Asking for other 272 owners (or anybody) to shout-out w/ opinions on the factory thru-hulls. Have most been replaced w/ real bolted-flanged seacocks? Our 272LE has (as the majority of all boats in our club) just the factory threaded thru-hulls w/ plywood backing on inside of hull. We initially found slight seepage on two of ours last spring after purchasing from two years of inside storage, so we either replaced or re-set/re-tightened all three of them w/ same style as original. Boat has always just been fresh-water boat, but still have a concern w/ this style. Am I over-thinking? As I said, almost all the boats we have seen on freshwater lakes have same style and rarely do you hear of problems. We ease our worries somewhat by closing ALL our thru-hull valves when we leave the boat after weekending, but that doesn't really focus on the issue of the thru-hulls themselves. For this reason, we are planning to install an electric bilge pump and float this spring (in the tight fitting mini-bilge)....just in case something happens when we are away from boat.
thru-hull types
- Thread starter dacheez
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There are..
There are many boats successfully, & some not so successfully. using this configuration. If they are not leaking and you don't induce a twisting motion when opening and closing they should be fine for your use.
While flanged seacocks are very robust the valve on the trhu-hull can work fine, despite any thread mismatch, provided you use good judgment and don't stick a tool bag weighing 50 pounds next to it..
In my experience this type of seacock configuration does tend to leak more at the hull joint, than do the flanged type. Also as wood gets wet it swells and when when you haul for the winter they dry out and shrink. This puts added strain on the marine sealant trying to keep it sealed. Just keep tabs on them and you should be fine.
Oh and you should always have a bilge pump!
There are many boats successfully, & some not so successfully. using this configuration. If they are not leaking and you don't induce a twisting motion when opening and closing they should be fine for your use.
While flanged seacocks are very robust the valve on the trhu-hull can work fine, despite any thread mismatch, provided you use good judgment and don't stick a tool bag weighing 50 pounds next to it..
In my experience this type of seacock configuration does tend to leak more at the hull joint, than do the flanged type. Also as wood gets wet it swells and when when you haul for the winter they dry out and shrink. This puts added strain on the marine sealant trying to keep it sealed. Just keep tabs on them and you should be fine.
Oh and you should always have a bilge pump!
Re: There are..
Thanks for the response. I feel better. However, after paging through your Photo Galleries Link just now, I noticed your seacock article was indeed the one that got me all worked up last year about switching to flanged seacocks after I found our factory threaded ones seeping. But, we are diligent about making sure we don't twist ours aggressively, and we keep them always freshly baby-powdered to notice seeps sooner. Many thanks for your How-To articles. This weekend we are planning our first raw-water pump impeller change, and your advice and pix will help. By the way, we do have the factory hand bilge pump, but really want an automatic one also. Advice on how to "Y" the electric one in just downstream of the hand pump? I'm an oilfield "pipefitter" of many years, so these tiny plumbing jobs give me the fits. Thanks again. -john-
Thanks for the response. I feel better. However, after paging through your Photo Galleries Link just now, I noticed your seacock article was indeed the one that got me all worked up last year about switching to flanged seacocks after I found our factory threaded ones seeping. But, we are diligent about making sure we don't twist ours aggressively, and we keep them always freshly baby-powdered to notice seeps sooner. Many thanks for your How-To articles. This weekend we are planning our first raw-water pump impeller change, and your advice and pix will help. By the way, we do have the factory hand bilge pump, but really want an automatic one also. Advice on how to "Y" the electric one in just downstream of the hand pump? I'm an oilfield "pipefitter" of many years, so these tiny plumbing jobs give me the fits. Thanks again. -john-
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