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

[SV DestinyAscen]

Originally Posted by minaret

No, a flanged adapter does not make it a seacock.


Seacock & Thru-Hull Primer/Pre Information Photo Gallery by Compass Marine How To at pbase.com

I've seen seacocks called shakewell? Flanged thruhull that includes a hose attachment point, and a screw open cap where the cone valve body attaches and can be removed completely to be serviced or insert a plug if there's unexpected damage.

Seems to not fit the very narrow definition of a seacock but seems safer.

[Steadman Uhlich]

COOLBEANS,
Thanks for adding your detailed response that matched the questions format too. I appreciate what you wrote.

[laika]

1. Your Boat Model/LOA/Year Built?

Vancouver 27 1982

2. How many seacocks are on your boat?

4 (originally 7)..engine intake, watermaker intake, sink discharge, sink raw water intake

3. When did replace them and Why?

Before venturing too far from shore. Seemed like cheap insurance. Glassed the old ones in using the west system 12:1 bevel method..WEST SYSTEM | Projects | Fiberglass Boat Repair & Restoration - Repairing machined holes in fiberglass

4. Did you do the seacock replacement yourself or use a professional labor?

Myself.

5. What was the Total Cost for Replacing ALL of your Seacocks?

$1500..went for high quality tapered plug spartan seacocks

5B. How much was spent in Labor or how many hours did it take you to do it yourself?

Oh god, I have no idea.

6. Are any of your seacocks very hard to reach or "impossible" to reach quickly?

Not anymore!

7. Have any of your seacocks ever failed? If so, how? Did you find severe corrosion or stuck seacocks or inoperable seacocks? Please describe.

No sir

8. What would you do differently in the future?

The expesnive tapered plug seacocks are great, but I would probably go with the groco flanged seacocks whose ball valves unscrew from the flanged base for easy replacement down the line. A lot cheaper and equally functional. Just a bit less "salty".

[Cthoops]

1. Your Boat Model/LOA/Year Built?

Bristol 29.9/29.9/1977

2. How many seacocks are on your boat?

There were nine (!) when we bought the boat, but when we pulled out the head to replace it with our Nature's Head we glassed over four of them. Now we're down to five - two cockpit drains, galley sink, head sink, raw water intake.

3. When did replace them and Why?

We hauled out the boat within a few weeks of buying it (which was August, 2015) to get to work. We've replaced four out of five with new Groco seacocks and thruhulls, and will do the raw water this offseason. They were all original, several of them were frozen and they had wimpy backing blocks. We're going to take this boat cruising in three years, four months, and 26 days so we wanted to know that we were heading out with new seacocks and thruhulls - one less thing to worry about.

4. Did you do the seacock replacement yourself or use a professional labor?

We did it ourselves. It wasn't difficult.

5. What was the Total Cost for Replacing ALL of your Seacocks?

For four out of the five, $858.48. That's the total for four Groco 1.5" seacocks, 4 Groco backing blocks, bronze hardware, 4 1.5" bronze thruhulls ($167.96 - included in the total above), and 4 bronze pipe to hose adaptors.


5B. How much was spent in Labor or how many hours did it take you to do it yourself?

Hmmm. It didn't take long. Maybe 3 hours for each one, and that includes removing the old thruhulls.

6. Are any of your seacocks very hard to reach or "impossible" to reach quickly?

No. They are all very easily accessed. The raw water intake is at the top of the bilge, the cockpit drains can be reached by removing the steps, and the sink seacocks are right behind a cabinet door.

7. Have any of your seacocks ever failed? If so, how? Did you find severe corrosion or stuck seacocks or inoperable seacocks? Please describe.

Several of the originals were frozen. When Mr. cthoops tried to move the handle, the entire backing block started to move. That's why we made new seacocks/thruhulls/stronger backing blocks a top priority.

