The Box.

Ohhhh, Kenutu. You and your hot little box.

When we had Kenutu on the hard to get her bottom painted, we also had her stuffing box replaced. The stuffing box is like a hug for the bar that turns the propeller. It lets a little bit of water into the bilge when the engine is running so that the bar doesn't get too hot and lock everything up. There's another solution that doesn't involve direct ocean access, but since Mack did all the reading related to stuffing boxes and alternatives, he became the decider of what to do about keeping Kenutu's shaft cool. 

The only outing Kenutu has been on since having this stuffing box replaced has been the drive home from the boat yard... and she was very drippy after that. When the engine is going it's supposed to drip once per second, and when the engine is off, all drips stop. Kenutu kept dripping even after the engine was off. All week, Mack has been revving the engine in the slip and adjusting the drip rate. This is the position he assumes for this act. (I'm sorry, but I find some of the ridiculous positions we get into on Kenutu hilarious.)

​In between adjustments, we'd freak out on the inside that Kenutu might sink if the stuffing box is too loose. After a few gradual tightenings, the stuffing box looked dialed in... it wasn't dripping when the engine was off... so we attempted to take Kenutu for a spin this weekend. Nope.

We barely got out of the slip and into the main channel when Mack decided to give the stuffing box a little pat to see how hot it was. It's supposed to be warm to the touch, but it was blazing. We headed back in, made an adjustment, and went back out. Repeat. And fail. 

Even after all that reading, the stuffing box still wasn't dialed in correctly. Kenutu went back into her slip for more work, and Mack went back to the internet to learn more about what has to be one of the most boring topics in the world. 

A couple days of learning and tweaking and one thermometer gun later, it looks like Kenutu's stuffing box is juuuuust right.