Shaft Packing

[Nomad]

I am new to this site because I was just lucky enough to buy a 1987 27/2 last week.  You were all a great help in making my decision to go with the Com-Pac.  I had been suffering with Catalina fever for quite a while but finally came to my senses.

Here are the questions:  The shaft is dribbling now, initially it was just drops.  I have put several hours under power on the boat since buying it and it seems to have loosened things up a bit.   How do I tighten it up or repack it?

The deck joints have a few leaks and have wicked water into the overhead carpeting and the starboard side of the v birth.  Can anyone suggest a good sealer and perhaps a source for the rub rail.  My rub rail is in good condition but is a little dry, if I take it off to seal the joint it might break. 

All suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Nomad

[spaul]

Welcome Nomad,
I'm not sure why your seal is leaking now unless the boat was on the hard and was dry for some time, or if it just wasn't used. THere are several considerations but for the moment why not try tightening the packing nut gland. It's the obvious one just behind the coupling which is just behind the transmission. Could be it wasn't tight and has just loosened from vibration.
Now if you're set on replacing the packing (and that might be the right thing) you should pull the packing out and inspect it, then plan on replacing it at the same time. To prevent water from coming in your boat you can dive on the prop shaft and stuff the hole around the shaft with plumbers putty. IT will hold back the water while you careully pick out and replace the existing packing material. I heartily recommend the synthetic and flax mixture, it works well. Do follow the instructions on the box and make your cuts carefully so they mate fully.
Do inspect your propeller shaft under the packing to gage for yourself the amount of wear that has been occurring there. Some wear is ok, others may say no but some will not be a problem and I promise you'll see some wearing there.
If it appears the wear is significant then consider replacing the shaft if you believe that is the cause of the leak or that it might be damaging the packing. Retighten, run for awhile and then tighten to a single drop per hour or so.

As for the leaks, are you positive they are from the rail or hull joint? There are many places to check that might give you leaks. The lifeline stanchions and teak handrails are all places to check out as well as hatches. I fully suspect Hutchins can supply you with a proper rail if none can be found elswhere, I've found the Hutchins brothers to be extremely helpful to their boat owners and their needs.
There are many books and articles on these subjects but one I like best is "Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual" by Nigel Caulder.  Check online at Amazon for a quick delivery.

We 27 owners wish you the best here and please keep us informed on your successes here.

Steve Paul

[Nomad]

Steve,

Thanks for the quick reply.

The boat has sit for quite some time.  We had to rock it out of the mud to take it on sea trials.  From what I can tell it is all superficial problems due to neglect.  It already looks 100% better due to a power wash and two cans of never dull and a few motrin for the operator.

I have inspected the bottom and its fine due to a bottom job a year or more ago.  I was having power problems until I put the gear on and went under the boat, the prop was two lumps of barnacles so after a good scraping it has all the power you need now.

The engine is in great shape with 460 believable hours on it and all other systems operate fine.

I will try your suggestion and snug up the packing nut and see what the results are.  Since it had not been run in nearly a year I don't suspect terrible problems.  Thanks for the tip on the plumbers putty that will help with the flooding worries.


Nomad

[jimyoung]

Nomad,

Congratulations on your new family member (your '87 27/2)!  I also have a '87 27/2 and have had her since about '88. I know you will enjoy her.

"The shaft is dribbling now, initially it was just drops"  You have already gotton some great advice on the packing gland so I'll not go there other than to say several years ago I changed mine out to one of the stainless steel non-gland type of seals and have had very good results with it.

" wicked water into the overhead carpeting " This problem could be a little more vexing.  If the water is coming thru the deck joint then unless the leak is extreme I would think that only the out-board edge of the carpet should be stained and when it leaks you should see water in the inverted "lip" at the back of the stoage area that the paneling sits in.  More likely the leak is (listed in the order easiest to fix) 1.) Around the Stanchion posts (but this wouldn't explain the V berth leaks) 2.) The Genoa track (but again water will most likely show up in the same area as a leak in the deck joint and doesn't explain the berth leak) 3.) the decorative strip of teak that runs down the side of the cabin (this is my guess) This rail is fastened directly to the cabin with screws straight through the cabin wall, and then the screws are ground (or cut) back flush with the interior wall so the panel can be glued to the fiberglass on the inside with a "bondo" type of material.  If these screws have worked loose somehow then water could be entering here.

On Miss B. I finally found her leak by tearing out all her teak (not recommended) only to find the leak coming from one of the screws that brace the paneling behind the  the stoage area mentioned above.  I am not sure about other ComPacs but on my 27' the hull/deck joint is glassed over from the inside and then this "panel brace" is mounted by screwing thru this layer of fiberglass.  On one of the braces the installer "missed" the mark and screwed right through the hull just above the deck joint lip.

Anyway, a long winded reply.... I hope it helps some, but don't give up, you have bought yourself a wonderful boat.

Jim 

[Nomad]

I have solved my leak, for all I know.   The starboard aft stanchion sp? of the bow pulpit has the wire for the forward running lights in it.  The sealant around it had given out over the years and allowed water to leak in and it gathered in the groove that the wall board rests in and was then soaked up by the cardboard like material that Com-Pac used for the v-berth walls.  I rebedded the stanchion and sealed the hole for the wire.  While I was at it I pulled out the cardboard walls and used them for templates to make new ones.  Home Depot sells a wall board that is a little sturdier but looks just like the original and costs about $10.00 a sheet.  They also have fiberglass sheets but it does not look stock.  Measure the spacing on the old teak strips and remove them from the original wall boards.  Pull out the wire nails they used to fasten them to the old board and reapply them to the new walls with that two sided sticky foam tape from 3m.  You can knock this project out in about a day.

The overhead carpeting was stained from years in a damp climate - Florida   not a leak as it turns out.  I bought 5 yards of oyster white marine overhead carpeting from SailRite for about $20.00 a yard and 4 cans of 3m general adhesive.  Yank out the old stuff one piece at a time, use it for a template to cut the new pieces.  clean up the overhead a little and spray it down with adhesive on the overhead and the the fabric. CAREFULLY start the carpet on the outside edge and use a small foam paint roller to spread it evenly into place.  A hand stapler with stainless staples to fasten the carpet to the teak wall panels on the inboard side.

This was a low cost fix that made the boats interior look 100% better and also got rid of the funky smells.

I was finally able to tighten the shaft packing gland and it is nice and dry in shaft ally now.  The keeper nut was frozen in place from corrosion so it needed a few shots of the nut loosening spray you can pick up at most auto supply shops.