[C38] Rudder packing gland is the pits

[D. R. Strong]

Les:
    I have wrestled with the packing gland repeatedly, and finally seem 
to have mastered it. In my estimation, the cramped space for the packing 
gland is the worst aspect of our boats. Access to the gland is very 
difficult. The quadrant for wheel steering has to be removed to gain 
access to the gland. After having a good laugh at our expense, Cree at 
Berkeley Marine Center taught me how to replace the packing material. He 
assured me that it would be far better to replace the packing material 
properly than to screw around trying to install a gaitor; we simply 
don't have enough room for a gaitor.  The main advantage of being too 
small for high school athletics is that (taa da!) I can work on my own 
C38 packing gland! Accessing the engine compartment through the sail 
locker, then wriggling sternward, one can remove the quandrant then deal 
with the front two bolts of the gland; the rear bolts of the quadrant 
and rear two bolts of the gland are removed through the stern locker.
    You should use 3 lengths of packing material. The key to getting the 
packing material right is to make a diagonal cut with a very sharp razor 
blade, getting the exact length by cutting wraps that have wound around 
the rudder shaft (which you can access in the cockpit by removing the 
bolting base of the tiller: THE RUDDER WILL SINK WHEN YOU REMOVE THE 
BOLTING BASE. SECURE THE RUDDER WITH A ROPE HARNESS). Then, grease up 
the cut length of packing material with water proof axle grease, and 
slip it into the gland from the stern locker. Space the cut ends by 60 
degree intervals, score the gland so you can remember where the ends of 
each length are. Then go back inside and tighten the two front bolts, 
then the two rear bolts from the cockpit. Then replace the quandrant. 
The whole activity should took 6 intense hours the first time. My mood 
turned so foul that Karin left the boat and went shopping. The second 
time took about 4 hours, and the third time, After Cree's instruction, 
when I got the cuts in the packing material right and used the axle 
grease method, took about 3 hours.
    I used a mirror on a stick to assure myself that the gland was not 
leaking, during a hard sail. With the mirror, I found that the hose at 
the bottom of one of  those horrid rubber things holding the ping pong 
ball in the cockpit drain was loose and leaking. I replaced the cockpit 
drain hoses (which is another long story).
Don

Les wrote:
> Hi, Everyone,
> 	Sometime ago there was discussion of using a gaitor on the rudder tube.
> I am curious about the effectiveness and installation cost, also if the
> packing gland were removed, and did that affect the play in the rudder
> shaft?  
>
> We just had the packing gland adjusted for JACE.  I am a bit too bulky
> to get in there, and Nancy doesn't understand what needed to be done, so
> I got someone skinnier and more flexible to do it.  But that brought
> home a point.  What happens when we're out?  How could I stop the
> ingress of water from the stern?  
>
> I feel I should mention that I did make a modification to the stern
> locker floor inserts, using some bits of mahoghany 1x2.  I cut the
> existing pieces from port to starboard, so that it is now 4 pieces.
> Then I added a support from aft to the rail over the quadrant to support
> the intersection.  Finally I added the 1x2 under the forward pieces to
> support the aft pieces, set up in such a way that they 1x restricted the
> support from moving side to side.  This means the whole thing, the four
> pieces and support fit together in such a way that they can be easily
> removed from the top, but will not slide down into the bilge.  I will
> add fasteners to the pieces to hold them in place so that they will
> effectively be one piece.
>
> I did this when I had my minor panic attack from the bilge pump hose
> slipping off the thru hull and causing water to circulate, but I didn't
> know that at the time, what I saw was a lot of water flowing into the
> bilge while the bilge pump was running continuously.  I thought I was
> sinking.... What a rush!!  Fortunately we fixed the hose and it turned
> out to be "nothing".  By the way, check the hoses, mine were just glued
> in and the glue had dried out, which was the source of the problem.  Now
> I'm hose clamped good!!
>
> Even with this stern locker floor out, we can only reach one bolt of the
> three under the quadrant on JACE.  I don't know if all the boats use the
> same packing gland or not.
>
> Regards,
> Les H
>
>
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