How to open and repack a standard propeller shaft packing gland
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มี.ค. 2019
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Tutorial for how a sailboat shaft packing gland works, how to open it and how to repack it.
We have owned over 150 boats and helped in boatyards for almost 30 years. In this time we have repaired or replaced shaft packing along with teaching others how to do it. There are a few little tricks that make it easier as well.
This video shows the basics of a standard nut style packing gland that is found on boats from 10 feet to over 100 feet. We explain how it works, and the most common way to open, repack and then close it. We cover the basic parts of the packing gland and the flax packing as well as graphite packing and a special shaft grease that we like to use.
This is the first video for our new Real World Sailboat Repair Channel. We show you how to get this repair done out in the real world just the way that you will have to do it instead of on a bench or shop.
We have already shot several other videos on subjects that range from mast tuning to spraying bottom paint on a racing sailboat. Please subscribe and feel free to ask any questions. We are more than willing to help. Your boat should be fun and knowing how to repair it is a major step in keeping it fun.
Capt. Scott
Back in 1987, the U.S. Navy Engineering Engineman Class -A school taught to make 45-degree cuts, to install the cut ends clocked 180-degrees away from each other, and to clean the corrosion off of the shaft and check for burs. You can count the drips per minute drip-rate to check for correct gland adjustment. You can also screw a screw into the old packing and pull it out with a pair of plyers if your picks are not working. Using the first piece of packing as a template for cutting the remaining pieces is helpful. Never trust an old piece of packing and assume it's the correct length. Always measure the new packing against the shaft.
As a sailor who's about to perform this very task on his own beloved lady, thank you very much. Seeing someone experienced do it has made me feel much more comfortable in doing it myself. You have earned another subscriber.
Thank you and feel free to ask questions if you run into anything
Just fell across this in my YT feed. Good, informative video by someone that knows what they are doing. As an ex-submariner, that experienced a catastrophic failure of a 18" mechanical seal on the propellor shaft whilst at depth, you might understand why I prefer and have an 'old fashion' soft seal shaft packing system on my boat. Some comments that your viewers might consider, noting what you explained is perfectly good for the task at hand. More my preferences, if you like. First, I polish the shaft before backing off the follower. I use an alternate cutting method where the 45 deg cut is offset so that the packing tightens the gap as a matter of course rather than expanding the packing (i.e. turn your packing a quarter turn and then cut). Little bit fiddly and must be a precise length but gives excellent results. I place the packing at 120 degrees to maximise the surface area water has to travel to bypass each ring of packing. Lastly, I tighten the follower up to full tightness and then back off until the follower is loose. The use of lubricant is new to me, although we use to apply Neverseize to high pressure steam glands.
Gaoooog, former submariner here too, USS Tecumseh SSBN 628.
@Captain krunch thank you for reaching out brother of the phin.
This is an excellent video by a very good professional. Thanks for being so thorough. Please forgive me if I make a few suggestions.
1) I usually take a wire brush with small, short bristles to clean around both nuts. This helps to break the corrosion loose.
2) I use very fine Emory cloth or very fine sandpaper or even quad-ought steel wool on the shaft to remove the corrosion. For example you had a hard time pulling back the gland over the corrosion on the shaft. It came loose.. but as you backed it off it hit the corrosion on the shaft and you had to take the channel locks once again to turn it past. You can also use a portable Dremel tool with wire brush to get at that corrosion.
3) I took a large pipe wrench and cut the handle way down and rounded off the top with a grinder so as not to cut my hands. This works well as I also hit the end with a rubber mallet. It breaks these nuts loose every time.
4) I use a 4" T-Square or a Bevel Square to make my 45 degree cuts into the packing. I've made too many mistakes in the past so I keep one in my portable toolbox.
5) On my own boat I took a Stainless Steel ring and put it around the shaft. When the shaft is turning and the boat is going up and down in the waves.. this S.S. Steal ring gently slides back and forth on the shaft which keeps it clean and free of corrosion.
Again, you did a good job and I'd let you work on my boat anytime! ;-)
(Oh, not my real photo by the way.. something Google assigned to me).
Dude your one hell of a great teacher, knowledgeable and funny, subbed for sure, keep the content up, cause this is wicked channel, I'd say you and Louis sauzedde are easily the best marine educators on youtube.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world, much obliged!
Thank you
Well explained. I did this a few years ago...doing it again except this time it will be a lot easier with your video. The chisel thing is the best advice if I remember the last time I did this! Thanks for sharing!
Pleasure to help. Yeh, you can impress a lot of yard guys with that tip.
Have fun!
No bullshit boat maintenance, well done sir, thank you 😊
My pleasure
Thank you for being so thorough, confident I can do it now. Subscribed
Thanks for the informative video!
Brilliant. Thank you.
