Sailboat Refit Costs: Seacocks: How Many and How Much?

[B_Wieberdink]

1979 Contest 31HTac

6 seacocks on the boat.
Replaced all 6 at one time in 2015

Originals were brass ball valves, were all in condition, the cockpit drain-valves were stuck.
Replaced them with bronze ball valves and fittings myself in 6 hours.

Total cost materials $ 1100,--

I did the replace because I could easily get at the valves because the motor was out.

[TheThunderbird]

Gentlemen, before i give out my contribution, a few questions, please..

Any commercial name for G10, outside insular North America?

Can it be lathed (as I'd like doing, having no real seacock design available..)?

Can i use Teflon, Marolon, Dorolon (?) as alternatives to G10?

Do you electrically earth thru-hulls?

GUIDI (Italy) has a fair reputation for bronze thru-hull, spheric valve, elbow and barber hose (4 pieces set) as to a 'for fisherman ' pricing otc of:

3/4" 44eur
1" 65eur
1"1/4 102eur
1"1/2 128eur

Yap, they cant be lubed, and miss the sturdy Spartan look, but are easier to mount in small places..

[boatpoker]

You might find this thread on dubious quality seacocks on Sailnet interesting.

[TheThunderbird]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

You might find this thread on dubious quality seacocks on Sailnet interesting.

Thanks! But my concern is not about brass, a no-go for salt water

[B_Wieberdink]

From 1979 to 2014 the boat was 3 months a year on salt water with brass valves. There was not a sign of corrosion/ desincification.

Bert

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by TheThunderbird

Thanks! But my concern is not about brass, a no-go for salt water

No problem, that link was not for you anyway.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by B_Wieberdink

From 1979 to 2014 the boat was 3 months a year on salt water with brass valves. There was not a sign of corrosion/ desincification.

Bert

There's the right way, the wrong way and what some guy has gotten away with

[stillbuilding]

Steel custom 60' .
One 2" 316 s/s ball valve inlet into a s/s manifold with heavy PVC ball valves. I don't like or trust the PVC and will change to S/s when I next haul but they don't get handled too much and the inlet ball valve is used regularly so reckon the main inlet is the most important key. Cheap as chips to replace all the pvc - prob around $500 total. Next haul I will change the 15 yo s/s ball valve too - have several on hand acquired new off eBay for $150.

The thru hull is welded I pipe with no corrosion evident.

Simply cannot imagine more than one or two thru hulls - needless expense.

[basssears]

1. Your Boat Model, LOA, Year Built
1988 Gulf 32

2. How many seacocks are on your boat?
7 seacocks (plus 2 more holes below water line for depth and speed transducers)

3. This thread assumes you have replaced your seacocks (all of them).
Replaced 5 of the 7 within 6 months of purchasing the boat. Three for the head were gate valves, one for raw water intake was Marelon ball valve of unknown age, one for galley sink drain was household PVC (ugh!). Unsure whether raw water intake was stock but from looking at other Gulf 32's the other 4 (including the PVC sink drain) were stock. Did not replace two plastic gate valves on cockpit drains (although that's on the list). Replaced to get closer to ABYC, and for peace of mind (and because our survey recommended we do so).

4. Did you do the seacock replacement yourself or use a professional labor?
Had boat yard do it.

5. What was the Total Cost for Replacing ALL of your Seacocks?
$1520 in labor, $450 in parts, to replace all five seacocks with Groco bronze "sea valves" (i.e. good quality Groco valve attached to through hulls that were deemed in good shape by yard... we did not do flanges).

6. Are any of your seacocks very hard to reach or "impossible" to reach quickly?
Nothing impossible to reach (although how the yard managed to get two hands in to replace valve under sink is beyond me). Under sink is pretty tight but relatively easy to get to.

7. Have any of your seacocks ever failed? If so, how?
Not yet.

8. What would you do differently in the future?
I had asked yard to have full flanged set up in engine bay since that was one seacock that seemed susceptible to blunt force trauma, but it didn't happen and I didn't know it hadn't until already splashed. Probably on the list for the future. Probably would have had cockpit drains done just to be done with it, but I can probably DIY myself sometime in future as they are not below waterline at rest.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by TheThunderbird

Gentlemen, before i give out my contribution, a few questions, please..

Any commercial name for G10, outside insular North America?

Can it be lathed (as I'd like doing, having no real seacock design available..)?

Can i use Teflon, Marolon, Dorolon (?) as alternatives to G10?

Do you electrically earth thru-hulls?

