Should a stuffing box/shaft exit look like this?

[Rachel]

As has surely become painfully obvious by now, this is my first boat with an inboard engine. The area where the shaft exits the hull looks a bit strange to me:



I see from the boat's files that the shaft and cutless bearing were replaced at one time (I don't have the papers with me but I think it was in the late 1980s or early 1990s).

That whole vermiculite looking area has me a bit concerned. Is that boat that was hacked away? Or was there just some sort of cosmetic filler that the builder put in there taken away (less than gracefully, granted, but look at the work space...).

Is there anything here that looks scary to someone who knows what they're looking at? In other words: What's wrong with this picture?

Thank you,

--- Rachel

[bcooke]

In other words: What's wrong with this picture?

Ummm.... one of the hose clamps is too big. That extra long tail would really annoy me after awhile.

Seriously though, (not that incorrectly sized hose clamps aren't serious), it doesn't look pretty but I don't know if I would be excessively concerned. I have seen some pretty ugly stuff turn out to be original construction or otherwise last for 30-40 years untouched. Maybe someone else can provide better input but I think you could wait a year or two before worrying about it sinking the boat.

My guess is that when the shaft and cutless bearing came out a hammer was needed and some cracking/chipping resulted. What you see is a marginal repair over some more-or-less good hull. That's my best guess anyway.

-Britton

[dasein668]

It doens't look too horrible to my eye either. But pulling the stuffing box off the shaft log and getting a better look at that might be prudent, since you've got the boat out on the hard right now anyway...

[Tim]

That's pretty ugly, but not uglier than a lot of these installations. Is the material there sound and solid? As much as you'd probably like it to look like this, it's probably unrealistic right now--not to mention unnecessary.



I wouldn't necessarily put addressing any of that high on the list for right now, though those clamps are junk. At a minimum, replace the clamps--and put two at the forward (engine) end. (This is one other place where double clamps are virtually required, as long as there's room. It's the potential for twisting, thanks to the rotating shaft, that makes the double clamps more important here than on most regular hoses--as I discussed in your seacock post.)

How's that hose? It looks a bit old, but hoses back there tend to start looking worse than they are. Check the hose all over for rotten spots, softness, or rusting helix wire (if there is any; true stuffing box hose has fabric reinforcements, not wire). If you find anything suspect, then you should replace it now. If it seems solid and sound, then I'd stick with replacing the clamps only. And you can do that in the water, if you want.

You're not setting off around the world here. You're trying to launch a boat so that you can live aboard. While I hope that everyone knows that I am not suggesting to short-change any necessary repairs, I think you need to focus only on what is required to get in the water, or you're going to start really not enjoying this foray into boat ownership.

There is surely no end to the projects on your boat--she's 40 years old--but if you don't start living on her and stop working on the potential issues, soon you will have a stripped-out project boat on your hand--and that's not what you bought, nor is it what you wanted at this juncture.

There'll be time to make everything pretty as time goes on. But don't lose sight of what attracted you to the boat in the first place, nor of your reasons for buying the boat at this time.

[Ric in Richmond]

I do believe Tim has raised the bar for stuffing boxes.

Stuffing boxes as an art form.

"Notice the interplay of colors and metals, the balance and symmetry, subtle variations in texture, all on a field of gray."

[westsail42]

Thats a pretty nice celooking bilge there Tim.

Is that paint? If so, what did you use?

I am getting close to covering the bilges in certain compartments on my build out. I go back & forth between spraying paint or gel-coat.

The wife says she wants gel-coat but spraying paint would be easier.

-robert

[Jason K]

For bilges and lockers, you'll have a hard time beating Interlux BilgeKote.

LINK HERE

[dasein668]

It's Interlux Bilgekote. The stuff is awesome. (Never tried srpaying it, but it's great paint for bilge areas.)

[Tim]

Yes, as everyone before me has already chimed in: it's Bilgekote.

I have had great luck with this. It sticks to everything, period, and does not seem to fail, period. (knock wood) No need for ultra-fussy prep, other than whatever is necessary to make the final product look the way you want.

I have always brushed and rolled it, but spraying would work well also, particularly in large areas.

[Figment]

So, do they throw in those zooty little red rubber tail covers for free once you've spent $1000 on clamps?

[Tim]

No, I bought them. How pathetic is that?

They come in bags of 100 for the bargain price (wholesale) of about $16.00.

I love them, though. There's no going back.

[Rachel]

As much as you'd probably like it to look like this, it's probably unrealistic right now--not to mention unnecessary.

Oh now that's just mean. Of course I want my boat to look like that. Heck, even my dinner plate!

I think you need to focus only on what is required to get in the water, or you're going to start really not enjoying this foray into boat ownership.

Truer words were never spoken. I actually heard a whisper of the word "sell" in my head the other night. The thing is, I know what you're saying is true, but sometimes it's hard to prioritize properly when so many things are a bit subjective, and the "might as wells" are so prevalent since the boat is on the hard. And I'm the last person to want to do things that feel like short-cuts. So it's good to hear voices of reason. Thanks everyone for your comments.

