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navman

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which size shaft paking gland material to buy if you need to re pak the stuffing box?
I have 2" shaft size.
 
Measure the inside diameter of the packing (gland) housing. Substract the shaft diameter. Then divide by 2. That should be your packing size.
 
ok, right now everything is loose. So if I back it all the way off I must have some way of stopping all the water from rushing in since I am in the water. I will have rags ready to stuff around the shaft. Or can I try and run a tape on the housing without backing it all the way off. I am a little nervous of the water coming in on me??
 
You do not have to remove the packing pusher. With an inside caliper, measure the outside diameter of the packing pusher. That should be as close as the inside diameter of the packing housing.
 
I am sorry, use outside caliper to measure the outside diameter of the packing pusher.
 
http://www.buckalgonquin.com/Buck_Algonquin/Pages/Shaft_Logs_&_Packing_Boxes/Page_77.pdf find your stuffing box and they tell you what size Flax you need.
 
andy capt and Gami thankyou, based on the web site on shaft logs it looks like I need a 3/8 material.

Now have you guys ever experience something like this:
I was having a vibration on my starboard side and when I went to engine room I could see my shaft log wobble.

I was just bout to begin to remove prop and have it scanned. But over the weekend I went back and inspected the shaft log again and noticed that the jam nut was backed all the way off. I could not get it threaded at the time so I tightened up the log housing a bit and slowed the drip. While underway I noticed less vibration so went back in to engine room while my wife skippered the boat and no more wobble in the shaft log. So went back up top and before long I heard a screeching sound. So back into the engine room and noticed the shaft housing log tryng to turn on me and it was screeching like metal to metal. So I backed the housing back off and continued home. I cleaned threaded surface so I could get the jam nut back up to housing but even when tightening them both up I could turn the entire shaft log housing by hand?? So I backed the jam nut back off for time being and figured the packing material might be toast. While underway it did not feel real hot, but was warm. I do not have an excessive leak, but something is not right?? So for now I want to correct this, then run boat and check for vibration again before I pull prop.
 
Sure sounds like you picked up a crab pot or a bunch of line. Any possibility that it's a bunch of barnacles? I'd check underwater shaft first and then make sure that clamps on shaft log hose are retightened. If the hose is really damaged you're looking at some time out of the water.

I would also back off packing gland and inspect shaft under the packing just to make sure you didn't score that shaft too badly. You could have smoked the packing, so you might want to replace it while you're at it. Don't sweat the amount of water coming in. A minor amount flows through the small clearance between shaft and log. You should have no trouble keeping up with it. Seems to me that you'd know if you dinged the prop.
 
My diver confirmed all looked good under water, sees no noticable damage. Shaft hose is ok.I am more curious to the shaft log wobble, I have a feeling some packing may have doubled up at some point. As far as replacing the packing ,yes that is my next step.
 
did you ever try to tighten the packing nut with a hammer because you didnt have a wrench that big? I learned this one the hard way.
 
I don't think packing could double up unless it was way undersized. Just not enough room to do that. I'm interested in what you find out.

I went to an antique flea market and bought two smooth-jaw monkey wrenches for about $10 each. Beats the heck out of the packing wrenches you get at Boat USless. Don't need them anymore though. I installed a PSS Dripless Shaft Seal last year and I ain't lookin' back.
 
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