[C320-list] Thru hulls

[Troy Dunn]

So...we are new to the boat ownership thing.   Everything we have been
taught and read has led us to believe that boats in general are notorious
for sinking in their slips.   Usually because of some downstream failure of
a filter, hose, or fitting that is attached to a thru hull below the
waterline.   Our interpretation of that information has been to close all
thru hulls prior to leaving the boat for an extended period of time.  I
suppose what constitutes extended is open to interpretation, but as weekend
sailors (for now) we religiously close all thru hulls before we leave the
boat for the week and go back to our jobs so we can find money to pour into
the boat.

So imagine my surprise this past few weeks as various posts have surfaced
with problems whose solutions including zip tying a thru hull permanently
open.  Seriously?  Is this actually a good idea?   We are totally new to
this, but that sounds like a bad idea based on what we've been told by
folks we think know what they are talking about. Key word is think.

On the other hand...our boat has one of those really nice A/C systems which
has a humidity control function.   We've wondered aloud if it was ok to
leave the A/C thru hull open all week and keep the humidity out of our
boat.   Does the joy of knowing our clothes and bed linens won't mildew
outweigh the risk of arriving to a boat that has settled 4 ft. into the
Chesapeake muck?   Just don't know.

Curious about your thoughts.  We have 4 thru hulls that we have to open and
close each week.   Our macerater thru hull is permanently closed and wired
shut per regs for our location.

Troy and Kim Dunn
Hull #514.