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Random Quote: Wemon, wine, wealth and deciet, make the heart submit and wallet weak. What it takes to maintain one vice is enough to fuel my boat for life. Capt Clayton
I took delivery of my2007 downeast boat in July with about 40 hrs on it.The boat was bought from the original owner,who had it built and decided the boat was not for him.
Anyways,at 55 hrs.+/- I noticed the stuffing box was leaking.I attempted adjusting,but knowing the engine was not correctly aligned,I opted to repack.
After talking to many,I decided to use the new Gore braided teflon packing.I painstakingly aligned the motor and repacked using 3 rings,staggering splices.well,its been 20 plus hours since repack,and can't seem to get it right.Its either leaking too much or running too hot.Quite frankly,I'm tired of screwing with it.
It has been suggested that I return to the flax/wax packing;The new stuff sux!
I might add,the boat is a wet keel design boat.Also,the original packing was in one continuous coil,no rings;or am I missing something here,and the jokes on me!
I've used the braided teflon and had good success...I do know that once it gets really hot, it's hard to get it to seal again without over tightening....had to repack...look at the stuffing box while underway at a low speed...is the box jumping around, like a misaligned engine?.....sounds like you packed it properly....initially, hand tightening usually will keep it from leaking....what do you consider leaking too much?....Mick
no,stuffing box/shaft is running smooth and true at all speeds;When I said"leaking too much"I meant more than a simple drip;a steady stream.It was the only way I could keep it cool!
When I have used the gore material, I also used liberal teflon grease when I packed the box. Unless the shaft was damaged (scored it) or over heated the gore material, it should run OK. Some shaft logs require water cooling--that is a tube from the raw water output to the stuffing box. Be sure that has not been overlooked or been removed. Should not require a steady stream--only a few drops should be OK. You did the packing properly--I assume that you put the rings on, and then cut them with a razor blade obliquely. The spiral packing was not correct.
Look closely at the space between the packing nut and the shaft. I had exactly the same problem. It turned out that the shaft was not completely lined up with the shaft tube and the shaft was actually rubbing the bronze shaft nut. Look to make sure the shaft doesn't have a big space on one side and close(or touching) on the other side. This was on a 1990 Egg Harbor that had never hit anything. It was that way from the factory. The only fix that I could see without shimming the strut and intermediate bearing was a drippless shaft seal. The bellows actually "turned the corner" so to speak so that the shaft aligned to the seal. Never another problem.
Why not just put on a dripless seal and be done with it?
I'm surprised that a brand new boat would be built without one; this is the 21st century, after all
I am not very familiar with the dripless seals.I have heard though that when thy fail,it is catastrophic.That is only what i have heard from others.What does the job entail to convert to a dripless seal?
Dripless seals have their problems too and when they fail the results can be devastating. Nothing is a sure thing but standard flax packing is tough to beat.
I had the chance to switch to the dripless on my boat and decided against it.
Now, a simple adjustment once a season is all it takes.
Flax packing is one of the rarest things in boating because it is cheap and it works. Don't mess with a good thing
As has been said if you cook the teflon packing it will be hard to get it to seal. When you install it start with it loose and slowly tighten it up after a few hours running time. At that point you should be able to tighten it up so that it seals correctly and works fine. IMO the teflon stuff is the way to go. I have used it for years and always had good luck with it.
BFD,
When I was with Stamas Yacht, we used a t/hull, length of hose, stuffing box setup. Butted the box up to the t/hull inside the hose. Old fashioned , no dripless. Aligned to .0025. Adjusted at 50 hours, then 100. No problems. 3 tiers, bias cut, tighten gradually. Buck-Algonquin Hardware, all the way around. 2 1/2 was better than SeaRay required. And you had to have it verified.
If the stuffing box is connected with a rubber hose and clamps, it may not be aligned properly. It could be off-center, with too much pressure on one side of the packing. I've done mine twice with flax, but I had to align both of them originally..way off.
Doing engine installs you can often see problems with the original build. The cutless bearing and the shaft log which today is usually a fiberglass pipe glassed into the hull must align properly. The shaft should go directly down the CENTER of the shaft tube. In building underwater gear I have used "doughnuts" at both ends of the shaft log to hold the shaft directly centered in the shaft log. The underwater gear is then built to align the shaft log and the cutless bearing with the centered shaft. Then of course the engine MUST be properly algined with the flanges on the shaft coupling. The flanges on the shaft coupling must be SQUARE with the shaft. May sound difficult but if all is done correct from the start as it should be problems are eliminated.
As one earlier poster said the shaft may not be going through the center of the shaft log creating an excess load on one side of the packing gland. Typically shaft log hoses connecting the shaft log to the stuffing gland are heavy duty and very stiff which does not allow much give for misalignment. Any sealing system will work much much better if the shaft is going perfectly down the center of the shaft log.
Hitting something with your underwater gear can also tweek your alignment.
All great feedback!Thanks...My boat happens to be a wet keel design.no shaft log.The stuffing box itself is bolted to the hull.It was o'k when I got the boat;but,knowingly,the engine was out of line.Adjusted that,perfectly I might add,then repacked the box.
With the feedback I have so far recieved,I have to assume that I cooked the original gore packing.I will try again this weekend;only decision is to try the gore stuff again,or go back to flax.
tobnpr,Please let me preface this explanation by saying this is my first downeast boat and also my first inboard boat,so my explantion may not be totally correct;To the best of my knowledge...here goes;a wet keel is a keel that always has water in it.It is said to add stability to the boat.I believe there is no shaft log per se,because the shaft goes through the keel,always in water.The stuffing box is bolted to the front of the keel "housing",making the unit,hopefully water tight.
I am very sure there is someone out there with better knowledge and a better description of the items above!
coddock, I have had that problem with the mainiac set-up. most likely shaft alignment is off, causing it to overheat and melt. Hate to say it but, you should go to a hose mounted stuffing box with water injection.
stuffing box 
