Stuffing Box Packing

[Chschaus]

I'm sure this has probably been covered but I can't seem to find an answer.
I am planning to repack the stuffing box on our 35-3 and I see it comes in various widths from 1/8 to 5/8
Does anyone know what width is used on the E35-3?

 

[KS Dave]

I would definitely want a current owner to chime in to confirm, but the owner's manual posted in Resources says 1/8" and looks to assume you have a 1" shaft. There are some GREAT diagrams in that manual, too. Wow. Wish we had more like that on the E26-2.


Always a good time to include Maine Sail's great article on repacking a traditional stuffing box.

 

[Chschaus]

Thank you Dave!

 

[Pete the Cat]

There are a few misprints in Ericson owner manuals. I think this is one o fhem. They seem to have given the transmission capacities wrong (the Hurth 50 uses 300ml of AT fluid not 550) and I think this is another error. Most 1" shafts with standard packing glands use 1/4" packing material. I have used 3/16" on a few with success. The key to to this is making absolutely sure you have removed all the old packing. I suggest making a tool for this because the commercially produced tools do not work well on the 1" shaft glands. A stiff wire with a hook on the end is an option. I made one out of one of those very small screw driver sets that works well. I recommend buying some Syntec grease and seating each ring before installing the next one. FWIW

 

[Kenneth K]

Good blog from member goldenstate:

E32-200 - Re-packing a propeller shaft stuffing box

Summary: I changed the packing flax material on my propeller stuffing box. It seems that no one had done this job for several years, so the difficult part was getting the packing nuts loosened up to begin with, and then extracting what I...

ericsonyachts.org

 

[KS Dave]

Thank you Dave!

Well, my thanks might be for naught as it seems I've led you astray. I should have engaged my brain first and realized that elsewhere I had stated I used 1/8" packing on my 3/4" shaft. All things being equal, it doesn't seem logical that a 1" shaft would use the same unless the the nuts/clearances are smaller. I agree, that measuring what you have (if it doesn't come out as dust like mine) is your best bet.
Apologies for the mistake.

 

[u079721]

There are a few misprints in Ericson owner manuals. I think this is one o fhem. They seem to have given the transmission capacities wrong (the Hurth 50 uses 300ml of AT fluid not 550) and I think this is another error. Most 1" shafts with standard packing glands use 1/4" packing material. I have used 3/16" on a few with success. The key to to this is making absolutely sure you have removed all the old packing. I suggest making a tool for this because the commercially produced tools do not work well on the 1" shaft glands. A stiff wire with a hook on the end is an option. I made one out of one of those very small screw driver sets that works well. I recommend buying some Syntec grease and seating each ring before installing the next one. FWIW

I can confirm the misprints. My manual specified 1/8" packing, while the actual packing was 1/4". If someone is going to tackle that job for the first time, I would highly recommend just getting one package of each size prior to the job. (A good shop should let you return the ones you didn't end up needing.)