Raw Water Intake Ball Valve won't close!

Jun 9, 2012
40
Hunter 380 Brunswick
Last time we were motoring out in our 2002 Hunter 380, we were running the Yanmar at around 3200 RPM, and got an overheat warning after about an hour. We throttled down and checked that the raw-water intake was fully open. My wife said she moved the ball valve handle about 1/4", but that it was showing to be in the open position. The engine cooled down, and we continued at a lower RPM.

When I got back to the dock, I decided to check whether the raw-water strainer was blocked. I couldn't get the housing off by hand, so yesterday I went back with a filter wrench and spun off the housing of the ShurFlo strainer. Although the through-hull was closed, I got an instant gusher! Worse yet, I could not get the housing back on with the water pressure pouring from the top of the strainer. I checked several times to make sure the ball valve was completely closed and the handle was fully 90 degrees to the fitting. I tried opening and closing the valve to see if it was indexed wrong, but it didn't seem to make any difference in the amount of water that was coming out of the top of the strainer. The valve handle moves freely, so it isn't like the valve feels frozen in the open position. Finally, with no other way to get the water flow to stop enough to put the housing back on, I used a pair of big Vise Grips to crimp the hose between the ball valve and the raw water strainer enough to stop the flow to a trickle, then put the housing back on.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I checked the Hunter Ball Valve Recall letter, and the 380 isn't even listed as one of the affected models. Will I have to get the boat hauled to replace the ball valve? Any other ideas?

Let me tell you, It's a pretty helpless feeling while you are trying to get the housing back on the strainer and stop all the water from gushing in, knowing that if you don't fix it, the boat will sink at the dock!
 
Dec 19, 2006
5,809
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
Replace

If you can go under your boat and put some kind of plug up into
the hole and than unscrew the value off but I would have a new one
or a plumber cap to go on the threads.
You can get wood plugs or WM also has rubber plugs also,don't know
what type of values you have but my 2007 H-36 has the type that the values that unscrew off the threaded part that is in the hull,maybe spray some blaster
on the threads before time.
Nick
 
Jun 9, 2012
40
Hunter 380 Brunswick
If you can go under your boat and put some kind of plug up into
the hole and than unscrew the value off but I would have a new one
or a plumber cap to go on the threads.
You can get wood plugs or WM also has rubber plugs also,don't know
what type of values you have but my 2007 H-36 has the type that the values that unscrew off the threaded part that is in the hull,maybe spray some blaster
on the threads before time.
Nick
The 380 has the ball valve that threads onto the though-hull fitting. Might work if I have a diver plug the through hull from the bottom while he's scrubbing the hull.

Thanks,
Dave
 
Mar 11, 2009
199
Hunter 40 Saint John
I have 15 years of working on valves at my workplace, from manual 1/2 turn valves to very complicated globe and ball valves, with Electronic positioners etc etc. One thing for sure that I learned is that you can never be sure, from the perspective of the handle, is that it may or may not actually be turning the ball inside the valve, and the other aspect is that just because the ball may be turning, the seals on the inside of the valve may have been destroyed or even missing. It would be best to haul out your boat and replace the valve...
 
Oct 25, 2011
576
Island Packet IP31 Lake St. Louis, Montreal
I would second the haulout idea. If you try to unscrew the valve from the thru hull and you spin the thru hull you will most certainly have a leak at the thru hull which will require removal and rebedding of the thru hull to correct.

Matt
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
The valve could have been frozen and turning the handle may have just twisted and broken the shaft that attaches to the ball. Messing around with valves and thru-hulls with the boat in the water is taking some chances. The force required to release the valve may cause the thru-hull to twist breaking the bedded seal and causing leaks. I also recommend a haul out.
 
Jun 9, 2012
40
Hunter 380 Brunswick
The shaft is definitely moving with the handle, but maybe not going to the closed position. Come to think of it, that could have been the reason for the overheat-- if the handle is not indexed properly, maybe open wasn't fully open!

I agree that if the ball valve is the problem, then I'd be foolish to try to fix it in the water and risk damaging or de-bedding the through hull. But maybe before I set up a haul-out, I should remove the handle and turn the shaft with a pair of vise grips (careful not to damage the threads for the nut that holds handle on) and see if that stops the gusher? I would hate to have to resort to crimping the hose again if I'm wrong, but if it still leaks, it's all going to be replaced anyway when I have the boat hauled out.

Dave
Still the One
SSI
 
Jun 9, 2012
40
Hunter 380 Brunswick
So I removed the handle, loosened the plastic housing on the raw water strainer until I has a steady flow without blowing it off, and turned the shaft with a pair of Vise Grips to the closed position- no change in the flow rate. Pretty sure the valve is shot internally. Think a haul - out and replacement is the only option!
 
Dec 19, 2006
5,809
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
I will show my thru hulls and they look easy but as I said mine did turn and needed some one on land under boat
with a wedge tool up into thru hull to keep from turning while I unscrew the value inside the boat and yours do not look the same and looks like trouble in water.
I am changing the backing plates with new and the old ones are water logged and
falling apart.
My boat is 2007 H-36
 

Attachments

Dan_Y

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Oct 13, 2008
514
Hunter 36 Hampton
My backing plates are getting that way too. I put a layer of epoxy on them when they were dry, hoping to get another year or two until the next haul out for paint. I assume you are replacing with G-10 like Mainsail showed? There is also a marine plywood backing plate at the top of the rudder tube below the deck. My deck leaked around the tube and the backing plate is disintegrating...might check that while its out.
 
Feb 10, 2004
3,918
Hunter 40.5 Warwick, RI
I checked the Hunter Ball Valve Recall letter, and the 380 isn't even listed as one of the affected models. Will I have to get the boat hauled to replace the ball valve? Any other ideas?
Where is this Hunter Ball Valve Recall letter?

I removed my sink thru-hull valve this past fall because it was extremely hard to operate. I needed to have a second person outside the hull holding the thru-hull with a tool and it took all I had inside with a 24" wrench to loosen the valve. It had been liberally doused with PB Blaster. AND I still managed to loosen the thru-hull in the hull so that I will be re bedding it in the spring. Bottom line- Don't attempt to remove these valves when in the water.
 
Dec 19, 2006
5,809
Hunter 36 Punta Gorda
Ditto on needing 2 people trying to try and remove the 2 piece thru hulls and I am on the hard and tried with just me and can tell you those values are on like cement and when first attempted to remove them they did turn the lower part and became impossible to remove by myself and even with a second person outside it was very hard with a pipe on the wrench for leverage and one was so tight after badly banging 3 out of 5 fingers trying to remove and finally gave up and had to cut with my portable sawsall.
I am so glad I waited for my haul out other wise I would have had a possible sinking boat and the yard is over 3 hours away
with a locking system to enter and than had to raft up to other boats before being haul and I need a least 1. high tide to get into the lock system.
 
Jul 27, 2011
4,989
Bavaria 38E Alamitos Bay
There came a point after 16 yr that the ball valve on the thru-hull to my head intake did not close even though the handle would make the 90-deg turn to the closed position. I don't know how long I thought I was closing it b/f I finally discovered that it was fixed in the open position. Evidently, the articulation between the handle and the ball rusts out over time on these cheapo ones that Bavaria (and probably Hunter) install initially, so the ball remains stuck open even though the handle turns. In Dec of '15 I hauled the boat and replaced 4 ball valves on the thru-hulls and one on the engine, for a total of 5 out of the 13 that there are. I replaced them with Groco valves/thru-hulls. I'll replace the other 8 the next time the boat goes on the hard.
 
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