Another quality video to expand my knowledge cant wait to give my stuffing box a look! (Dont think it needs new stuffing right now but when I do a full refit next year on the dry definitely will replace it, just tightened the nut and the leaking stopped, only a drip every 30-60 seconds
Great! We will be posting a video about an emergency packing repair in the water. Always an attention grabber.
Have fun with your boat and feel free to ask questions, we are always happy to help.
good man..basic job no crap..well explained
Spot on!👊🏻🇺🇸
great vid.. Thanks
Thank you.
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Great video! I know I'm late to comment, but maybe this will be of use. Get a piece of PVC pipe that's approx. the same ID as the shaft diameter. Cut a one or two inch long piece. Now cut a ~ 1 inch wide slot across this piece of PVC pipe, forming a PVC 'collar'. Push this 'collar' over the shaft. By sliding this up the shaft behind each ring of new packing, you will ensure that the packing segments are well seated prior to screwing it back down on the threaded shaft collar.
Just a hint for cutting: if you straighten the packing strip you should cut in parallel with the already cut end. Easy to remember and you don't need to ponder about the direction.
And thank you for vid 👍🙏
When screwing in the nut what is the minimum amount of threads needed insude the nut for proper strength?
if you stagger the seams on the packing piping, like loading the seals on a piston, they'll hold much more compression.
Personally I would just buy the proper open-end wrenches for the job. Less chance of damaging the nuts and easier to reach.
Packing shall be cuted regarding the housing dimension not based on the shaft dimention, 45degree cut shall be on the side aswell regarding the shaft rotation side
Great video, very helpful and easy to follow!
Thank you.
Great video. Guy sounds like Johnny Carson.
Thanks!
Forgot to mention to offset the 45 degree cuts from one another for the 3 packing rings: 12 oclock, 4 and 8.
I read this. Is it true.
Do not use graphite packing in the stuffing box. Instead, use a packing material that causes the least abrasion after the lubricant wears away. The use of graphite-impregnated packing is not recommended because of the possibility of galvanic corrosion of the shaft material.
Came from Reddit. Sub'd.
Thanks!
Great video I need to renew mine soon,can it be done afloat?
Buckle your seat belt, yes it can, but it takes a strong will. The main difference is the water pouring in. The larger the shaft, the more water. There are tricks to slowing it down, but in reality, nothing stops it.
I have done it, but I don't recommend it. Sometimes you have no choice.
If you are going to do it here are the tips:
Tie a rag around the shaft on the outside if you can and push it as tightly as you can against the hull.
Know your packing size and cut several pieces to size against the shaft for correct size as shown in this video before opening the nut.
Check your hose clamps and make sure that they are in good shape. Having them fail on shore is no big deal. In the water - have them in good shape before starting the rest of this job. They can be replaced, one at a time in the water - they often need it.
Clean, clean, clean, clean the threads before turning the nut and starting the job.
Grease the threads before turning the nut.
Have a rag and "soft" plastic bag ready to tie around the shaft on the inside and as the nut comes free, shove the plastic bag as closely as possible around the shaft and even slightly between the shaftway that the shaft is in. Tie that rag down as tight as you can to stem the flow.
Have your pick ready before starting and pull out as much packing as possible. At least one, but two or even all if possible is obviously the best.
Then shove the new packing material in as usual - and I highly recommend the grease when doing this in the water. It speeds the process a great deal and speed is everything when water is coming in.
Pull the rag and plastic, tighten the nut hand tight and the water stops. Relax and then remove the outside rag if you used one. Then tune the packing pressure as usual when your heart beat has returned to normal.
Of course have a good bilge pump with batteries up and a shore charger if you can.
Bilges should be clean so no "stuff" in the bilge clogs the pump while she is open.
It can be done and the second time is easier than the first.
@@sailboatcareandrepair thanks for the great reply. I shall keep you posted.
Great video ! I have a Dufour 31 and the packing gland lock nut seems to have a screw-in lock pin after I've cleaned all the corrosion off ? Am I wrong and does this pin actually thread out to allow the packing nut to turn ? Maybe a French thing.
I have seen those lock screws on British boats too. Clean, clean, clean and start spraying lube on it occassionally so it has time to soak in.
When you are done, tighten enough to hold your packing nut but ideally not enough to damage the threads that you will be locking to. They are not as tough as they were many years ago when they were new.
Very informative thanks. So for my Island Packet 35 in the water, how can I minimize water ingress while doing this and not panic haha? Some people said to put self-amalgamating tape on the outside underwater and remove it when ready to test? Your advice would be appreciated greatly.
My first suggestion is to just tighten the nut a little. Unless your packing truly dead you should be fine. If you want to do a quick fix you can pull the nut "squish" some of the shaft grease or in a jam any of the waterproof greases and screw the nut back on. Your leak will stop and you will have plenty of time to use the boat before you need to haul out.
