Head Trouble

[Care Free]

Hey there folks,I need some help figuring out what brand of head I have in my 74 Pearson 30.I can't see any labels or markings (I haven't used a mirror yet)and I was wondering how far back the rebuild kits go for Jabsco heads,they laughed at me on the phone when I said it was a 74,and said time for a new one, really? I can take it apart and see what's wrong but then what? Any one know if there are parts out there for old heads(not the gray haired ones)that need help?

[Vasco]

get a new one.

[Hudson Force]

I think Vasco has the right answer. Once you find and spend half the cost of the head on all the rebuld kits and seals your likely to find needs to replace hoses too. Without the new head you're likely to still have a head that is close to failure.

[HopCar]

If you could post a picture of it either Peggy Hall or I will probably recognize it. You can probably save a few bucks by just buying a new pump assembly and reusing the bowl.

[jerrycd36]

I just went through your problem and decided to replace my 25 year old Groco with a new head. The cost for replacement parts like a new pump assembly, not to mention the sweat equity to remove and replace are just not worth it. I know from experience because this is not the first time I have been faced with this choice and I chose to rebuild not to replace the first time.
BTW replace all the hoses at the time of installation.

[Care Free]

Hey There ,Fellow cruisers,OK OK I get it ,don't be such a tight wad ,I'll get a new one.One question though...It there a shut off valve hidden behind the head wall I've never looked back there and my boat is an hour from here,can I remove the head without taking on water?

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Care Free

Hey There ,Fellow cruisers,OK OK I get it ,don't be such a tight wad ,I'll get a new one.One question though...It there a shut off valve hidden behind the head wall I've never looked back there and my boat is an hour from here,can I remove the head without taking on water?

Follow the sea water intake hose. There should be a seacock at the end of the hose. Hopefully you'll be able to close it. If you can't get to it or it won't close, extend the flush water hose well above the waterline when replacing the head. But make sure you take care of the old seacock at haulout.

[Il Pescatori]

Originally Posted by Care Free

Hey there folks,I need some help figuring out what brand of head I have in my 74 Pearson 30.I can't see any labels or markings (I haven't used a mirror yet)and I was wondering how far back the rebuild kits go for Jabsco heads,they laughed at me on the phone when I said it was a 74,and said time for a new one, really? I can take it apart and see what's wrong but then what? Any one know if there are parts out there for old heads(not the gray haired ones)that need help?

When they get that old the parts become brittle. Buy a new one.

[Care Free]

My head troubles have led me to an old sea cock,not doing anything to it now but it needs replacing,handle gone and the base is covered in sealant goo,didn't seem like a big deal till i need to fix the head. Now I realize the error of my ways and I'm ready to put one on the sink(None there now) and replace the other two that are "74 vintage.
The question is ..The sea cocks I've seen don't have an exterior flange like my through hull fitting for the engine coolant does .Am I on my own for this or am I not looking in the right place? Seems like you need a sandwich to squeeze the hull with ,and something to screw to .
What say you old salty experts out there?

[HopCar]

There are three ways to handle a below the water line hull penetration.

The easiest way is to just install a mushroom headed thru-hull fitting and screw a ball valve on it. This has two problems. First the thru-hull is unsupported and they have been known to break. Second the threads in the ball valve are tapered and the threads on the thru-hull are straight so the ball valve won't screw on very far.

The second way is to use a real flanged seacock mounted on a backing pad. When properly done, this system would be able to shut off the inflow of water even if the thru-hull completely failed.

The third and newest way is to use a threaded flange developed by Groco (model IBVF) and a ball valve. The flange has a female straight thread to accept the thru-hull and a tapered male thread to accept the ball valve. The IBVF flange should be mounted to the hull with a backing board just like a traditional seacock. This way probably costs a little more than using a traditional seacock, but in the future it would be easier to change just the valve.

I would love the opportunity to quote you on any parts you may need.

[Care Free]

I think I get it but one thing that still confuses me is ,what am I screwing to through the holes in the base of the flange,the hull is fiberglass,but I have no idea how thick.

[Care Free]

Hey HopCar, Can I get an IBVF that will fit my thin hull approx.1/2" and how much are they?

[HopCar]

There are a couple of ways to secure the seacock flange to the hull. You can bolt through the hull, the backing block and the flange using plenty of bedding compound (3M 5200 is my choice). This puts three additional holes in your hull but is very strong. The other way to do it is to bond the backing block to the hull using fiberglass and epoxy. You then screw the flange to the backing block without going through the hull. Again, use lots of goop.
Wood is the most common backing block but be sure it is well sealed with epoxy to prevent rot. If you can get a thick piece of fiberglass that will work as well. You could aslo build up a fiberglass pad right in place using resin and cloth. My favorite is a nice thick piece of Starboard plastic. Because it's hard to get anything to stick to Starboard, you can't bond it to the hull so you have to use the through bolt method. Using Carrage Bolts makes it a little more streamlined on the outside.

[DeepFrz]

3m-5200 is not a bedding compound, it is an adhesive. Don't use it on anything that may need replacing, ever.

[Care Free]

Just saw a tutorial on an other forum,I didn't realize there were screws from the outside that were hidden.It all seams obvious now,glue a thick piece on the hull and bolt it on .