Seacock leaking

[SSgtPitt]

Grrr! Spartan bronze seacock has a small leak no matter the position of the handle. I'm only here for today and a few hours tomorrow and I'm by myself.
What can i do to adjust this to stop the leak without sinking the boat? I'm in the Corpus Christi Muni Marina and won't be back til mid December.

[Cheechako]

That's tough.
A) Will the screw on the side remove? put in a grease fitting and try greasing there. loosen the tapered plug a bit and rotate the handle 360 degrees as you do spreading the grease around. Re tighten as see if it stops.
B) How cold is the water? Anyone to help? Dive outside and plug the seacock with clay or something. Get some lanolin from the drug store or Lan O Cote from West marine ahead of time. With the outside plugged, remove the tapered cone part of the seacock, clean it up a bit with scotchbrite, apply lanolin and reassemble. It wont leak if you use lanolin.

[SSgtPitt]

Thanks Cheechako, since I'm alone i was hoping to not go diving today. Weather is nice though, high 60's and cloudy and i have a 5m suit so if i have to... I have to.
I'm wondering if i could tighten the big nut and seat the moving part a little tighter. I flew in this time so I'm kinda stranded :-(
Not doing this again. When I drive I bring copious amounts of tools.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Remove the hose, & add a threaded cap or plug.

Which, if that doesn't work, then:
- Clean up the hull around the valve.
- Spray the valve body's exterior with lubricant.
- Bury everything in a thick layer of epoxy bog

[SSgtPitt]

Yer killin me
Crisis averted. If the handle moves REALLY easy maybe the nut is loose. A big crescent wrench ( which you can't have in your carry on and makes you miss your flight ) did the trick.

I like the grease fitting idea. I will be fitting all my seacocks with those.

[SSgtPitt]

What lubricant can you spray under water? I've only had the boat a year, never sailed before getting this 34 year old boat and I'm on a near vertical learning curve.

[SSgtPitt]

I took that screw out to see what would happen, moved the handle back and forth but no water came out of it. What's it for? Practical Sailor may have said something about "winterizing".

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by SSgtPitt

I took that screw out to see what would happen, moved the handle back and forth but no water came out of it. What's it for? Practical Sailor may have said something about "winterizing".

I believe it's for a grease fitting.

[SSgtPitt]

I did just make this though. Looks better than that white plastic one. I can't sail very well yet, but the boat will look good while learning

[Orion Jim]

No need for any guesswork when servicing a Spartan seacock. Everything you need to know is here;
Servicing Tapered Cone Seacocks Photo Gallery by Compass Marine How To at pbase.com
With a little regular maintenance they will last a lifetime.

[SSgtPitt]

Wow, thanks OJ. I have 8 of these Spartan valves on my CD36. They all look to be original....... my list is increasing faster than i can cross items off

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by SSgtPitt

Wow, thanks OJ. I have 8 of these Spartan valves on my CD36. They all look to be original....... my list is increasing faster than i can cross items off

Welcome to the wonderful world of sailboat ownership . BTW the list will never get shorter .
But its so much fun