[Public-List] Packing Gland - & stern tube

[Bill Wallace]

There are 2 alternatives to the original packing - as other people have suggested, the dripless stuffing boxes are relatively expensive and can fail catastrophically.  However, the two packing alternatives are both supposed to work well.  The first is a PTFE based clay that you use as the middle ring, the other is a PTFE based packing that replaces all rings.  The clay runs a bit warm, while the PTFE packing runs at normal temperature.  In either case, you adjust till it just stops dripping once it has seated.  I haven't yet heard the longevity of the PTFE packing as it is a much newer product.

I have a different issue, a previous owner of my boat must have noticed dripping around the stern tube (in a newer Alberg 30) and filled/covered the area with caulking   I don't trust that and want to replace it with fibreglass - I can't get to the boat right now, so I'm wondering if anyone else has replaced/fixed their stern tube and has any details - is it a fibreglass tube, plastic, metal?  How is it attached to the boat?  I was thinking of pulling the shaft to provide access, using a heat gun to remove the caulking, cleaning up the outside of the tube by sanding - with a dremel/by hand and for larger bits with a grinder.  I will likely replace the cutlass bearing at the same time, and add a rubber shaft isolater to protect the transmission and make it easier to setup lightning protection, and replacing the stuffing and the tubing that connects the stern tube to the stuffing box.  Anything else that people suggest looking at/fixing while I'm back
 there or other options I should consider?

Thanks,
Bill



----- Original Message ----
From: Thedodore Liszczak <tedliszczak at metrocast.net>
To: Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all <public-list at alberg30.org>
Sent: Tue, November 3, 2009 1:52:38 PM
Subject: [Public-List] Packing Gland

I have seen references relating to the replacement of the original packing gland with a "21st century" device. Any suggestions, any precautions, would be appreciated. After 30 years, I am tired of having to squeeze over the engine to repack, re tighten the gland.
Sincerely,
Ted Liszczak
Freedom
A-345

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