# Installing New Seacock's (A Photo Based How To)



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Hi All,

I finished another photo based "how to" article/blog based on the replacement of my through-hulls and sea cocks that I completed last spring.

Take a look and let me know what changes I should make or if the instructions are clear enough for the average DIY boater.

My intent with these articles is to help the average boater save $$$. The labor time involved in this job was a lot and would have translated into a yard bill in excess of 2k if I had paid my boat yard to tackle this job.

I've had great responses, over 630 "thank you notes", just on my "Re-Packing A Traditional Stuffing Box" article alone so I continue to do them to help in any way I can.

I hope this article helps as much as the others I've done..

Here it is: *http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/replacing_thruhulls*


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Hale,
Absolutely great article and I commend you for posting it. Right up there with Giu's sailing videos.


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Halekai-

Nicely done, but I think you should add a photo of the mushroom thru-hull and show it being tightened on the outside of the boat to the second page of the article.


----------



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

*I agree..*

I totally agree but it's one photo I forgot to snap. I may be doing an install on a buddy's boat this spring and I'll bring my camera.

Usually when I'm doing these projects the camera and the article are not at the top of my mind so unfortunately some photos get missed..

I did however just add two more very relevant photos to the end of the article this being one of them..


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

It's absolutely gorgeous. It is explained in such detail and will all necessary warnings that next time I have to take my boat to the dry I'll change myself a through-hull and seacock that needs replacing (which normally I would have never dared).
Thanks a lot for your time in sharing your knowledge and congratulations.


----------



## alaska67 (Jan 3, 2008)

*that is the best*

those are the best directions i've seen on seacocks


----------



## Valiente (Jun 16, 2006)

Very nice work, indeed, H.


----------



## AboardIndigo (Aug 23, 2007)

Great write-up, pictures, and site. Thanks halekai36!


----------



## HoffaLives (Feb 19, 2007)

fantastic. i wish i had read this before i replaced every ball valve on fainleog this spring. the po had also recently replaced all valves -with cheapo abs plastic (not marelon) valves. i replaced them all with proper bronze, but didn't use the flanged bases because they weren't stock on my boat, and wasn't aware at the time how important they are. i want to eventually replace all the thru-hulls so then i will install the proper flanged bases.


----------



## Giulietta (Nov 14, 2006)

Halekai,

Superb job, thank you. You are an asset here.

Thanks again

Alex


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

excellent work. very nice. thanks!


----------



## cardiacpaul (Jun 20, 2006)

You are a man-god, give me your wifes address so I can illustrate how she should pay homage to you on a daily basis. 

Seriously, very nice work, thanks a million!


----------



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

cardiacpaul said:


> You are a man-god, give me your wifes address so I can illustrate how she should pay homage to you on a daily basis.
> 
> Seriously, very nice work, thanks a million!


Thanks CardiacPaul & everyone.

I'm always glad when I can help fellow sailors not get screwed over by some boat yards and the trained monkey's some of them hire..!!


----------



## cardiacpaul (Jun 20, 2006)

in defense of the trained monkeys....

I know quite a few of them around here, and most of them really do try very hard. 
Sometimes the limitations put upon them by management limit what they can do. 
Yes, every once in awhile you get one that has a hard time with spacial relationships (don't force it, get a bigger hammer) and one that forgets the sole of your boat doesn't like the 2 inches of mud he just trudged thru, but by in large, they're a good bunch of good ol' boys that would give you the shirt off of their back. 

This year it was rough for some of the folks on this particular slice of heaven. Marinas under water, docks overstepping their anchoring poles, no power, no lights, facilities basically ruined.

Many people that were usually working 60-70 hours per week in the summer were unemployed. 

Almost to a man, these fellas stayed at the docks with generators making sure that emergency lights stayed on thru the night to ward off the people that wanted your stuff. These are the same fellas that would ferry you to your boat, then take you back to your car because you forgot the cooler, with nothing but a smile. No charge. 

