New Stuffing Box

[George ( C&C 40 )]

Hi All,

I have a somewhat cheesy stuffing box on my boat currently. It's small, runs very hot, and is one of those designs where the 1/4" packing material is pushed up into the threaded side and the two pieces thread together whith an adjustable locking nut. I would prefer one of the larger units that uses a smooth receptacle for the packing material and a separate spacer piece to put pressure on the packing material. The shaft size is 1 1/8". Any idea's on who makes the best stuffing box would be great.

The other alternative is to go with a dripless system. Space is going to be a problem though as there is a grand total of 6 1/2" from the end of the stern tube to the face of the engine coupling. Any ideas on a dripless system for a 1 1/8" shaft that can be installed and operated in a 6 1/2" space would be great too.

George

[Tim]

Buck Algonquin makes some heavy-duty commercial type stuffing boxes, but I'm not sure if they're what you want, need, or if they're even applicable to your situation. Hamilton Marine carries them.

I don't know enough about exact clearances for the dripless packing systems, but in general they seem to require only a small amount more space than traditional stuffing boxes and their hoses. I would think you could easily get one to fit, but again: I don't know your exact situation, so am not sure.