[C320-list] Cracking thru hull hoses

[Jeff Hare]

Hello,
 
Interesting find this spring.  Our hull is #809  (2001 model year).

  When I was inspecting hoses this year, I noticed that several of them (raw water intake, galley sink drain and the macerator thru-hull hoses all had cracking near the thru hull fitting that I could see by bending the hoses slightly and using a light.

I was running the engine on land using my winterizing port and a bucket to feed water into the system.  After shutting off the engine I noticed that water left in the line was leaking out of some tiny cracks in the small portion of raw water intake hose connected to the thru-hull.   So, I got a replacement wire reinforced hose.  Taking the old hose off, and bending it a bit, it simple broke wide open.  Glad I noticed this.

Galley sink…  The galley drain hose is similarly brittle but was not as bad but I’m replacing that now.  Same exact problem with the macerator thru-hull hose.  I have a plan to replace all the thru-hull connected factory rubber hoses now.  The rubber is drying out for some reason.

So…  Check all your thru-hull hoses carefully.  If they feel dry or unusually stiff, consider just replacing them pro-actively, rather than wait for them to ruin your trip, cause that’s when they’ll fail of course…  :-)

-Jeff  Hare
Woodbine II #809