Check Your "Made in China" Hose Clamps!

[rebel heart]

1) head in
2) head out
3) galley sea water in / washdown in
4) galley sea water out
5) engine in
6) engine out (above the waterline, but I have a valve on it)
7) head sink out / shower sump out
8) transducer (it's a hole in the boat, so it counts)

The sea-water-in was badly corroded; I just replaced it a few days ago. I'd make a word of caution about the bolt-nylon-nut hose clamps. You can put a tremendous amount of pressure on something with one of those, and I've seen them crack nylon fittings a few times. As shown in the picture, the "no hole" variety stil has holes in it; the thread has to go somewhere. Personally I think it's a good idea to keep a few of the "holed" variety around; they are a lot more flexible in regards to the diamater you can fasten to.

Great link by the way steve! McMaster-Carr

[delmarrey]

And if you like spending $$$$$ there are titanium hose clamps.



Hose Clamps from Titan are 100 Percent Titanium

[rebel heart]

I like how they advertise those for racers since they're "lighter". :-)

**edit:

For the price, those actually aren't that bad. Stainless isn't exactly cheap, and the T-bolt models are pricier than those titanium ones I think. Still can't get the binding pressure of the bolts though.

Might actually buy one of those and see how it holds up. The two places I've encountered titanium is bicycles and submarines. Works great on bicycles, but the soviet navy learned the hard way that steel is real, and that titanium is... well.. not.

[Celestialsailor]

I use the T-bolt types on my exhaust where it takes a real beating. I have never had a hose clamp type clamp loosen but I have had the PVC hose relax under the clamp causing a small leak occasionally. Usually after a second tightening, they are good for some time. WM sure has gone downhill the last 10 years. Almost everything is from China. There is no use me ranting about products from China. I just avoid them whereever and when ever possible. As mentioned before, McMaster-Carr is an excellent source for good clamps and fasteners in bulk. They have top quality for really good prices. I have bought some shackles off e-bay and made sure they were US or European made.

[seafox]

Originally Posted by Kanani

I hate to say this but that is just bad advise.

I have had the same 316 all stainless clamps on my boat for at least 10 years. I loosen and retighten them yearly and replace them if I strip them. I've never had one come loose or break (I have 13 thru-hulls).

I have made countless deliveries on vessels that I have had to require the owner to re-clamp the entire boat due to broken clamps from galvanized screws in S/S clamps (in almost every case).

I delivered a brand new 65' sloop from (Wangerai) NZ to Fiji in '96. I made the owner of that vessel replace every clamp on the boat for the same reason. The vessel had been comissioned 6 months prior and I found 8 broken hose clamps.

I take deliveries very seriously and I won't leave port in a boat that I haven't thoroughly inspected and approved safe for myself and crew. Hose clamps are my #1 priority. In most cases, I just close all of the thru-hulls that aren't mandentory (engine and 1 head).

I hate to say it but it is Whangarei

[Alan Wheeler]

Bad advice? hmmmm well I don't think so. All the clamps on my boat have been there since 97. I check them regularly for tightness. I have only ever had one fail and it was part way around the band, nowhere near the screw. When ever I am working on an part of the plumbing, if I remove a clip, I replace with the "T bolt" type. So eventually I will have changed all them over. But there are still a number of the old clamps in service. The reason I use the SST clamps with galv screwas, is from experiance on high vibration machinery when I was working in hydraulics. The pure SST clips word all work loose. The galv combo's would not.
Bersides, taking this a step further, I suggest that if a hose can simply fall off if the clamp breaks, means the hose tail it is fitted to may not be the perfect size for the hose, or the tail is not barbed well. I always have to cut my hose off a hose tail when I want to remove it. I can never simply pull them off.

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler

Bad advice? hmmmm well I don't think so. All the clamps on my boat have been there since 97. I check them regularly for tightness. I have only ever had one fail and it was part way around the band, nowhere near the screw. When ever I am working on an part of the plumbing, if I remove a clip, I replace with the "T bolt" type. So eventually I will have changed all them over. But there are still a number of the old clamps in service. The reason I use the SST clamps with galv screwas, is from experiance on high vibration machinery when I was working in hydraulics. The pure SST clips word all work loose. The galv combo's would not.
Bersides, taking this a step further, I suggest that if a hose can simply fall off if the clamp breaks, means the hose tail it is fitted to may not be the perfect size for the hose, or the tail is not barbed well. I always have to cut my hose off a hose tail when I want to remove it. I can never simply pull them off.

To each his own I guess.....we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one

Seafox......

Yesterday was a bad day mate. I'm trying my hardest to get over a spell of Broncitis.

Wangarai is where I liked to leave port from NZ. It's a real thrill to try to navigate that inlet at night . I would go out and anchor at the mouth of the inlet until morning, then be on my way.

In Feb '97 NZ Customs tried to impound my boat because I was the 1st foreign yacht that refused to pay that silly "Inspection fee" that they were imposing on all foreign vessels. You may remember seeing a picture of Kanani on the headlines of every news paper in NZ.

When I finally left, customs followed me all the way to the heads and came over and told me that I couldn't anchor. Pretty cheeky, I thought.

[MidLandOne]

Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler

I suggest that if a hose can simply fall off if the clamp breaks, means the hose tail it is fitted to may not be the perfect size for the hose, or the tail is not barbed well.

