Sail La Vie will be on the hard soon for a bottom paint.
There is more that I have to do. I have ordered a new complete stuffing box identical to the current bronze box with Gore GFO flax. I am trying to replace the hose since it is now nearly 14 years old. I am mostly concerned about what it would take to remove the coupling from the bronze shaft. The boat yard is telling me that since it is bronze that it may be impossible to pull the shaft out of the coupling and it may have to be cut and replaced with a stainless steel shaft. This of course increases the expense substantially since it will also need a new coupling and engine re-alignment. I am considering trying to remove the shaft myself with limited tools that I have. I am not excluding heating the coupling and forcing the shaft to slide out. I am not the expert and have not done this. Question - is it very hard to remove the shaft. And how can it be re inserted? It has a key slot on it.
In addition - the aft keel bolt has a slight leak. Is this just a mater of re torquing it while on the hard?
Haro Bayandorian, 1999 C36 MKII, Sail La Vie #1787, M35B,
Coyote Point, San Mateo, CA.
When I changed my stuffing box 3 years ago the coupling came apart and off the shaft very easily with just hand tools. The shaft slid freely back and forth and would have come out easily had I wanted to do that. However, that is a freshwater boat and the coupling is very clean, still has the original paint on it and zero rust. Yours may well be a different kettle of fish due to the corrosion. Putting it back together was just as easy.
You should put a new coupling on when you get it put it back together, it is usually suggested as a good thing to do.