8. What would you do differently in the future?

The only thing we would change is we would have glassed over a different thruhull in the head so that we could install a foot pump (we had three thruhulls in the head, glassed over two, and the one we saved didn't leave us with enough room to install it). Since we have less than zero interest in glassing over another thruhull, we decided to live with a hand pump in the head. Overall, replacing the seacocks and thruhulls it was an easy project and we'll never have to replace them again.

[6227]

I have a CS Merlin (36M) and it came w/ 5 thru hull to a ball valve setups which is NOT a proper seacock. Probably the one thing CS skimped on. Since there were three in the V-berth and I wanted to use that space for storage and the "holding tank" was a bladder, I removed the bladder and replaced those 3 with proper GROCO seacocks and a 1/2" G10 backing plate. Did the work myself and I don't remember the cost but it wasn't more than a few hundred $$.

There was NO WAY I wanted something to shift and slide around under the Vberth and knock one of those ball valves off and sink my boat!

Haven't done the other two because they're fairly hard to get to and thus very protected. I do keep an eye on things and also exercise the seacocks regularly.

[Lars_L]

1. Boat Model: Netta 30, LOA: 9.0 m, Built year 1978

2. I have two seacocks on my boat. (Yes I know, it’s one to much)
1 for engine, head inlet and sink raw water.
1 outlet for sink. The head holding tank can also be connected to this outlet via a Y-valve.

3. I replaced them one year after purchase. I did it to get some peace in mind.

4. I did the replacement myself.

5A. The Apollo flanged bronze seacocks and thru hull fittings cost me $ 340.
5B. The replumbing and extra valves cost me another $340.

6. My seacocks are all easy to reach (and I know were they are).

7. My seacocks have never failed.

8. I should maybe have work harder to get less numbers of seacocks.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

1. Your Boat Model, LOA, Year Built

Pacific Seacraft 40 (LOA ~ 43) - 1998

2. How many seacocks are on your boat?
While every boat may have some seacock additions or deletions, the point here is to identify HOW MANY are typical for your model of boat.

Seacocks - 7 - Flanged, Groco bronze, seacocks
Note: all these are below the waterline

Watermaker inlet
Galley sink drain
Galley sink inlet - inlet also serves salt water wash down on deck
Engine cooling inlet
Head sink drain
Head inlet
Head black water outlet

Ball valves - 7 - non-flanged, Groco ball valves
Note: all these are above the waterline

Watermaker outlet
Side deck drains (2)
Cockpit drains (2)
Shower sump pump drain
Holding tank vent line


3. This thread assumes you have replaced your seacocks (all of them). When did replace them (e.g. Soon after purchasing the boat? Before a long voyage?) and Why? (Because of pre purchase survey? Peace of mind? To sell the boat?)

Have lubricated them all but replaced none

4. Did you do the seacock replacement yourself or use a professional labor?

N/A

5. What was the Total Cost for Replacing ALL of your Seacocks?

N/A

5A. How much was spent in Parts and what type did you choose (e.g bronze or Marelon or brand and model)?

N/A

5B. How much was spent in Labor or how many hours did it take you to do it yourself?

About 1 day while boat was on the hard in a yard to lube seacocks

6. Are any of your seacocks very hard to reach or "impossible" to reach quickly?

Generally in ok places to reach. Under a sette or inside a cupboard or lazarette. Engine seacock is under a dedicated floor hatch. Cockpit drain ball valves are a little more difficult; in the back of cockpit lockers.

IF so, where or which ones? Please describe if some are in very difficult to access places in the boat and what their function is too. Which would be the worst or hardest to access in an emergency (boat taking on water)?

7. Have any of your seacocks ever failed? If so, how? Did you find severe corrosion or stuck seacocks or inoperable seacocks? Please describe.

No failures; some were difficult to move until lubricated (boat had set for quite a while with no use)

8. What would you do differently in the future? (If you paid someone or DIY, would you do that the same way in the future? Or choose a different method or product?)[/QUOTE]

The Grocos seem to have worked well and given good life; would probably choose those again.

