First off, this board is great for new ideas and help with problems. Maybe someone can help me with a problem... My boats stuffing box for the prop shaft leaks really bad now. I have tons of hours on my boat and I already know about tightening it enough for lubrication. It has probably been tightened as much as possible for the final time. What now? it leaks like the Titanic.... Is there a kit to repack it? Does it need to be replaced? Suggestions??? Right now I am at the mercy of the bilge pump...Help!

Repack it

PSS Shaft Seal will solve your problem with no more leaks. I think for about $125 you'll be set. Very easy to install yourself.

Just get the packing material, it's about 10 bucks and will last a long time. They have used it since the 60's and it works fine. You can save a lot of money by buying it at a plumbing store. <BR> <BR>If over tightened it will burn up which means it looses lubrication ability and is just a ball of rope material. It is lubricated with graphite I believe. Just loosen lock nut,then the packing nut and slide up shaft. Use a pick to pull old packing out carefully. Hopefully it's in strips. If not take new packing rope and wrap around shaft until it butts together. Cut about 3-4 of these &amp; install new packing material and retighten everything. Should take less than an hour. Dont overtighten. Put boat in water and after running watch it drip very slowly. <BR> <BR>Rick

You want to change the packing. It is very easy. Follow the shaft from the <BR>transmission to the bottom of the boat (inside) and you will find a huge nut <BR>(about the size of your closed fist). Loosen the nut to the point where it is no <BR>longer on the threads and you can move it up and down the shaft. This nut has the <BR>packing material inside. Get a packing extractor to pull out the old packing material <BR>(makes the job way easier). I got one at West Marine for $8.00-$10.00. It looks <BR>kind of like a corkscrew. It will only fit in one side of the nut, so you will <BR>know which side of the nut to pull the packing from. Make sure you buy the right <BR>size packing for your nut/shaft because only the correct width of packing will fit. <BR>My Supra Launch uses 1/4 inch packing, nut sure what yous will use. You can <BR>find out from the factory/dealer/other owner or you can pull out the old stuff <BR>and buy the size that looks like the old stuff. If it is too large it will not <BR>fit, too small and it will leak. The packing looks like rope dipped in wax. You <BR>want to cut the rope (packing) to lengths that will form a ring around the <BR>shaft (like a belt around your waist). I use 2 to 3 rings, you may differ. Cut <BR>the packing on about a 45 degree angle and stagger the cuts as you wrap your <BR>rings around the shaft and insert them into the packing nut. MAKE SURE YOU PUT <BR>PACKING GREASE ON THE PACKING BEFORE YOU PUT THE PACKING INTO THE NUT. Don't just <BR>wrap the shaft a few times with one big peice of packing rope -- it will leak. <BR>Tighten the nut back up a about a turn or two and put the boat back into the water. <BR>You will want to look at the nut and tighten it 1/4 turn at a time until water <BR>stops driping in the boat through the packing nut. The ideal packing will drip once <BR>every 10 seconds while the shaft is turning and not at all when in nuteral. <BR> <BR>It will take you about 30 minutes the first time you do this. <BR> <BR>Thats it. Good luck!

Great advise! Thanks to everyone who responded. I followed tre's advise AND FOR AROUND $10 I am back in shape.

tre, <BR>very good instructions, but what do you use for "packing grease"? Thanks

I bought the packing grease at West Marine. It was next to the packing material in the store. It is green and comes in a small bottle. I think they call it Stuffing Box Lube. <BR>