Seacock = Wet/Dry????

[alexleclainche]

Hey guys! I have a Beneteau 37' and the seacock for the engine's raw water intake is now faulty. The seacock must be replaced and I figured I would have to outhaul the boat. However, I heard a rumor from an older gentleman at the marina the other day that he knows that there is a way to replace it while it is wet. Is this true, and any suggestions???

Thanks,
Alex

[Beausoleil]

Originally Posted by alexleclainche

However, I heard a rumor from an older gentleman at the marina the other day that he knows that there is a way to replace it while it is wet. Is this true, and any suggestions???

Sure there is!

IF your seacock is threaded onto the thruhull, and IF there's a substantial backing board that a substantial backing nut is tightened down on, and IF there's no appreciable electrolysis corrosion, IF and the water's warm, you can dive overboard and drive a wooden peg into the thruhull from the outside to remove and replace the leaky seacock - after you've appropriately appeased both Neptune and Poseidon, and after you've made sure your insurance is up-to-date.

Not something I'd try up here in the Northeast during January!

But then again, you could pay the older gentleman to do it for you...

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by alexleclainche

Hey guys! I have a Beneteau 37' and the seacock for the engine's raw water intake is now faulty.

In what way???

Is it frozen , leaking, corroded or what. How old is it? And what kind of seacock is it? Alternatives maybe available!

[Morgan Paul]

OK I am an "older gentleman" this is how I would do it.

1. Loosen the old seacock.
2. Crack a beer.
3. Open the valve on the new seacock.
4. Screw the new seacock on the through hull.
5. Pump out the small amount of water that invaded your boat.
6. Crack another beer and give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.

[Steve Kidson]

Originally Posted by Morgan Paul

OK I am an "older gentleman" this is how I would do it.

1. Loosen the old seacock.
2. Crack a beer.
3. Open the valve on the new seacock.
4. Screw the new seacock on the through hull.
5. Pump out the small amount of water that invaded your boat.
6. Crack another beer and give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.

Forgot one step; repeat step 2 between steps 4 and 5.

Fair winds

[Pblais]

I think Beausoleil while perhaps a bit dramatic accurately states there really are a lot of IF's. There are many scenarios where the whole hole has to be removed. Seacocks don't go bad just from the accumulation of dust. It also brings up the idea of where one seacock has failed just how great are the others?

Sitting here in my armchair in a bathrobe perectly sober I'm thinking "we need pictures"! If you need a hand uploading pictures just ask.

[cooper]

Pssst.....a little bit of lunch wrap and a rubber band put over the through hull thread, after you have removed the old one, allows enough time to have two beers before screwing on the new one......(and stick a bit of thread tape or paste on without it squirtin ya in tha eye)...; )

[cooper]

Damm..the image of a sober man in a bath robe...well allright ...!. what type of material is the seacock made of ? Does it have an exterior grill or screen ? Is it opened and closed on a regular basis? If it is plastic is it discoloured or in anyway brittle. Is it a ball valve type, or a screw type. By faulty I am assuming that you mean it will no longer turn off and not that it is pouring water into your boat. The seats of both types are what usually gives out. Even if it is a stainless steel ball vale, they usually have nylon seats. These seats can deteriorate from abrasion of sand ,silt or crustacean material. Am I heading in the right direction ?....

[hellosailor]

Funny things happen to old plumbing. In theory you can remove a proper seacock from the thruhull, leave that plugged, and put on the new one. (Do use some pipe compound to make it easier next time around.) In practice...with boat plumbing there is often something that just doesn't fit, or something that breaks, or comes loose.

Can you take a halyard over to the next dock or something, and heel the boat over far enough to put that thruhull out of the water? Or is your yard able and ready to haul, so that you could try without it, but give them a fast call to get hauled out if problems developed?

When you're dealing with holes in the hull, it is always good to have a backup plan. And a helper around, in case you have to hold a plug in place.<G>

[scotte]

While I've neither tried this, I've been told by a couple people it can be done by holding a sheet of plastic over the thruhull on the outside of the hull.

[GordMay]

Some excellent on-line resources:

Seacock & Thru-Hull Primer ~ by “Maine Sailing”
Must see - excellent photos & descriptions!
Seacock & Thru-Hull Primer/Pre Information Photo Gallery by Maine Sailing at pbase.com

Installing a Seacock ~ by Don Casey
Installing a Seacock by Don Casey

Seacock Removal and Replacement ~ by Bob Pone
Seacock Removal and Replacement

Maintaining Bronze Seacocks ~ BoatUS
BoatUS.com - Seaworthy Magazine

Annual Seacock Maintenance ~ by “Early Light”
Seacock Maintenance

[hellosailor]

If you use a sheet of plastic (or a tupperware bowl, which water pressure will compress and hold against the hole) it works better if you seat it in a wax ring, cheaply bought as a toilet bowl seat. Sticks to both parts, comes off clean. (Although I'd still rather have someone in the water keeping an eye on it.)

[GordMay]

An excellent photo-essay, with text from the Maine Coast Sailing Galleries:
“Replacing Thru-Hulls and Seacocks”
Page 1: Replacing Thru-Hulls and Seacocks Photo Gallery by Maine Sailing at pbase.com
Page 2: Replacing Thru-Hulls and Seacocks Photo Gallery by Maine Sailing at pbase.com

See also his previously linked
“Seacock & Thru-Hull Primer/Pre Information”
Seacock & Thru-Hull Primer/Pre Information Photo Gallery by Maine Sailing at pbase.com

[hellosailor]

Very nice work. Is it ust a practical downeast thing?

Or is he saying "seacock" when most of us would say he is using a thru-hull plus a ballcock, as opposed to a proper (traditional and expensive at that) one-piece seacock, which is a tapered valve cast in one piece with the thru-hull, akin to a very large stopcock or petcock, with the advantage that it can be polished and reseated for many years, instead of wearing out like a ballcock.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Very nice work. Is it ust a practical downeast thing?
Or is he saying "seacock" when most of us would say he is using a thru-hull plus a ballcock, as opposed to a proper (traditional and expensive at that) one-piece seacock, which is a tapered valve cast in one piece with the thru-hull, akin to a very large stopcock or petcock, with the advantage that it can be polished and reseated for many years, instead of wearing out like a ballcock.

Yes, I think he's pretty clear on what constitutes a proper seacock, and what doesn't.