The manual for my 2001 MkII (7th edition dated 12/14/99) has a hand-drawn sketch of the packing gland by Gerry Douglas that says to use 3 wraps of 3/16" x 3/16" packing.
The MkII manual on this site (also 7th edition, but dated April 22, 2002) has a computer drawing by Kent Nelson that says to use 2 wraps of 1/4" x 1/4" packing.
The stuffing box does not appear to have changed, based on comments from Lowell at Catalina Direct and based on comparing my factory original stuffing box with the replacement that was installed in 2019 (which CD said had 1/4" packing). When viewing the stuffing box on the CD website, their "May we recommend" shows both 3/16" and 1/4" items.
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Changes like this do not happen accidentally. Does anyone know why Catalina made this change? Have any of you tried both and can provide comments on whether the 1/4" packing was more difficult to install and/or too tight leading to heat and difficulty establishing a drip?
Given your opening paragraphs, I can understand the confusion it initiates. As you may be aware I have been with this website since shortly after it formed and before this forum even was begun. Accordingly, I have followed or at least been aware of changes to production runs, hull details and equipment mods/changes/enhancements.
After a few years, especially with the introduction of the Mark II boats, folks started asking about packing size. My personal understanding was that the new boats with the larger M35 engines came with 1/4" while the older boats with M25 and M25XP engines had 3/16" (even though the shaft diameters remained the same). Perhaps that was a simplistic "understanding" because your post here is the first one that challenges that assumption especially with your quotes of the two very different manuals for the same Mark II boat. I had always recommended that folks check the manual that came with
their boat. With the advent of the internet and our ability to store and preserve complete boat manuals, complicated with the fact of boats with now-multiple owners who may not have retained the original manuals that actually came with that particular boat, referencing "a manual" is not a specific as it once could be.
What changed? The only thing that changed was the specific stuffing box installed on any given boat. So, most likely, as is often the case with other items on our Catalina 34s, the builder started buying different stuffing boxes.
In times past, I have also recommended that owners who are unsure physically measure the box on their boats to find out. It's not that hard to do and made easier with inexpensive calipers available thee days.
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Topic: Correct packing size for stuffing box is now 1/4" x 1/4"? (Read 192 times)