I've found that a cold beverage or a snausage sammich at the end of the day quite often improves the quality of work performed. Sit awhile with some of these guys, get them to tell you some stories, I've heard some that will make you laugh so hard you'd think you were at a Sheckie Green show. 
Like the one about the guy that rolled his brand new Baja off the trailer, tied up to the dock and he and his deck bunnies take off to partake of the adult beverages at the bar. Only to return an hour later to a big yellow spot at the dock because he forgot to install the plug, and he's gets indigant when the boys tell him it'll cost about 150.00 to pump her out enough to install the drain plug. 
The quote of the day? 
"It costs real money to be that stupid."


----------



## jrd22 (Nov 14, 2000)

Thanks Halekai, best instructions I've seen on the subject. Excellent job! I'm going to print it out and keep it in the file cabinet on board. The previous owner replaced several thru hulls and used the right parts but didn't make the backing plates large enough and didn't through bolt the flanges:-((

John


----------



## NOLAsailing (Sep 10, 2006)

Fantastic job - great photo-documentation.

I also really like the look of your website.

Thanks!


----------



## alaska67 (Jan 3, 2008)

*Holy cow!*

i looked at the other parts of your web site - cool stuff


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

BTW, Halekai, I think you should re-name this thread *Installing a New Through Hull*, since that's technically what you're writing about... and you didn't actually install the seacock in the article.  You talk about it...but you don't show the steps or really write up how to do it.

PS. You misspelled Countersink at the bottom of page 1.


----------



## canadianseamonkey (Sep 4, 2006)

Just what I needed. And the rest of the site it awesome as well. Thanks.


----------



## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Great job Halekai! Thanks for sharing!!


----------



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

sailingdog said:


> BTW, Halekai, I think you should re-name this thread *Installing a New Through Hull*, since that's technically what you're writing about... and you didn't actually install the seacock in the article.  You talk about it...but you don't show the steps or really write up how to do it.
> 
> PS. You misspelled Countersink at the bottom of page 1.


Is this better? I did actually install seacocks but never had a picture of the final finished product until I went to the boat today to take one.. I added this to the end of the article.

It's funny I've had over 75 emails thanking me for the article and not one where the person did get or understand it or the concept of how to install a seacock...

PS. Thanks for the spell checking I'm more of a tinkerer than writer..


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

The only reason I mentioned it, is some of the newbies might not know how to do it... teflon tape or plumber's goop and all...


----------



## alanl (Mar 13, 2006)

Brilliant - have just placed a link to your article on the Australian site www.handymariner.com.au

Cheers

Alan


----------



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

*thanks..*

Glad you liked it!

Happy Sailing!!!!


----------



## LyleRussell (May 3, 2006)

Agreed. Nicely done! Thank you.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

How would you go about installing a flush thruhull instead of a mushroom?


----------



## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Sailboy-

Basically the same procedure but you have to counter sink the exterior portion of the hull for the head of the through-hull.


----------



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

sailingdog said:


> Sailboy-
> 
> Basically the same procedure but you have to counter sink the exterior portion of the hull for the head of the through-hull.


Thats kinda what I was wondering.. How do you countersink a 1 1/2" hole in fiberglass?


----------



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

sailboy21 said:


> Thats kinda what I was wondering.. How do you countersink a 1 1/2" hole in fiberglass?


You can laminate up an approximately 10X10 area inside the hull with roving and cloth, but do taper/bevel the edges of this block by making each layer slightly smaller than the last, until you have the thickness to sink the head flush.

You could also do what Morris Yachts has done on some boats and use no thru-hull. They simply laminate, during the layup, a roughly 10X10 area inside the hull, so it's nice and thick, then drill a hole for the thru-hull and gelcoat and finish the insides of the hole. The thru-hull is then through-bolted to the hull and sealed with sealant for the ultimate fair hull surface.

P.S. Don't you have a full keeler? Flush mounting thru-hull heads is like putting a wood grain and leather interior into a Yugo. It's kind of overkill...????


----------



## ambianceack (Aug 27, 2006)

when do you know when to replace a seacock prior to an emergency


----------



## 3Kioni (Dec 5, 2008)

There's been no activity on this thread for a couple of years, but the info is still topical. Thanks for this, and all the valuable advice on your website.


