Existing Seacocks acceptable?

[Mercator30]

Sailboat has three seacocks, head, head sink and engine cooling. Its a Rawson 70's thick hulled cutaway keel.
All three are not flanged, They are ball valves in secure protected locations. Any experience with surveyors and their take on ones like this?
If questionable, refit with fiberglass rings glassed around each thru hull with thru bolts and flanged seacocks?

[tkeithlu]

Worrisome that they have no flanges. Will they past the 50 pound sideways test? A solid kick? One has only one hose clamp.

[MarkJ]

If they have lasted 45 years like that why in the world would you want to change the bedding system???

[tkeithlu]

Also, I don't see any bonding to your electrical ground.

[Mercator30]

All good comments, thank you...
Just acquired the boat a week ago, claim no responsibility for the past but am correcting the past now.

Taking down more clamps to get take care of "singles".

They are all in positions that it would take a very concerted effort to put lots of side force on one. Isn't it 500 lbs lateral?

My last boat was a carvel planked and electrolysis was a big concern with a common grounding in place to protect. These sea cocks are isolated by glass, is a common grounding needed? Could it be counter productive and introduce electrolysis to the thru hulls that were isolated before?

I agree that these look solid to me. I threw a Progressive insurance policy on the boat to get it insured but want to work towards a more "marine" policy which means a surveyor signing off on the sea cocks. I think a good argument could made that these are solid even though not "ABC". Curious if anyone else has had to deal with non-flanged, surveyors and insurance policies?

[puffcard]

While ABYC regulations now require any thru hull below the waterline or below the heeled waterline for a sailboat to be fitted with a seacock. And a seacock is a flanged ball valve fitted to the inboard side of the thru hull. I don't have a problem with the use of inline ball valves at thru-hulls, like you have and many still do. Your valves look to be in very good shape, one is even new. Many of the better builders use inline ball valve as their hull valves. It's cheaper allows easier installations. The biggest drawback is nothing keeping the valve from turning during it's operation. Biggest disadvantage is it makes replacing the valve much harder, when it needs to be replaced. The problems I see in you photos is only one hose clamp on one valve, needs two. In one photo I see a lose hose clamp below the waterline, that's not cool. Grounding should also be accomplished. If you want a flange, but the flexibility to easily change valve you might like these. I don't think the surveyor will make a comment on the hull valves, just the clamps and grounding.

[Mercator30]

Much appreciated puffcard...

I'm headed down to the boat tomorrow and the clamps will be remedied. The grounding will be added over the coming months.

And yes those flanges would be the way to go if I ever flange these existing thru hulls.

[barnakiel]

The yellow handles look apollo and so possibly bronze. Do not look bad in the pictures.

The red handle I do not reconize (Groco?)

I would keep all quality bronze fitting even if you make any mods.

Flanges are not universal. Many EU build boats do not have them.

b.

[RedHerring]

>If they have lasted 45 years like that why in the world would you want to change the bedding system???

FWIW, original bedding compound used on my 36 year old boat has all turned to hard plastic by now.

[DumnMad]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

If they have lasted 45 years like that why in the world would you want to change the bedding system???

How thick is the hull? Many older boats have plenty of stiffness in the hull so flanges wouldn't add much to the strength. I'm with MarkJ on this.

[Mercator30]

barnakiel-the red handled one was put in several years ago, it is heavy bronze I will check the brand tomorrow.

RedHerring-good point on the condition of the sealant. The boat was never in the water until 2005. Was on the hard as a project in process for the 27 years before not sure if this would have effected the aging of the sealants.

DumnMad-This is a Rawson, they were built in the era of thick stout fiberglass hulls. And the Rawson is known as a tank in hull construction even compared to other sailboats of that era, very thick glass. When I first saw the thru hulls my impression was that these are very strong as they stand.

You guys have taken the edge of of my new to me boat. Having sat with a man whose boat sank (due to corroded galvanized pipe underwater) I think it slightly traumatized me in regards to holes in boats. These thru hulls are very solid.

[jamhass]

True seacock have a distinct advantage over the flanged bits shown on the previous photos. The "simple" flanges, while stronger than thru-hulls screwed into ball valves, still have a weak point in the threads. A true seacock has the valve as part of the flange, so does NOT rely on any threads for security. Even if the thru-hull fails, the seacock remains intact.

So, if you want the BEST security, go with true seacocks.

[tkeithlu]

The grounding part is necessary because salt water reaches them on one side even when they are closed. That makes the fitting part of the circuit for corrosion.