Do you close your throughhulls ?

[joe-fran]

Thru hulls

I always close the galley sink and the intake and outflow on the head but on my E-27, the raw water intake is sooooo difficult to get to, I have given up and left it opened all the time. You need gorilla arms to reach it.

Any comments from other E-27 owners are always appreciated

Joe

 

[rwthomas1]

I close them always. Always. Driven back to the boat to close them when I have forgotten. RT

 

[vernon kleist]

I close some of them

Our 30+ has high pipes on some of the through hulls but not on others. We always close the raw water intake and those in the head.

The Sink / cockpit valve has a tall standpipe (?) on it that should prevents any water from coming in unless it should fail. That hose full of water thing when the through hull is closed freaked me out the first time I experienced it.

Vern Kleist
E 30+ Via Mar
San Diego

 

[Dave Hussey]

E27 raw water intake

Joe, I know exactly what you mean. I decided to relocate and increase the size of my raw water intake. I placed it in the starboard side, basically the mirror image of the original location. It is a simple matter of lifting the lid in the quarter berth to access it. I also installed a strainer in line with the intake. I've posted pictures somewhere on the forum.

 

[Sven]

I decided to relocate and increase the size of my raw water intake.

If we can keep the run short enough that might be what we end up doing too, both the raw water intake and a sink drain that are under the companionway steps and engine cover.

I also can't imagine why the two scuppers and the other two sinks aren't drained above the DWL - aesthetics ?


-Sven

 

[Cory B]

Frozen Scuppers

I also can't imagine why the two scuppers and the other two sinks aren't drained above the DWL - aesthetics ?

We discovered an interesting reason this last month. We had about a week or so of temps staying below freezing accompanied by over a foot of snow and ice. Previous to this I had closed all the below water line throughhulls. When the weather finally creeped above freezing and things started to melt on deck and I when I went down to the boat the cockpit was filled with about 2 inches of water. The snow on deck was melting, but the cockpit scuppers were still heavily iced up. I went down below and opened the below waterline scupper, and everything drained out. Around here the water the boats sits in is warmer than the air come winter, so the below waterline scupper had not iced up.

 

[Matey]

I will from now on !

I had been following the debate and closing all but the cockpit drains until yesterday. I was yanking the head & holding tank for replacement on my new to me E32 and all the plumbing was looking really rough. At survey it looked corroded but not terrible. I decided to strip both head thru-hulls to the valves and add plugs (temp) while I'm working on things .. in case I caught a valve and bad things happened. While at it I decided to do the same to the engine raw water intake while I have the gas tank out. I removed the hose clamps and as I gently tried to pull the hose off the barb it snapped off in my hands .. eee ! I stripped the fittings back to the valve and plugged it off too. Then I closed the cockpit drain thru-hulls. I'll start ordering new hose this week. I'm going to re-plumb everything now. I'm sure it's all the same vintage.
I'm a believer
Regards, Greg

 

[Maine Sail]

Greg..

That is one of the best reasons I have seen in a while NOT to mix brass & bronze!!! The elbow clearly looks to be bronze and the barb brass. The pinkish hue to the barb looks like dezincification. Mixing brass & bronze is not a good idea below the waterline. ABYC calls for all metals used in a seacock to be galvanically compatible.
ABYC H-27

27.6.1 All materials shall be galvanically compatible and resist degradation by salt water, petroleum products, UV light, ozone, cleaning compounds likely to be encountered, marine growth, and the effects of heat and aging.

Brass & bronze are not good to mix and home center hoses barbs are not a good deal.

I'm glad you caught that now !!!

 

[Sven]

After initially posting this poll I've changed my mind ... twice.

I used to never close to close them. After reading the answers here and looking elsewhere I decided that it was worth the pain of crawling around and closing them all every time we left.

Then one week we closed them all as per the new routine and drove the 2.5-3 hours home only to have a downpour the following days. We spent the days to the next boat-weekend wondering where the inches of water in the cockpit would go :-(

It turns out that San Diego didn't get any of the predicted rain, but we'd worried enough.

Now we close the engine through hull and the 3 (!) sink through-hulls, but we don't close the cockpit scupper through-hulls.

At this point I see no reason for any of them, other than the engine intake, to enter/exit below the water line.

She makes us worry but she sure is getting beautifuller (if that is a word) as we primp and preen her


-Sven

 

[footrope]

Below the waterline - Yes

I just answered "Yes, always" but before this last haulout and replacement of the cluster of four thru-hulls under the sink, I seldom closed them all.

I was afraid to close the engine cooling valve in case I forgot it. I still am, but I'm trying the 'hang the key on the strainer trick.'

I didn't know if the cockpit would drain well with just the two above waterline drains open. It's fine.

All the below waterline thru-hulls are in two areas, under the head sink and the galley sink.

 

[ted_reshetiloff]

Yes. with the exception of the engine intake as we use the boat at least once a week sometime more and I got tired of reaching under the sink every time. If I leave the boat for more than a few days they all get closed. Regular opening and closing keeps me comfortable that they are working well.

