Seacocks ?

[Zzzeke]

OK, first post. It's been about 35 years since I was part owner in a marina/boatyard/boat dealership/etc. I thought I'd acquired a lifetime immunity to the disease of boat ownership, but apparently I missed a booster shot somewhere along the way. I've recently become the proud owner of a Newport 27 from 1970. I acquired it for the price of the trailer it was on plus the almost new Merc Bigfoot that came with it. I figured the boat being essentially free I could jump on the deal and either bring it back to life or get out the chain saw and salvage it. I have a few acres of land to work with and having the trailer means I can take my time.

So after a couple days of cleaning and inspection I've found nothing major other than a small leak near the top of the compression post. It's dried out now and I have some 3M 5200 sealer with which to seal it up. I've ordered a stainless steel compression post replacement that I'll be fitting to the boat in order to resolve that situation. I'll have to rearrange the head walls a bit to accommodate the new post, but nothing drastic.

My real question is the through hull penetrations in the engine compartment. This boat has had the Atomic 4 removed and an outboard bracket installed on the transom. I'm going to go with the outboard (9.9 hp Merc Bigfoot) as auxiliary power for now, with the idea that if that doesn't work out I'll find a good small diesel to put back in. How to seal up or utilize the existing through hull penetrations for the various drains and the bilge pump is my current issue. These are not seacocks or petcocks. These are tapered standpipes that rise several inches from the inside surface of the hull. I've never seen or dealt with this type penetration before. Are they safe? Serviceable? Should they be replaced with real seacock valves?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Zzzeke.

[Zzzeke]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Zzzeke.

Thanks, I hope somebody can enlighten me on my question.

[MarkSF]

If it were my boat, I'd glass in the through-hulls that aren't in use. The ones that are in use, I'd replace with seacocks for this sort of price :

Groco FBV Series Full-Flow Flanged Ball Type Seacock

You can spend a lot more but these are decent.

Any chance of taking a pic or two of the existing through-hulls?

[TheOffice]

If it is below the water line it should have a seacock on it. Bilge pump discharge should be above water line with a loop.

[Zzzeke]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

If it were my boat, I'd glass in the through-hulls that aren't in use. The ones that are in use, I'd replace with seacocks for this sort of price :

Groco FBV Series Full-Flow Flanged Ball Type Seacock

You can spend a lot more but these are decent.

Any chance of taking a pic or two of the existing through-hulls?

I'll get pictures. The tops of the standpipes are above the water line, and they each have a tapered wooden plug taped to them, presumably for emergencies.

[Zzzeke]

Originally Posted by TheOffice

If it is below the water line it should have a seacock on it. Bilge pump discharge should be above water line with a loop.

Yes, that's pretty much what I was thinking. I'm not anxious to glass over the unused penetrations just yet. I want to see how the boat does with the outboard first.

[Stumble]

My advice is any penetration below the waterline should be a flanged throughhull fitting, followed by a proper seacock installation. Th e only two metals I would consider are Bronze or Titanium. And make sure it is a low zinc alloy (below 15% minimum), any higher and it can become a sacrificial annode.

[Zzzeke]

Originally Posted by Zzzeke

I'll get pictures. The tops of the standpipes are above the water line, and they each have a tapered wooden plug taped to them, presumably for emergencies.

Here are some photos. The first is one of those standpipes. Next is the black exhaust hose and penetration for the Atomic 4 engine that was removed. The small hose is a bilge pump hose and the other penetration is for I don't know what. The third picture is the old shaft log. It's plugged and glassed over on the outside.

The last 2 pictures are of the top of the compression post. It's being replaced shortly by a stainless steel 2-7/8"x1/8" round post with a 6"x8" stainless plate on the top and a 5" stainless round flange on the bottom.