Whats in a sterntube ?

[Guest]

Firstly, thanks for all the tips about getting my Volvo 2000 series out a few weeks ago – worked a treat.

My boat is glass and of 1973 vintage. I need to renew the sterntube which appears to be bronze in order to convert to a Volvo non drip gland.

I have managed to unscrew and remove the packing gland housing from the tube, and the fitting at the prop end which appears to have a white metal bearing which is badly worn. The shaft came out o.k.

Poking about ( it is very hard to see) there appears to be foam in the tube. Can I know drift out the bronze tube from the prop end or is there anything else that I should consider ?

I would also be grateful if there are any satisfied or otherwise users of the Volvo gland.

Many Thanks to all who may respond.

 

[pvb]

Volvo gland...

Assume you mean the moulded black rubber Volvo gland. It's a good, durable, effective product. I've had them on several boats and haven't had any problems with them. You get a slight dribble of water from them, but nothing too awful. The one thing you must remember is to vent the air from the gland whenever the boat is relaunched, before starting the engine (otherwise the gland will run dry and wear out quickly).

Do you really need to remove the stern tube to fit a Volvo gland? The gland simply clamps over the end of the stern tube, with a very solid stainless steel clamp. Might be worth trying this first, because removing a stern tube is a job to be avoided!

Sadly, I replaced the Volvo gland on my current boat with a flashy Halyard seal, which is totally drip-free. However, it now seems that Halyard have stopped making these seals, which also now seem to have a (shortish) finite life. When the Halyard seal gives up, I'm putting the Volvo gland back.

 

[scottie]

check the size of your tube as the volvo glands only come in specific sizes all metric

if you go to volvopenta.comand
select
Parts & Accessories
Parts & Accessories Catalogue 2001-2002 you can down load the information

 

[Guest]

Re: Volvo gland...

Thanks for the info !

With regard to your question about the sterntube :-

Unfortunately, my stern tube comes to an end at a bulkhead with the stuffing box housing screwed onto the bulkhead therefore having no extended lip for the seal to clamp onto.

You have set me thinking though. Perhaps I could buy a screwed fitting with an extended lip. It would however need to match the thread of the current tube. Will give it a go though before getting serious with hammers.Scottie makes a good point though about the Volvo seal being metric. Everything on this boat is imperial.

Regards,

Vic

 

[david_bagshaw]

Re: Volvo gland...

Why dont you take old stuffing box to engineers & have it rebuilt and the outer bearing, and have it converted to cutlass type, we had this done on our previous boat. Very sucessful,

Used Wilman engineering of teddington, they use to do a lot of work for spicers, my contact was a chap by the name of trevor Ambrose, havent used them for a few years due to boat being abroad etc, but last tel no I had was

019774366

David
www.yachtman.co.uk

 

[charles_reed]

Halyard

No waterleaks, but the neoprene seals overheat and then start leaking oil.

I've actually had mine seize which was not funny, the shaft started rotating in the gearbox coupling.

Have a look at the very simple PSS Seal that Les Hill of Lake Engineering is selling - this being American is purely imperial measurements (except for the graphite seal and stainless steel pressure plate which are also in metric sizes.)

The tel no is 01202 621631

 

[pvb]

How many hours?

Roughly how many hours running had the Halyard seal done when it seized, Charles?