2018, 07:05 PM

Marine Traders were not all built the same. Stuffing is cheap. Equip yourself with a variety of sizes. Once you get the Stuff box open you will be able to see right away which one fits. The rest can be returned for credit if unopened.

FF · 08-30-2018, 09:24 AM

Slide the but end of a drill bit into where the packing will go.

Duramax and other quality packing will compress , but the correct size will give the performance , cool operation , no drips , you are paying for.

MurrayM · 08-30-2018, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milt

When I leave for 4-5 mo. I tighten both prop shaft and rudder shaft to where
they don't leak.

While I don't claim to be anywhere near an expert on anything, I'm pretty sure you'll get pitting/corrosion on your prop shaft if oxygenated water isn't allowed to slowly move through the stuffing box.

milt · 08-30-2018, 11:46 AM

Thanks for the heads up, will take a close look at the shaft when I get back
in Oct.

SeaMoose · 08-30-2018, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milt

Thanks for the heads up, will take a close look at the shaft when I get back
in Oct.

Our vessels are prone to the aft shaft coupling leaking, as the shaft/shaft log are long, and the aft coupling was poorly bedded to begin with.

If you can't get the stuffing box to not leak after you put new packing in check and see if you're leaking from where the shaft log meets the stuffing box.

There's a little pick that's sold as a stuffing box packing removal tool it's really useful in getting the old packing out.

I'm not so sure that the width of the packing makes that much difference. It's the skill of the re-packer that matters most...