$75 worth of hose clamps?!?!? $@*!$#

Mar 23, 2018
63
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
Weather here in northern Michigan has been horrible. It's rained pretty much every day since pulling the boat out of storage. :banghead: It's rained so much, I stopped trying to get the boat launched and started drawing up plans to build an ark. :laugh::laugh::laugh::badbad:

Anyway, I'm starting to make some progress again but have decided to include replacing all plumbing on my pre-launch to-do list. I've got pretty much everything I need; hose, valves, fittings. Only thing left to purchase is hose clamps. I need 18 of them. I can't believe I'm going to spend $75 dollars on hose clamps. The SBF online store is out of just about everything the correct size, so I found what I think is the same clamp on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002IVEDTS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_7?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 $37.39 for 10, $74.78 for 20. :eek::cuss::banghead::cuss::banghead::cuss:That's $3.74 each:deadhorse:Or better yet, 18 of them from WM is $135.00 :yikes::yikes::yikes::yikes::yikes::yikes::yikes: Give me a break.

I'm going to spend the money, I mean otherwise the boat could sink. I think I'm just looking for someone to give me a really really good reason why I shouldn't go the Depot and spend less than $20 for 25.

What makes Scandvik or ABA hose clamps worth 5 X as much as other stainless clamps? There's got to be a good reason? :soapbox::stir:
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,759
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
What makes Scandvik or ABA hose clamps worth 5 X as much as other stainless clamps? There's got to be a good reason?
They are made of better materials, including the screws. I have had those cheaper hose clamps on my stern tube hose for years and repeatedly had to replace them because the bands themselves would literally corrode away!!! I am in the process of replacing them, for the first time in the 21 years we have had this boat, with AWABs. $25 for four! Size 1 3/4".
That said, though, it is your CHOICE to pay the premium for those locations that are easily accessible and not critical. For example: I will soon replace the crappy ones with AWABs on my hump hose and exhaust hose to and from the muffler, but will retain the regular ones on my domestic water system.

Your boat, your choice. :)

But no need to spend money needlessly if not warranted. Only YOU can make that call.

Good luck.
 
Jun 25, 2004
1,108
Corsair F24 Mk1 003 San Francisco Bay, CA
Most importantly: Use clamps made of 316 Stainless steel materials - the band, worm gear, and the screw.

Other desirable features for critical applications, like exhaust hoses and thru hulls, include:
A solid, rather than perforated, strap with rolled edges or smoothly finished edges to avoid cutting into the hose. (and so you con't cut yourself on them whilst rummaging in a locker)
Vibration resistance clamps (aka High Torque clamps) for hoses attached to engines, pumps, etc

Check McMaster Carr online
 
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Mar 23, 2018
63
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
Thanks for the replies thus far. :thumbup:
I should say, if I were in a coastal area, this would be a different conversation. However, I just checked, the nearest salt water is the bays surrounding Staten Island. That's 640 miles. Corrosion just isn't a big issue on the great lakes, it doesn't seem.

As long as we are discussing the plumbing, attached is a pic of the plumbing, the day I picked up the boat from the PO. Please feel free to point out anything and everything you see wrong in the pic. I can't fix, what I don't know is broke.

Thanks!
 

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Feb 26, 2004
22,759
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Corrosion just isn't a big issue on the great lakes, it doesn't seem.

As long as we are discussing the plumbing, attached is a pic of the plumbing, the day I picked up the boat from the PO. Please feel free to point out anything and everything you see wrong in the pic. I can't fix, what I don't know is broke.
Water corrodes, salt water corrodes absolutely. Look, doesn't matter where you are, fresh water does corrode, too. Don't buy into that nonsense, please.

Double clamps missing. Hoses not properly inserted all the way into barbs. Non-reinforced hoses appearing apparently below the waterline.
 
Mar 23, 2018
63
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
Unless I'm missing something, the only hose clamps at McMaster Carr which are 316 SS and have a solid band, is the https://www.mcmaster.com/45945k65 unfortunately they are $4.04 each plus shipping.

Everything else I see, is a perforated band and about a $1 to $1.25 each.
 
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Mar 23, 2018
63
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
Water corrodes, salt water corrodes absolutely. Look, doesn't matter where you are, fresh water does corrode, too. Don't buy into that nonsense, please.
Fair enough.
Double clamps missing. Hoses not properly inserted all the way into barbs. Non-reinforced hoses appearing apparently below the waterline.
Thanks, I can definitely fix all those issues.
 
Oct 10, 2013
127
Catalina 22 Minneapolis
Hey Scubaguy, what is this project that needs 18 hose clamps?
Yeah, that's what I was wondering.

I have eight hose clamps. Two cockpit drains that are double-clamped on each end.
 
