[C38] Mysterious stuffing box behavior

[dmills3 at comcast.net]

Marci, We bought our boat in Rhode Island and last year did the opposite trip you are doing. We brought it to the Chesapeake Bay. We Had a situation that may be close to yours. 

We had 5 total crew and was motor sailing hard in Long Island Sound to try to get to the East River to catch the tide right. We heard water splashing around and the quarter berth was getting wet (we have an opening there to get to the back of the engine, not sure all Catalina's have it). There was a lot of water under the engine and the spinning shaft was splashing it around. When the shaft wasn't spinning there was no splashing. 

Before starting our adventure I got a lot of information from the C38 website, most importantly the leaking stuffing box on the rudder post. Below the front of the engine there is a drain hole that allows water to drain from under the engine to the bilge. Ours was clogged up and allowed the build up of water under the engine and the shaft to splash it around. When running hard and even sailing fast the rudder post will let in a lot of water because the stern is squatted down. 

Check under the front of the engine and make sure that hole is clear. I think you will find that to be your problem as well as a rudder post leak. 

I still have to fix mine. I'm going to cut out the sail locker bottom as suggested on the C38 website to gain access to the rudder post. 

Dan #108 


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Max Soto" <maxsoto at gmail.com> 
To: "Catalina 38 Listserve" <listserve at catalina38.org> 
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 11:35:51 AM 
Subject: Re: [C38] Mysterious stuffing box behavior 

Marci, 
 I guess that the shaft was spinning while sailing with the transmission in neutral. I'll check the packing gland and also check for movement of the stuffing box while running with the engine, it should denote problems like the ones you just mentioned... 


Hope this helps..  


Max Soto 
C38 #198 ESTANCIA 

Puntarenas, Costa Rica 


2011/5/18 Marci Brown < mb at seafor.us > 






A troubling stuffing box situation began last week (and continues): We ran the engine reasonably hard for about 4 hours when doing the NYC East River trek to Long Island Sound. I was in the galley when Keith raised the sails and cut the engine (leaving transmission in neutral). Immediately I heard water pouring into the boat from the stuffing box area. I shouted for Keith to throw the transmission into reverse. No more water! Whew! Water quickly exited the boat via bilge pump - with the exception of 10 gallons sitting under the engine that I had to pump out by hand. Diagnostic guesstimate #1: New zincs on the prop shaft causing wobble that is stressing the 2-year old flax packing gland... right? The cutlass bearing is fine. Other thoughts: Folding prop has inherent balance issues, engine/transmission/prop shaft alignment fine tuning necessary, packing glands wear out quickly under stress?? Would anyone like to tackle this one? 



Marci J. Brown 

PO Box 520549, Winthrop, MA 02152 USA 

Ph: 757-515-3151 | Email: mb at seafor.us 






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