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thru hulls and Marelon valves

hdlEric

Member III
I have an '87 Ericson 34. Does anybody know if the thru hulls are PVC? Also, although most posts I have read here and elsewhere, insist that Marelon valves should be replaced. However, one site indicates that the Marelon series 93 were acceptable. Does anybody know if this type is on my boat.
Thanks, Howard
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Any PVC should be replaced. I doubt there are PVC throughhulls, but elbows were sometimes used.

I have not read the threads you cite about automatic replacement of Marelon throughhulls.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I have an '87 Ericson 34. Does anybody know if the thru hulls are PVC? Also, although most posts I have read here and elsewhere, insist that Marelon valves should be replaced. However, one site indicates that the Marelon series 93 were acceptable. Does anybody know if this type is on my boat.
Thanks, Howard

80's factory thru hulls , below the waterline, were Marelon, from RC Marine of Australia. The later 90's series 93 from Forespar (who bought up the product line) are very different designing.
We changed out all of ours over a decade ago.
Acceptable? To who? :)

Ours will pass a survey just fine . Note that EY was screwing a valve onto a thru hull, and the later "93' design is a true seacock, with the valve body (on our boat) epoxied to the backing plate.

If you see the black valves screwed onto the threaded hull fitting, you have the original type.

AFAIK, Ericson never used a PVC thru hull fitting below the water line.
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
I would take a hard look at above-but-near-waterline through hulls too. E.g. bilge pump outlets and cockpit drains. They too can sink your boat, and rarely have any valves. And these are the ones that actually get exposed to UV radiation. I had one shatter just from bumping it with a hand sander. Fortunately, high and dry in the yard. Pretty sure it was PVC. May have been marked with the bilge-pump manufacturers name, but I don’t recall for sure.
 

garryh

Member III
As well as PVC, nylon thru hulls in exterior applications should also be avoided. They deteriorate quickly with UV exposure.
 
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