I would tend to agree with that. Can even add that the builder of our boat (who I think Alan is probably familiar with and who was regarded as being a very good one) normally only fitted one clamp because at the pressures involved the clamps are just the second line of defense for properly fitted hoses.

But he did use the "holey" type clamps so maybe he didn't know what he was talking about - although I have never had one of those ever fail or the hose damaged from one. But there again, have never had to tighten them to the extent one often sees where the clamp is expected, incorrectly, to "shrink" the hose down on the hosetail.

In the case of galv screws on hoseclamps, that is probably another case where it depends how wet the boat is. Should be no problem in a dry boat in my opinion - and maybe even in a wet one as I guess that was not that long ago there was no such thing as ss hose clamps and sailboats had very wet bilges, like always with water in them, and I am not aware of there ever having been a plague of boats sinking due to the galv clamps falling off .

[seafox]

Originally Posted by Kanani

To each his own I guess.....we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one

Seafox......

Yesterday was a bad day mate. I'm trying my hardest to get over a spell of Broncitis.

Wangarai is where I liked to leave port from NZ. It's a real thrill to try to navigate that inlet at night . I would go out and anchor at the mouth of the inlet until morning, then be on my way.

In Feb '97 NZ Customs tried to impound my boat because I was the 1st foreign yacht that refused to pay that silly "Inspection fee" that they were imposing on all foreign vessels. You may remember seeing a picture of Kanani on the headlines of every news paper in NZ.

When I finally left, customs followed me all the way to the heads and came over and told me that I couldn't anchor. Pretty cheeky, I thought.

Good place. Still plenty of shops and services there. The further up you go the more sparse things are. Bay of Islands is nice but a long way from anything.

I remember the Authorities looking for a missing ketch. Can't remember your story. Maybe that is a good thing

[Rez]

Hi,
I went to the Titan site and discovered they make all manner of titanium sail hardware - including thru-hulls. They mention no galvanic corrosion. Does this mean a Titanium thru-hull could be used with an Aluminum hull?

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by seafox

Good place. Still plenty of shops and services there. The further up you go the more sparse things are. Bay of Islands is nice but a long way from anything.

I remember the Authorities looking for a missing ketch. Can't remember your story. Maybe that is a good thing

Actually, I wasn't doing it on my own. The owner of the shipyard there....(I think it was Orims or something like that) talked me into resisting that silly law. All of the yachting industry, cruisers and generally the entire country was up in arms about that law. I sat it out and went through a lot of legal battles (all paid for by Orims....I hope I got that right).

The law took place on Feb 1 and I had been gunk-holing around NZ and knew nothing about it. I went to the customs office On Feb 2 to check-out and the agent said, "You know, you have to have a safety inspection 1st". I said, "What are you talking about. I've been in and out of New Zealand half a dozen times and that's the 1st I've of heard that....Oh well, get on with it.". Then he told me about this new law and he didn't know who was supposed to do the inspection or anything about it (he was quite embarrased). That's when Orems got wind of this and came down to my boat and asked if I wouldn't mind spearheading the resistance against that new law. He gave us a slip at the Marina and took us for a walk to his lawyers. Newspaper cameras followed us around town. I never talked to them though. Customs was now talking about impounding my boat and it was getting a bit hairy.

Anyway, a week after, we were on our way and we got hit by a cyclone due to the delay....I was a little pissed about that.. Two months after that, I got a letter of opology from the Prime Minister himself. That would never happen in the US.

[Rez]

Rebel, what's the story with the Russians and Titanium?

[Steve Pope]

Kanani, I think we will have to send you a Kiwi dictionary, or maybe we should speak to our fearless leader Hellen to put you on a suspected terrorist list. please note Orams, and Whangarei. Also the BoI now has reasonable services, re Cater Marine and BoI rigging etc. etc. I would have put a "smiley" here but my mac doesn't seem to recognise them.

[Kanani]

Originally Posted by Steve Pope

Kanani, I think we will have to send you a Kiwi dictionary, or maybe we should speak to our fearless leader Hellen to put you on a suspected terrorist list. please note Orams, and Whangarei. Also the BoI now has reasonable services, re Cater Marine and BoI rigging etc. etc. I would have put a "smiley" here but my mac doesn't seem to recognise them.

Well, I knew I blew the spelling (not my strong suite anyway) it was in '95. Mr Oram(s?) was certainly a gentleman. I enjoyed getting to know him and work with him. It was fun (although a little stressful). I felt like I got to do my little part for the NZ boating community.

[rebel heart]

Originally Posted by Rez

Rebel, what's the story with the Russians and Titanium?

From what I remember, they built a bunch of their submarines with titanium hulls. Very little is built purely of titanium; it's almost always mixed with other metals, so I'm not sure if it was pure or mixed, but it was primarily or all titanium metal.

Subs have an outer hull and a pressure hull. The pressure hull expands and contracts according to the depth. In the enlisted mess you could tie a string taught from bulkhead to bulkhead on the surface, and by the time you were down deep it was laying on the floor, to give you an idea of the amount of compression happening to the hull.

The titanium hulls became brittle after 20 (or was it 90?) deep compressions, and their crush depth went from 2000+ plus to somewhere around 800+ plus; totally unable to cope with a modern steel sub, like a los angeles class.

The Akula class was the first steel submarine to ditch the titanium build. Any titanium hull at this point is a liability.

It's worth noting that Russia has a lot of titanium; really rich in that resource. Probably explains why they tried to build with it.