Mar 23, 2018
63
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
Hey Scubaguy, what is this project that needs 18 hose clamps?
Actually, it appears to be 20. This is assuming I use double hose clamps on each connection. Which I thought was standard practice?

If, I can connect the valve for the sink drain to the actual sink drain and still reach it, I could reduce this by two connection points (4 hose clamps).

Am I completely in left field here? :stupid: :biggrin:
 

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Mar 23, 2018
63
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
Yeah, that's what I was wondering.

I have eight hose clamps. Two cockpit drains that are double-clamped on each end.
We would really like to be able to use our kitchen sink, which makes things more complicated. It literally adds 4 to 6 more connection. Which adds 8 to 12 more hose clamps.
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,759
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
We had #10496, 1981. Loved that boat! If yours is a Mark I with the slide out galley, I recall no way you could figure a way to connect the valve direct to the sink and still get to it unless you cut an access hole below the drain.
 
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
What Judy said...316SS period. Don't see where you would need doubles on sink drain and forward scuppers (others may differ) especially the sink drain which should have an inline valve. As much as I dislike "marine prices" by some vendors, don't screw with anything that might sink your boat for an extra boat buck ($100)...plus, you wanna crawl under there again anytime soon to save a few bucks?
(btw, learned that from this forum and an experience with some "SS" nutz & boltz from the big box folks...never again!)

2 cents...
 
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Jun 25, 2004
1,108
Corsair F24 Mk1 003 San Francisco Bay, CA
Water corrodes, salt water corrodes absolutely. Look, doesn't matter where you are, fresh water does corrode, too. Don't buy into that nonsense, please.

Double clamps missing. Hoses not properly inserted all the way into barbs. Non-reinforced hoses appearing apparently below the waterline.
In addition to short-comings that Stu already mentioned: That grey T-fitting looks like a PVC. PVC plastic and nylon fittings are not rated for use below the water line; They break easily.

Replace the t-fitting with something rated for use below the waterline, such as glass fiber reinforced plastic (for example, marelon) or bronze. If the product descriptions doesn't say that it's rated for below the waterline, don't use it below the waterline.
 
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Sep 25, 2008
7,075
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
I can empathize with the sticker shock of good hose clamps as that is one of my summer projects.
As others have said, they last longer and peace of mind isn’t cheap. Four of the AWBAs I removed didn’t look very healthy which would give me nightmares if I had used the ubiquitous barbed screws clamps. There is a lesson in here somewhere.
 
May 23, 2016
1,024
Catalina 22 #12502 BSC
Judy raises a great point, I think I have a couple of those "pvc grey things" down there...gonna replace with bronze for sure! cheap insurance..
 
Mar 23, 2018
63
Catalina 22 12491 Lake Charlevoix
In addition to short-comings that Stu already mentioned: That grey T-fitting looks like a PVC. PVC plastic and nylon fittings are not rated for use below the water line; They break easily.
That's going to be a bit harder to fix. I looked everywhere for Marelon Tee fittings for this project. I couldn't find any, anywhere. They aren't on Forespar's website, and I don't believe they exist. Which makes things a bit more difficult.

Sounds like in order to tee in the kitchen's drain line I have two options:

Option #1 uses one bronze tee and one PVC tee. Bronze tee is installed below the water line, with two marelon "tailpipes" (CF 252 .75") installed, one for the port scupper, the other is shared between the starboard scupper and the kitchen drain. This line has a pvc tee in it but it is well above the water line, as close to the scupper as possible.

Option #2 uses two tees (both bronze). Both of those tees would then be connected by a bronze nipple. One tee would have two marelon "tailpipes" (CF 252 .75") installed, one for the scupper and one for the sink. The other tee would have one tailpipe for the other scupper? Could I use PVC on the kitchen drain line, which is well above the waterline?

Which of these options sounds better? One of the objectives of this project is getting that sink drain valve up high but still reachable, seems like option #1 may be better in that regard.

Notice the lack of emoticons. Things just got real serious.
 

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AaronD

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Aug 10, 2014
723
Catalina 22 9874 Newberg, OR / Olympia, WA
Good questions @ScubaGuy2, and good discussion. Keep in mind that the waterline moves when you heel. The sink drain may be below the waterline on port tack (I don't have a reference offhand, but think I recall people talking of it flooding back into the cabin when they forget to close the drain valve).

Now, if something breaks in the sink drain system and is flooding, you'd presumably round up and stop heeling whenever you figure it out. So it probably wouldn't be a sink-the-boat situation, but it could be a royal pain. Maybe enough so to warrant treating the drain system the same as you do below-the-waterline hardware (double clamps on hoses, bronze and marelon instead of PVC, etc.).