[C320-list] Thru hulls

[Irving Grunes]

that was zip tying the macerator thru hull CLOSED

On Wed, Jul 20, 2016 at 8:57 PM, Troy Dunn <troutwarrior at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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.
>