--- Rachel

PS: Tim, is that the Bilgekote grey in the photo? Or did you make a custom mix to get a lighter shade?

[bcooke]

I think someone is trying to show off a bit :-)

Something to strive for. That isn't the current Bilgecote grey. It might be the old grey but the new grey (as in the past couple of years) is much darker. Too dark really.

You have probably forgotten but my bilge has the dark stuff. I ran out of the white and I had this whole gallon of grey just sitting there so that is what you saw under the cabin sole and engine.

-Britton

P.S. Glad to hear that you are ignoring those little voices that whisper "Sell!" This is why project boats get started and often abandoned. The opportunities for improvement are there but the means and enthusiasm lag behind. I think you remember how my interior looked when I bought my boat. You said it looked okay. A coat of paint and it could have worked for a while. You also saw what happens when the desire to improve becomes an addiction. This is all a mental game. Don't let the urge to fix everything now turn your boat into an empty shell unless you are REALLY ready for it. Since you plan on living on the boat this month you don't want to follow my lead.

I am hoping to get a chance to cruise the Chesapeake this summer on an A30 after all :-)

-Britton

[Tim]

Actually, that is the current Bilgekote gray. It's really not so bad.

This is the older, lighter gray, which I still prefer. I wonder why they changed it.



Soon, I'll be trying a mix using a 1:1 ratio of gray to white. Stay tuned.

[Rachel]

You have probably forgotten but my bilge has the dark stuff.

Forget your bilge? Never! ;-)

Assuming mine gets clean enough to paint one of these days, I think I'll either mix or go all white. I'm somewhat puzzled that they discontinued the light/medium grey, really, I think it's a great color. Perfectly white seems almost silly, but the dark grey seems unecessarily cave-like.

I am hoping to get a chance to cruise the Chesapeake this summer on an A30 after all :-)

I'll keep that in mind when I get a case of the "might as wells" :-) Actually, I don't think I'd gut this boat - it's too nice. If I decided I simply had to start a project boat from scratch, I'd find something that needed it more. I know from my shopping that there are plenty of candidates.

[Hirilondë]

Tim wrote:
I think you need to focus only on what is required to get in the water, or you're going to start really not enjoying this foray into boat ownership.


Truer words were never spoken.

Face it now Rachel......you, as well as everyone else in the forum are never going to be done. Make a written list of the absolute imperatives for getting into the water. Do this stuff in a timely manner and GO SAILING!!!

Make a mental list of stuff you come across in the process to be done later. Add to this list any time you want as time goes by. If you forget an item on the mental list then it wasn't really very important. Keep your mental list prioritized as time goes by and do stuff as it becomes necessary or important and you have time and money. Whenever you or anyone else asks why you haven't done such and such simply reply ... "It hasn't made it to the top of the list yet".

[CharlieJ]

Hey- you ALREADY HAVE a project boat *grin* Called a Meridian 25- remember?

VERY BIG GRIN!!!

[Rachel]

The scary thing is, that boat is sounding so simple now (and it needs deck core, a bulkhead replacement, and lord knows what else....)

Like someone said, it's all mental. Or was that we're all mental? <grin>

--- Rachel

[bcooke]

Actually, that is the current Bilgekote gray. It's really not so bad.

Actually, those two grays in the photos look the same to me. My gray, that I bought about two years ago, is much darker.

I would definitely mix in the future. I just was running low on the white and I couldn't spare the $60-70 to get another gallon for mixing at the time. White is nice around the engine though. It really brightens up the area and makes it seem bigger.

Forget your bilge? Never! ;-)

Of course you were greatly dazzled by the additional water tankage under there. I can understand why you didn't notice the bilge color :-)

Or was that we're all mental?

Yeah, that's it.

-Britton

[Tim]

Actually, those two grays in the photos look the same to me. My gray, that I bought about two years ago, is much darker.

You need a better monitor, my friend. Or maybe that eye hasn't fully recovered yet! ;<)

The two grays in the photos above really are completely different, in case anyone else can't tell the difference (which isn't unusual on computer monitors). The gray in the first photo probably looks lighter in the photo because of the reflection of the camera flash in a confined compartment.

3 or 4 years ago, Interlux drastically changed its gray tones to this darker, more industrial gray for reasons unknown. It's too bad, I think, because the original Bilgekote gray, like I used in Glissando (the second photo) was spot-on, colorwise, for lockers and bilges--in my opinion, anyway.

Anyway, this is getting away from the real topic here.

[keelbolts]

Most of us have little uglies hiding here and there on our old boats. Heck, even new boats have 'em. On my boat, I like to think of a quirky little part of traditional Japanese residential architecture. Over near the family shrine, in the midst of all that 3 dimensional order and geometric beauty, is almost always a rough piece of unfinished wood, often employed as a column. I can't recall what the name of that piece is, but it's a concession to the Gods. It is there to appease the Gods lest they should be angered at Man's attempt at perfection. There are numerous such concessions on Favona. Careful Tim, it's NEVER good to piss off the Gods...