GUIDI (Italy) has a fair reputation for bronze thru-hull, spheric valve, elbow and barber hose (4 pieces set) as to a 'for fisherman ' pricing otc of:

3/4" 44eur
1" 65eur
1"1/4 102eur
1"1/2 128eur

Yap, they cant be lubed, and miss the sturdy Spartan look, but are easier to mount in small places..

G10 is also know as Pultruded fiberglass. Easy enough to find on Ebay

I bought 2 - 3/8 12x12 sheets and that did all my backing plates. the stuff eats bits its so hard!

[TheThunderbird]

Originally Posted by pcmm

G10 is also know as Pultruded fiberglass. Easy enough to find on Ebay

I bought 2 - 3/8 12x12 sheets and that did all my backing plates. the stuff eats bits its so hard!

Thank you!

BLACK Glassfibre Sheet Epoxy Glass G10 FR4 Fibreglass Plate 170x300mm 0.5 to 5mm

US $26 (5mm thickness)


BUT... authorithy Maine Sail has a neat opinion:
"
If you have access to SS and a water jet this is a no-brainer, go SS. Otherwise G10 is the cats meow compared to working with SS......"

[Nadezhda]

Saltram Saga 40'
1985
All seacocks are bronze Blakes tapered apart from Engine Strainer (also Bronze)

9 seacocks total. 4*heads, 2*cockpit drain, 1*grey water pump out, 1*sink, 1*engine intake.

First job after buying the boat was to take them all apart, re-grind the faces and re-assemble.

They are relatively easy to reach but not to replace! They are epoxied into the hull. A friendly engineer has replaced two that got the faces worn/ground down too much and I assume he used some serious force doing so. The replacements were the same make but fractionally larger diameter which gave my friendly engineer something to curse about.

Each one cost about £400 (parts and labour)

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by basssears

1. Your Boat Model, LOA, Year Built
1988 Gulf 32

2. How many seacocks are on your boat?
7 seacocks (plus 2 more holes below water line for depth and speed transducers)

3. This thread assumes you have replaced your seacocks (all of them).
Replaced 5 of the 7 within 6 months of purchasing the boat. Three for the head were gate valves, one for raw water intake was Marelon ball valve of unknown age, one for galley sink drain was household PVC (ugh!). Unsure whether raw water intake was stock but from looking at other Gulf 32's the other 4 (including the PVC sink drain) were stock. Did not replace two plastic gate valves on cockpit drains (although that's on the list). Replaced to get closer to ABYC, and for peace of mind (and because our survey recommended we do so).

4. Did you do the seacock replacement yourself or use a professional labor?
Had boat yard do it.

5. What was the Total Cost for Replacing ALL of your Seacocks?
$1520 in labor, $450 in parts, to replace all five seacocks with Groco bronze "sea valves" (i.e. good quality Groco valve attached to through hulls that were deemed in good shape by yard... we did not do flanges).

6. Are any of your seacocks very hard to reach or "impossible" to reach quickly?
Nothing impossible to reach (although how the yard managed to get two hands in to replace valve under sink is beyond me). Under sink is pretty tight but relatively easy to get to.

7. Have any of your seacocks ever failed? If so, how?
Not yet.

8. What would you do differently in the future?
I had asked yard to have full flanged set up in engine bay since that was one seacock that seemed susceptible to blunt force trauma, but it didn't happen and I didn't know it hadn't until already splashed. Probably on the list for the future. Probably would have had cockpit drains done just to be done with it, but I can probably DIY myself sometime in future as they are not below waterline at rest.

Thank you for adding your good answers in the suggested FAQ format. Good to know info.

Sorry for my late response. Your post is helpful.

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by Nadezhda

Saltram Saga 40'
1985
All seacocks are bronze Blakes tapered apart from Engine Strainer (also Bronze)

9 seacocks total. 4*heads, 2*cockpit drain, 1*grey water pump out, 1*sink, 1*engine intake.

First job after buying the boat was to take them all apart, re-grind the faces and re-assemble.

They are relatively easy to reach but not to replace! They are epoxied into the hull. A friendly engineer has replaced two that got the faces worn/ground down too much and I assume he used some serious force doing so. The replacements were the same make but fractionally larger diameter which gave my friendly engineer something to curse about.

Each one cost about £400 (parts and labour)

Thanks for adding your boat's example to the mix in this thread.

[Toccata]

Just wondering
Is there any reason to not "T" the toilet inlet off the head hand basin drain. Obviously just above the existing seacock hose tail presuming it is still below water level, up through a syphon break, then into the loo.

Advantages:
One less seacock/through hull
Shutting the seacock then allows a freshwater flush (fill the handbasin and pump it through the toilet)

Disadvantages?

Your thoughts?