rudder packing question

do all inboard rudders need flax packing in them? I dropped my rudder and it didn't have any flax in it, there are two o rings on either side, and it does have a small attachment to add grease. So Im wondering if it just needs a little grease? its on an 88 ski supreme

I had an 88 ski supreme (sierra supreme) mine had the packing.

Depends on the design of the rudder. If yours has O-rings then you have an O-ring sealed rudder. If yours has a large gland nut then you have the packing style.

You can debate endlessly which one is better. The O-ring seals can be totally "dripless", as long as the shaft and bearing is in good shape. A stuffing style should leak a small amount to keep the flax lubricated.

As the shaft/bearing wears and things wobble around a little bit the O-ring style can fail miserably. Rudders are not too much of a problem, but on prop shafts the O-ring seal types can fail in a big way. The stuffing box arrangement with the Flax is a bit more forgiving to alignment and wobble. When they start to leak you can generally do something to stem the flow down to a reasonable trickle until you can repack.