Hose life?

[jviss]

Wondering: how long do engine hoses last, like seawater hoses, coolant hoses? I have some originals, I think (1996), and I've bought replacements but haven't installed them yet. I replaced one coolant hose that was leaking due to abrasion. Other then that, no others yet.

Curious about what others think.

 

[kappykaplan]

Rule of thumb given to me was 10 years.

 

[FastOlson]

Rule of thumb given to me was 10 years.

I believe in 20 years, max.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

I believe in 20 years, max.

I'll see your 20 and raise you 2. That's when I replaced the antifreeze, sea water, and fuel hoses located within the Nike shoe box :

Outside of the shoe box, I would run the new hose until I hit an existing joint and leave the remainder of the old hose in place. The fuel hose was getting a little stiff inside the box but I could still bend it back 180 deg. Out, out damn spot. The fuel hose outside the box could pass for brand new and hence remained after the first joint.

The hoses outside the box ran against the inside of the hull, under the rear sole and always cool. Inside the box maybe 120 with the exhaust fan and engine running. After the engine and fan shut down, hotter than ol' bejabbers.

 

[Peggie Hall HeadMistress]

A number of yard managers in both small and large boatyards have told me that the average maximum working life for ANY hose is 10 years, because rubber and plastics dry out...becoming hard, brittle and prone to cracking and sticking. BOAT/US magazine ran an article a few years ago in which they reported that old hoses left connected to an open below-waterline thru-hull is the most common cause of boats sinking in their slips.

--Peggie
There are 3 ways to do anything--the right way, the wrong way and the way that some guy has gotten away with for 20 years.