Stuffing box

[Stray Cat]

Has anyone changed the packing in their shaft stuffing boxes without hauling out? I need new packing, but am not quite ready to haul out. Of course the folks who have dripless shaft seals don't have this problem, but some number of the older powercats do. Lots of boats can be successfully repacked in the water, although it looks kinda scary. The usual approach is to tie a rag around the shaft and smoosh it (technical jargon) against the open shaft log space to staunch the flow after the old packing is picked out and while the new packing is prepared. For lots of boats the regular bilge pump can easilly keep up. The trouble is, the water flow is dependant (among other variables) on the clearance between the shaft and the inner surface of the shaft log, and different boats have very different flow rates. I dread standing upside down in SCUBA gear trying to fight the gland back together as my precious boat sinks! I have no idea how fast the water floods through in the PDQ's powercats. Anybody done this?

[Milky Way]

Hi Gary. On one of my former boats Marilyn and I removed both a shaft and a rudder ( to to be repaired ), while in the water. She inserted a steel plug while I pulled out the shafts under water. I used an air compressor 110 volt, hose and pressure regulator. We did not sink the boat. Regarding your job, to reduce the water flow to your bilge, I would try to wrap something around the cuttless bearing and the shaft, using material that is flexible such as a latex glove, or use spongy material and a hose clamp. You can easily do this using mask and snorkel on your 34. Good luck. Armin Quickert. Milky Way MV 41/09