----------



## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

That crude in the ball valve shows why they should not be forgotten until it's needed.In my case ,CSI wants to see them work once a year and on the bench inspection every 4 years This kind of attention to detail forces my butt in the air and allows me a good look around .


----------



## Geoff54 (Oct 30, 2011)

I'm new to sailnet so I have only just discovered your great article on installing seacocks.

One thing that I have recently become aware of, is that some very well known European boat manufacturers have been using brass seacocks with the associated galvanic corrosion problems. This has been highlighted by Paul Stevens and Yachting Monthly magazine in he last few months. 
http://www.paulstevenssurveys.com/upload/Seacocks.pdf

Essential Seacock Checks | YM Plus | Yachting Monthly

Your article is the best that I have seen and I am sure people use it as a reference. You do mention the dangers of brass but I am sure that a lot of people do not realize that their boat may have been delivered with brass fittings. You would do us all an immense service if you also highlighted this problem. As far as I can ascertain, this does not apply to any US manufactures.

Thanks.
Geoff


----------



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Geoff54 said:


> I'm new to sailnet so I have only just discovered your great article on installing seacocks.
> 
> One thing that I have recently become aware of, is that some very well known European boat manufacturers have been using brass seacocks with the associated galvanic corrosion problems. This has been highlighted by Paul Stevens and Yachting Monthly magazine in he last few months.
> http://www.paulstevenssurveys.com/upload/Seacocks.pdf
> ...


In the US this is made easier by looking for the Marine UL label or Marine UL stamp on the casting. Most quality seacocks in the US are made of 85-5-5-5 bronze.


----------



## Geoff54 (Oct 30, 2011)

Please correct me if I'm wrong but isn’t UL voluntary? Do all US thru-hulls have the Marine UL mark? 
Is there a mandatory standard for fittings on new boats? Otherwise it would be reasonable to assume that a major French manufacturer installs the same fittings for US boats as it does for other markets. I don’t know this, I’m just asking.


----------



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Geoff54 said:


> Please correct me if I'm wrong but isn't UL voluntary? Do all US thru-hulls have the Marine UL mark?
> Is there a mandatory standard for fittings on new boats? Otherwise it would be reasonable to assume that a major French manufacturer installs the same fittings for US boats as it does for other markets. I don't know this, I'm just asking.


The boat building standards in the US are for the most part voluntary. When you buy aftermarket though INSIST on a product that meets Marine UL standards. Thecks going back many years.


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Maine,

You mention creating your own 24" by 24" fiberglass board and not using Starboard.

Is it acceptable to use a piece of 1/2" thick G10?

Regards,
Brad


----------



## Maine Sail (Jan 6, 2003)

Bene505 said:


> Maine,
> 
> You mention creating your own 24" by 24" fiberglass board and not using Starboard.
> 
> ...


Absolutely! There is G-10 and GPO-3 board which are pre-made. Sometimes it is just easier for me to wax a piece of glass and lay it up myself. Now days I tend to have quite a bit of G-10 around so that is easier... Just depends what I have on hand. If I am drilling and tapping then I definitely use G-10...


----------



## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

Maine,

There's a detailed youtube video that someone posted on SN about converting my type of thru hulls to flanged. In the video, the guy runs the bolts through the round plate and up toward the flange. He countersinks the heads of the bolts, so the plate will sit flush against the hull. Then he glues the plate to the inside of the hull, with the bolts sticking up.

Wayne Canning





After it all cures, he slides the flange onto the 3 bolts that are stickilng up from the hull.

Is this acceptable? I want more than the nut-on mushroom that Beneteau uses, but not sure I want to drill 3 bolt holes in the hull at every thru-hull and then have to gel-coat over them.

By the way, we have 22 thru-hulls -- 4 bathrooms (4 x head in, head out, holding tank out, T-ed sink and shower sump drain), washdown pump in, crew cabin sink out, crew cabin head out, gally sink out, dripless shaft seal, engine seawater in. This will likely be a multi-year project.

Regards,
Brad


----------



## mitiempo (Sep 19, 2008)

Brad

From Maine's site: Seacock Backing Plates / Alternate Method / No Through Bolts Photo Gallery by Compass Marine at pbase.com


----------

