stern tube refitting

[magnetman]

i've just taken out the stern gear off one of my boats, for a new shaft and a new stern tube bushing. when the stern tube goes back in do I use ptfe tape to seal the threads? there is some silly cone around it from someone else before but I don't think thats right.

[gaggle]

The man who took mine out used some stuff that he said they always used when working on motor bikes , dont know if it was some gasket stuff ,anyway it worked like he promised.

[magnetman]

boat still floatiing you mean?

[nebulae]

I use good old fashioned Red Hermetite.Never had a problem.(Red Hermetite now discontinued,now called Red Hylotyte and made by Hylomar)Trouble with using silicone is there are so many specialist types,you need to know the exact spec.

[Neil TNC]

R&D used PTFE tape and advised me to do the same when I replaced NB Earnest's stern tube*. I was give a load of rubbish by a certain well known boat yard close to us, that you would never be able to fit a replacement stern tube so that it "lined up" and mated against the stuffing box X-Members. They envisaged having to cut out and weld in a new outer tube! Total rubbish, I had no trouble at all. Big stillsons with scaffold pole extension just fitted in, to initially crack the joint. In the case of NB Earnest it was an easy job.

There is, of course the essential tip of getting an exact size replacement tube. It probably won't help you, but the R&D standard 7" x 11/2"size was supplied by Watson Engineering*, on the same trading estate as R&D / XR&D in New Ollerton Tel 01623 860780...A quick Google confirms they are still there.

 

Watson Engineering*

AFAIK, they supply stern tubes / stuffing boxes to a lot of narrowboat fabricators and are considerably cheaper than dealing with outlets, like Midland Chandlers, etc.

 

stern tube*

Knackered by cracked engine mount bolts, due to engine mounts being set too low. Replacement ones set up on 1/2" steel spacers. New one been going strong for 9 years.

[nb Innisfree]

I copied a fitter who had used plain silicone on umpteen stern gears. Been watertight for 7 years now.

[n.b.Goldie]

Anyone tried plumbers mait?

 

Regards

Ditchdabbler

[Timleech]

R&D used PTFE tape and advised me to do the same when I replaced NB Earnest's stern tube*. I was give a load of rubbish by a certain well known boat yard close to us, that you would never be able to fit a replacement stern tube so that it "lined up" and mated against the stuffing box X-Members. They envisaged having to cut out and weld in a new outer tube! Total rubbish, I had no trouble at all. Big stillsons with scaffold pole extension just fitted in, to initially crack the joint. In the case of NB Earnest it was an easy job.

There is, of course the essential tip of getting an exact size replacement tube. It probably won't help you, but the R&D standard 7" x 11/2"size was supplied by Watson Engineering*, on the same trading estate as R&D / XR&D in New Ollerton Tel 01623 860780...A quick Google confirms they are still there.

 

 

 

It often is a problem getting the whole assembly tight and at the same time having the stuffing box registering properly with the cross member. Easier to cut out and re-weld the cross member, though, than the boss in the stern post!

If the whole assembly, with both threads, is not properly tight it will give trouble in the future.

 

Tim

[magnetman]

i'll be putting same stern tube back in with the stillson and chain wrench I took it out with so hopefully it will line up properly and be tight.

 

thanks for the advice, the silicone is interesting as there is some on it already so I might do that again

[Timleech]

i'll be putting same stern tube back in with the stillson and chain wrench I took it out with so hopefully it will line up properly and be tight.

 

thanks for the advice, the silicone is interesting as there is some on it already so I might do that again

 

If yours is the type with the loose bearing bush, you have a better chance of being lucky. Check that the shoulder on the new bush is the same length as on the old one, to within a few thou.

 

Tim