Stern Tube tools

[Quetzalsailor]

I've been enjoying excessive leaking from the stern tube this season. The last time, a couple years ago, I bought an animal-sized pair of channel locks and a cheepie Taiwan-made 'Slip & Lock Nut Wrench'. The effort was a complete failure since I could not get mylargefatself in a position suitable to put enough leverage to turn the locknut. The shaftlog is down within the keel and between bilgepump hoses, sort of under the Vetus, and otherwise 'way back in never-never land. So I paid the Yard. I since found out that they turn unruly nuts with a hammer and chisel. OK, so it gets the job done but they ruined my rudder shaft nut.

This year, Sue 'volunteered' to try, since she's much smaller and more patient than I am. I bought two of the Despot's largest adjustable wrenches (real live Crescents!), but she found that they were too small a capacity and too large to get in there. So, I dragged out that cheepie and she set it for the right size but could not get enough force on it, either. I bolted a wood extension to it but it was too long. I whipped out my Leatherman and sawed it to a suitable 18" length. By this time, we're both soaked with sweat and miserable. (Flat calm and 100% humid)

I decided to try again and with the modified cheepie I got the locknut to turn. Of course, the extension did not allow enough swing to turn either the locknut or the packing nut so I removed it. I was able then to tighten the packing and the locknut with the 9" cheepies' handle. I started the engine and revd fwd and reverse but there was no water dripping. Shut down losened things, restart and observe. Stuffed part of the engine covers back together and squiggled myself in and readjusted to ensure that there was a little water weeping along the propellor shaft.

This is much more interesting when the engine is running, and warmer reaching past the exhaust riser!

So! The whole point of this blather is that this is not rocket science, is a pain in the neck, and there must be a better or better quality tool than what I used. What is it?

One day, I'll do the PWI dripless seal and be done with the problem.

[Tom Young]

Mostly because my stuffing box (you are talking about adjusting the stuffing box?) is of that style that uses a special wrench to insert into holes bored into the lock nut and box itself.

But it's round so a pipe wrench works fine and doesn't damage anything really.

But a pipe wrench will allow almost infinite adjustment as to where on the nut it will lock. This may work with yours too, especially if you have a round shoulder somewhere to get a "bite" You can still get a bite on the corners of the nut. It shouldn't be that tight so damage shouldn't be a problem, certainly less the old chisel and hammer wrench trick.

I have a little more space though by the sounds of things. Then again, I've found the only way to replace the packing correctly is to remove the transmission. And that requires raising the engine on it's rear mounts and lowering it on the forward mounts.

Now do you feel better?

[fusto]

So! The whole point of this blather is that this is not rocket science, is a pain in the neck, and there must be a better or better quality tool than what I used. What is it?

Here in the boatyard this is the guy I use right here. (hammer and chisel is very poor workmanship)


Since I've gotten it I've found it indispensable. Stuffing boxes, thru hulls, you name it.

Offset hex wrench made by Ridgid.
I got mine at Grainger for about $30.

[Quetzalsailor]

Lowes sells the same piece of junque that I bought at the hardware store in Rock Hall: http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=p ... lpage=none

I'd never get that honkin' pipe wench into the space available. The lock nut is about 2 1/16" and the packing nut is about 1 15/16"; no doubt in metric on our Dutch boat. The space between the sides of the keel is about 5"

[fusto]

I'd never get that honkin' pipe wench into the space available.

You'd be surprised.
Its only about 9" long, and with the offset its easier to work into small spaces than you'd think. It's really quite small, at least as far as pipe wrenches go.
You might only get a fraction of a turn on the nut at a time, but at least its turning.

Heres the other answer:



I've installed a metric ton of these things.
People seem to like them. I'm not sold though...

[Hirilondë]

So! The whole point of this blather is that this is not rocket science, is a pain in the neck, and there must be a better or better quality tool than what I used. What is it?

Here in the boatyard this is the guy I use right here. (hammer and chisel is very poor workmanship)


Since I've gotten it I've found it indispensable. Stuffing boxes, thru hulls, you name it.

Offset hex wrench made by Ridgid.
I got mine at Grainger for about $30.

Yup, same tool we use all the time. And it does fit into smaller spaces than one might think.

[JetStream]

I had a tough time getting my stuffing box apart during the off-season. It is a lot easier though when the boat isn't bouncing you around and you don't have to worry about a gusher.

After I got it disassembled, I was able to clean the threads with a power wire brush and polish the shaft up to 1500 grit. (All this without removing the shaft or taking the coupling apart.) Then when assembling, I used a liberal supply of "Never Sieze" on the stuffing box threads after repacking with standard flax. Now I easily use that "cheezy" tool you bought to get an adjustment, and I leave it on board for that purpose. The lock nut doesn't have to be crazy tight to accomplish its purpose.

[Quetzalsailor]

I googled the problem and came up with a page on the Alberg 30 Site. One of the fellows spoke of these wrenches as a 'pump wrench'. Go to McMaster Carr and you can buy 'em. They're thinner than normal wrenches and the handles are not as long proportionally.

Also a good, illustrated write up on how to replace the packing. I'd do the PWI dripless seal before I tried that; it looks finniky.

I dispair of getting a good reading of nut size with a caliper in that miserable place so I'll try cleaning up, grinding to adequacy, the cheezy wrench and see if I can get a measurement using it.

[Quetzalsailor]

I ground the inner faces of the jaws of my cheepie wrench smooth and flat. It's now adequate.

'Course, the reason I know is that I had to readjust the packing. Means, I suppose, that the packing is due for replacement.

Please, oh gremlin of the nethers! Let it last at least three more weekends!

[Liberty28]

IMHO, anything that is maintenance-related that is this much of a PITA should have a permanent fix. We just replaced the cutless bearing on our Liberty 28 and had a terrible time of getting the coupling loose, and the shaft out (and that was with a dripless shaft seal. Whoever designed these boats must not of ever had to work on them!

Considering the space issue as par for the course, I'd just bite the bullet and get a dripless seal. If you ever got a good leak going on your shaft seal, it could be problematic getting it stopped if it's this much of a hassle to even get to the seal.

I reckon life is too short for some of the aggravation a boat can give when it comes to the "space-to-fix" issue. Good luck to everyone in figuring the best way to do these PITA jobs!