 

[Finally]

Always

In a previous life, I was a licensed steamer third mate. Think of the throughulls on a 20k ton freighter. Chief engineer on that ship was old and wise. Unless it was actively needed, condenser intakes, etc. Everything was shut and tagged. Period. "Ocean's supposed to be outside of the ship. Submarines let it in and look how it works for them." His thinking was that if it was just open with no flow, it was, in his mind, a leak.
He survived 30 years at sea, including the second world war, so I have to assume he knew a little something.
I agree with him. If you don't HAVE to let water into your boat, don't. Pipes and hoses don't always hold. It's no big deal, just part of the routine when I tie up to my slip. I only have three, and the septic outlet is padlocked closed anyway. One of those things that drives me nuts. Like not keeping your flashlight in the same place, or not coiling a line, or...good grief, it seems like lots of things could make me nuts.
Matt Nunes
SV Finally

 

[stuartm80127]

closing through hulls

I only close those leading to the engine(1) and head(1) after each day/use respectively. The other two drain the cockpit forward and the rains need to drain somewhere. Always leave those two open. Modified back scuppers to drain to new above waterline through hulls. I had replaced the old through hulls and gate valves and installed Groco through hulls and ball valve seacocks with new Trident rubber steel reinforced hose and double SS clamps so I am not worried about something breaking/leaking there.

 

[Christian Williams]

Why would a seacock fail with nobody on the boat?

What is the wisdom of owning a boat with seacocks you think might fail at any time for no reason?

Why, if it is necessary to close the seacocks when leaving the boat, is it OK to open them while taking your family offshore--or past the breakwater?

There are points of view on these topics rather than answers.

 

[toddster]

The obvious rejoinder is that leaks that occur while the crew is on board can be observed and remedied. But not so much when the boat is left on its own.

I think, in our climate, the greatest fear is a fracture somewhere in the plumbing due to freeze/thaw cycles. Perhaps in some overlooked cranny of the system. Or some mysterious seal in the middle of the head giving way. Combine that with boats that may be moored a hundred miles from home and left on their own for weeks at a time.

I know that when my boat was two hours drive away, I closed up everything, every time. I even turned around once or twice when I realized that I had overlooked something, and drove an extra hour to button it up. Now that the boat is ten minutes away... well I've grown a little lazier. But not during freezing weather.

 

[Vagabond39]

Hull Stops

I had closed the Hull Stops prior to launching. When in the water, I was loading equipment and supplies abord. During my second trip home for equipment, the rain came down, and down. When I got back to the boat, cockpit was flooded to within 1 inch of the companionway. Able to unlock, and open the companionway, and open the cockpit drain Hull Stops ( Gate Valves ) under the aft bunks.
Just thankful that the boat was not a Pearson Ensign, that hull holds a lot of water.
Bob

 

[toddster]

I had closed the Hull Stops prior to launching. When in the water, I was loading equipment and supplies abord. During my second trip home for equipment, the rain came down, and down. When I got back to the boat, cockpit was flooded to within 1 inch of the companionway. Able to unlock, and open the companionway, and open the cockpit drain Hull Stops ( Gate Valves ) under the aft bunks.
Just thankful that the boat was not a Pearson Ensign, that hull holds a lot of water.
Bob

Yes, I have not figured out the utility of valves on cockpit drains. When I was boat shopping, I was shown one boat that had a cockpit full of water. Any movement would send gallons sloshing through the companionway. I was wanting to locate and open the drain valves, but the guy who was showing the boat "for a friend" kept insisting, "No, it's supposed to be that way."

 

[Pat C.]

Close them, always. For peace of mind while away. Open when there, always. To cycle them regularly to avoid them seizing.

bigger question is Marelon or bronze. But that's been debated excessively elsewhere. Seems like a topic similar to debating religions, politics, mustaches, yours or your wife's, ect, ect.

 

[supersailor]

Closing seacocks

Shortly after purchasing Terra Nova, I was sailing hard on the wind out of Admiralty Inlet in a nasty chop and lots of wind when I noticed 4" of water above the floorboards around the nav station and cooler. Two problems. The first was that the wiring to the float switch for the bilge pump was rotted so the bilge pump didn't kick in. The second was that, on the port tack, the sink was below the water line ( which was running along the side deck. A kick ass day!) The sink and that funny sealed locker were full and pouring over into the bilge. They are below the waterline when the deck is kissing the water. No more argument is necessary for shutting the head seacocks off while sailing!!! There is a reason why the galley sinks are near the centerline of the boat. I made sure I knew where every seacock was after that experience. It was even more fun as I was single handing a boat I wasn't used to yet.

 

[Loren Beach]

Why a Valve

I believe that the primary reason for sea cocks on all hull openings under the waterline is that there will come a time when you need to move or change out a hose to that fitting and you are not in a position (logistically or financially) to go to a boat yard for a lift.

Fittings, bronze or marlon, will probably out live you if they are properly installed, but hoses have much (!) shorter design lives.
You need to be able to easily turn off a given hull opening and do your maintenance or replacement.

Also, there may be times when you are working on the quadrant, tankage, exhaust, or some other part in the cramped and crowded stern sections and temporarily removing a hose will make the job possible or at least easier.

My .02 worth,
Loren