Water will come in but no tape or rags or anything else will be needed outside. This whole thing is open for less than a minute with this quick temporary fix. I have gotten people across the Pacific with this trick.
If just tightening a 1/4 to half turn stops your leak, all the easier. Clean your threads and try this first.
@@sailboatcareandrepair Thanks Very Much. Your videos are fun and easy to follow. Keep it up.
I only use the chisel technique if breaking it free with the first wrench fails.
How do you determine what size graphite packing to buy?
The best way is to measure the shaft and then ask the guys at West Marine or your local boating supply shop. They can narrow it down to one of three possible sizes and you can return the two that you do not need when you are done.
What is the shaft size on this boat? What size of packing did you use?
To be brutally honest, I don't recall.
The shaft can be measured in the water. The part just as it comes out of the packing gland will be the same size as what is inside the gland.
When done in the boat yard, it is easy to measure the packing. If your marine store is close or you are buying the packing from the store in the boatyard, you should just take a piece of the old packing to them and they will help you to match it so that you have complete confidence in having the correct size.
Always be careful asking a man his shaft size lol
A great video but a quick suggestion: clean the shaft and the opening in the nut before disassembly. It helps getting the nut up the shaft and if not clean, it can damage the new packing going back in. I also use two 18" channel locks to get it apart sometimes. On a smaller boat in salt water, they don't always want to come apart :=-( Thanks though.....
Can you over tighten it before it goes back in the water ? I was going to loosen it off when in the water . It felt very easy going back together
Yes, you can over tighten and though you won't die, you should avoid over tighten if you can. Some dripping when you go in the water is good and then tighten just to where this stops. Re check after spinning the prop for a few minutes.
@@sailboatcareandrepair thank you so much . you’ve helped before on cutlets bearing . I haven’t put it in the water yet can I just loosen it ? Will it loosen up if I run it for a bit ? . I had this vision of water rushing in soon as it went in the water 😢
@@MrPaulcoster94 You can loosen on shore and in the water. As long as you have a couple threads meshed up, it will hold when you go in the water. Always check all thru hull fittings and your packing gland as soon as the boat goes in the water. All boat yards will allow this check while you are still hanging in the slings of the crane.
Once you tighten the packing nut in the water, you snug the lock nut against it and it will stay still. You can loosen this lock nut and tighten the packing nut from time to time in the future - and this is normal.
It's a pleasure to be able to help.
@@sailboatcareandrepair thank you 🙏
My boat is out of the water . Can I test it with a hose . I don’t live near the boat so they put it in the water before I arrive
No a hose won't help, but the yard should check it when you "splash" back into the water. They also have the tools to be able to do the basic adjustments at that time. Remind them to be safe if they splash without you. CHECK MY PACKING GLAND WHEN YOU SPLASH MY BOAT!!!
Then do a simple adjustment as needed when you run the engine in gear the first time.
Sailboat Care and Repair thanks mate , if I tighten it up a lot and also I have Grease gun to the packing gland so I can make sure there is plenty of grease in there as well . I live in England and the boat is on France I always worry if I’m not there when she goes in 👍
how do you know what size packing you need? 1/8th, 3/16, 1/4,........?? I have a Pearson vanguard 33, 1965
I pull out the old stuff and measure it. But I heard there is a chart based on shaft size but I have never found it.
WARNING DON'T USE GRAPHITE. It is not for a salt water environment and will cause corrosion to all accent metal. This is a common mistake.
Is the rudder post done the same way
If it looks the same or similar, it is done the same. The size is not what would change it, but the style of packing gland. With rudder glands, watch out for twisting it off of the hose. The rudder is not wet all the time in most boats, so the corrosion is not "washed away" and builds up. Since it is usually dry when the boat is sitting, the packing gets harder. All else is the same. Feel free to send a pic if you have any questions.
When you put it back together, I would recommend the syntef packing grease. It will make up for the lack of water when the boat is sitting. Also use graphite packing instead of the usual white stuff. It stays supple longer. These will cause less wear on your rudder shaft and make the packing last longer.
@@sailboatcareandrepair if memory serves me right it looks the same. It is an endeavor 32. Haven't dug into it as of yet. Been on the hard for unknown number of years so hose is hard and cracked.
Is that grease a graphite grease or something different
Email address so can send pic when i get to boat
I have done a lot of work on those. Nice all around boat that is perfect for Florida and the Bahamas. The Syntef is a functionally waterproof grease with teflon. It is designed to stay in the stuffing box and keep it cool even with water flow. Nice stuff. sailboatcare@gmail.com Once I see the pic's we can figure it out. And how is your centerboard? The E-32's need that cable replaced from time to time.
@@sailboatcareandrepair no cb on mine modified full keel more or less 4' 2" draft. Plan goin a bit further than bahamas the philippines will be home.
Sounds like a great grease