Pearson Boats - Common Systems > Engine and Drive Train
Packing Size for Stuffing Box
My Cyn:
Hi Guys,
Wanted to inquire the size of the packing used for the stuffing box on your boats.
I recently used 1/4" Gore GFO. It was tight going in. In hind sight, I probably should have used 3/16".
Interested in hearing experiences, good and bad, from the forum.
Cheers,
Bill
Dolce_Vita:
When I repacked mine two seasons ago, I initially mistakenly used 1/4" packing. It was tight going in. The stuffing box overheated, over 200 degrees in less than a minute! Verified with an IR thermometer gun.
I dug it all out and replaced it with 3/16, which went in quite easily. Now runs cool as can be, just 10 degrees above the water ambient.
I used this opportunity to try out the Gore/Graphite GTU and the moldable dripless packing from Pacific Trading Co. This stuff works great. Box runs cool as can be, and has almost no drip. The lubricants in the moldable packing take the place of the usual slow drip in lubricating the shaft.
My Cyn:
Thanks for the feedback. The stuffing box is running cool after a bit of adjustment. At the next haul-out, I plan on using 3/16".
Regards,
Bill
Dolce_Vita:
Just for reference, my shaft is stainless 1 1/8", not the original bronze shaft.
If you could get the 1/4 adjusted to not heat, them maybe you have a different shaft and/or stuffing box size. With 1/4" mine was so tight that it would heat up even when I had the packing nut so loose that the shaft rotation would spin it off!
My Cyn:
Hi Guys,
Wanted to refresh this topic. I took the opportunity today to dig out the 1/4" GoreTex GFO packing I installed last October and replace it with (3) rings of 3/16" GoreTex GFO. I did it with the boat in the water. A bit of bicycle inner tube and a zip tie worked wonders to stem the tide....The bright side was no apparent damage to the shaft from running hot due to excessive friction over the last 11 months. The 1//4" packing I took out looked great. I'll plan on sticking with this brand until experience shows me otherwise. (3) rings of 3/16" provided me with lots of thread engagement on the shaft log, as opposed to a few threads with the 1/4".
As a side note: I found that a .22 caliber bore brush with brass bristles worked great for cleaning the threads on the nuts prior to installing the new packing.
Regards,
Bill
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