[pcmm]

1978 Morgan out Island ketch

There WERE 21 seacocks, all in various states of decay! some ins some strange places

Now there are just 6 seacocks all groco flanged ball valve seacocks
4 in the engine room (2 cockpit drains, 1 engine intake, 1 aft head sink)
1 Galley sink
1 forward head sink

all are readliy accessible now

I replaced all of them last spring/summer
cost was $5-600 in parts including the G10 board for the backing plates

I replaced them all myself, its not hard to do. and you'll likely do a better job than most yard labour!

The other 14 thruhulls have all been filled in with epoxy and 1708 biaxial glass! I hate leaks!!

[puffcard]

I have a 1979, Tartan 37.

4 seacocks, Replaced all two years ago, about $200 material and did it myself. Greatest tip I found with thru-hulls. Don't mix brass pipe nibbles with bronze valve and use the pink EXTRA thick Teflon tape for the assembly. That might be the best item to have in a tool box. I've seen several thru valves fail, the most common is a frozen valve, broke handle or a bronze nibble breaking off after zinc dezincification

[Lars_L]

Originally Posted by puffcard

I have a 1979, Tartan 37.

4 seacocks, Replaced all two years ago, about $200 material and did it myself. Greatest tip I found with thru-hulls. Don't mix brass pipe nibbles with bronze valve and use the pink EXTRA thick Teflon tape for the assembly. That might be the best item to have in a tool box. I've seen several thru valves fail, the most common is a frozen valve, broke handle or a bronze nibble breaking off after zinc dezincification

Brass is a mixture of copper and zinc. All other copper mixtures are named bronze, but the most common consists of copper and tin and very seldom zinc. Bronze can therefore not have dezincification.

[mynameismud]

My first boat 1972 Aquarius 23' had zero in her.

[leftbrainstuff]

Originally Posted by mynameismud

My first boat 1972 Aquarius 23' had zero in her.

That's the ideal number.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[barnakiel]

Last time I remember seeing quality hull fittings on the shelf was In Antigua. Not the cheapest shop in the world I guess.

I believe, when you change the seacocks, you may want to replace the thru hulls too, NO?

Boat 26ft.
6 fittings. (3x2 inch, 3x1 inch)

USD 1000,

A boat I work for has 40 fittings, many of which 3 incher (by the look). ;-)

b.

[Defeverboat]

On my 1979 43 ft defever sundeck for insurance I let the marina replace three gate valves and bronze through hulls under water. Cost $ 3,500 never again with that marina!

I replace the two engine old leaking through hulls that had rubber which expanded and the strainer on top. Manager said that would last forever?
cost for two new 1 1/4,5 inches long bronze through hulls $ 10.00 each and a friend to help to install with 5200 and backer pads. Bronze balls valves cost
$ 30.00 each.
New strainers $ 600.00. New A/C and generator bronze through hulls 1 1/4
5 inches long with new valves with 5200 cost 40.00 each. Used old strainers.

[leftbrainstuff]

Liberty 458, 1984. All bronze Groco seacocks flanged with backing plates and silicon bronze bolts. No gate valves. 1 marelon thru hull for the water maker inlet.

We haul every 2 years. Last haul we removed one seacock, replaced the forward head seacock and replaced two datamarine thru hulls with their B&G counterparts.

We have 9 below the water plus the 2 instrumentation thru hulls. We removed the anchor washdown which is now paired with the forward head intake. It was buried under the sail locker so practically unreachable.

The replaced black water tank seacock is now fitted with a polypropylene ball valve upstream of a camlock plumbed above the water line. This eliminates black water sitting behind the valve and pitting it.

Next haulout we'll replace both heads and likely make redundant another 4 seacocks.

The remaining seacocks are going to have a sea chest glassed in around them. The two cockpit drains and aft head outlet were replaced by the PO prior to purchased.

I've completed two probe surveys out of the water. All remaining seacocks are in excellent condition. I also sectioned the removed seacocks. Even though they were pitted both sealed well and suffered no metalurgical degradation.

We removed and replaced the seacocks ourselves. All are backed with G10. No wood. It's harder to work but a much better engineered solution than wood.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app