Hi Gang,
I have a steady leak from the top of my rudder tube when under full power. I'm assuming this is simply because the boat squats in that mode and the top of the tube drops below the water line. The water is escaping (at a slow leak) from the hole in the nut at the top of the tube.
I dropped the rudder this spring (doing cutless bearing replacement) and was surprised to find nothing that I recognized as a stuffing box at the top of the tube. Nothing came out that looked like stuffing. (I have a photo of the tube, but can't figure out how to make it small enough to include with this message.) The tube appears to be bronze. Top of the tube is threaded. Onto that is threaded a nut with a hole sized a good bit wider than the rudder post. I think, but am not sure, that there is nothing else in the tube, for example, nothing to compress stuffing against. I didn't investigate this when I reinstalled the nut, so I could be wrong.
Anyone know how the rudder post was constructed (it's not covered in my owner's manual) or how to stop the leak? I don't know much about stuffing boxes. Thanks in advance for any ideas.
Dan
I have a steady leak from the top of my rudder tube when under full power. I'm assuming this is simply because the boat squats in that mode and the top of the tube drops below the water line. The water is escaping (at a slow leak) from the hole in the nut at the top of the tube.
I dropped the rudder this spring (doing cutless bearing replacement) and was surprised to find nothing that I recognized as a stuffing box at the top of the tube. Nothing came out that looked like stuffing. (I have a photo of the tube, but can't figure out how to make it small enough to include with this message.) The tube appears to be bronze. Top of the tube is threaded. Onto that is threaded a nut with a hole sized a good bit wider than the rudder post. I think, but am not sure, that there is nothing else in the tube, for example, nothing to compress stuffing against. I didn't investigate this when I reinstalled the nut, so I could be wrong.
Anyone know how the rudder post was constructed (it's not covered in my owner's manual) or how to stop the leak? I don't know much about stuffing boxes. Thanks in advance for any ideas.
Dan