[C320-list] Marelon seacock problem

[dprudden]

Patricia, 
The in-board part is Marelon, and I believe all boats have a brass thru-hull fitting. When you haul, it's not difficult to replace the marelon part-4 bolts hold it to the brass base. Scott Thompson just replaced one while the boat was afloat!

David Prudden
#787

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 25, 2017, at 5:57 AM, Patricia Claytor <pclaytor at tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Everyone!  In my Catalina 320 my seacocks have plastic handles and I am having problems with one that leaks when open.  So my question is - is the whole seacock plastic?  I am due to have a haul-out bottom clean and was thinking to replace all seacocks with brass.  Thoughts?  Yes, beyond being ready to stroke a big check...  
> 
> Thanks
> 
> Patricia
> Knot Home
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: C320-list [mailto:c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com] On Behalf Of Catalina
> Sent: Sunday, May 21, 2017 8:40 PM
> To: C320-List at Catalina320.com
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Marelon seacock problem
> 
> Great info Scott!
> When we had a handle break apart for the head intake thru Hull, it let in a good spray that we stopped with a couple wraps of rescue tape till we hauled out for the season a week later.
> Possible that there was additional damage to the valve in our case that I didn't notice.
> Cheers!Jeff
> Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
> -------- Original message --------From: Scott Thompson <surprise at thompson87.com> Date: 5/21/17  6:33 PM  (GMT-05:00) To: C320-List at Catalina320.com Subject: Re: [C320-list] Marelon seacock problem Thanks to all who provided useful advice on fixing this problem. I ordered Forespar part no. 932143 and a "Seabung" from Fisheries Supply. 
> (Actually I ordered a set of two Seabungs. I do not believe you can buy them individually. The larger one might be useful for pulling the speed transducer if your plug is missing.) Fisheries Supply had good pricing on the seacock and delivered within 3 days. Pricing and delivery from West Marine were much worse.
> 
> I also received instruction on doing an in-the-water repair from Forespar tech support. I followed those instructions except used the smaller size Seabung instead of using the little Forespar plug, which would have required a dive under the boat, which I did not want to do this early in the season. The Seabung worked great. It's a bit expensive but a lot cheaper than a diver or haulout. I tied a light line to the top of it and secured the other end to the grab bar in front of the head sink. With modest tension the leakage was reduced to a trickle while I prepared the new seacock for installation. The bilge pump only ran twice during the entire operation.
> 
> BTW, partially disassembling a Forespar seacock by removing the four large screws voids the warranty, but is the method that their tech support suggested to do the repair. Without disassembly you would have to unseal the base from the interior of the hull and unscrew it from the thruhull fitting in order to replace the seacock. Now that could break the seal around the thru hull, and there was no way I was going to take that approach without a haulout.
> 
> After bringing the old parts home I took apart the old seacock. It's clear that my worst fear about failure of the handle was not justified: 
> The ball valve in the interior of this seacock is completely captive within the body, and cannot be removed without first removing the four large screws holding the assembly together and then removing one or both of the interior seals. (But DO NOT remove those screws without plugging the thruhull first!) Removing the handle will NOT cause a significant failure or leak. I did not find washers or O-rings behind the handle (contrary to info from Jeff Hare, who must be thinking of a different seacock design). The handle appears to be held in place only by a 1/4 inch self tapping screw. I'm sure the leak in my seacock was caused by wear and tear on the seals, and not by a loose handle. The worn seals may cause a drip, but they aren't going to fail catastrophically.
> 
> Scott Thompson
> 
>> On 5/13/2017 4:40 PM, Scott Thompson wrote:
>> I noticed a small leak that seems to be coming from the handle of a seacock when it is open. When I try to tighten the screw through the handle it just spins. Advice welcome!
>> 
>> Scott Thompson
>> Surprise #653(1999)
>> 
>> 
> 
>