TIMING - What are you waiting for?

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
23,127
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Timing: the ability to select the precise moment for doing something for optimum effect,

On your boat, how do you judge that the timing is right?
  • To change your thru hull.
  • To buy new sails
  • To change your oil
  • To fill the fuel tank
Do you count the days, weeks, months since your last change keeping careful records in a Boat log or diary? Do you have a spreadsheet recording every penny you’ve spent since the boat was new? Or are you a “Feels right” kind of person.

Whatever scheme you employ the timing of a change is important often critical. I learned that this past week. I nearly waited too long.

I think I would like to be one of those record keepers with a meticulous list of all supplies and systems on my boat, but I am not. I know and can remember most of the things and systems on my boat only because I am constantly looking for something or inspecting my boats systems. My wife says I am a worrier at times. I fiddle with this connection or that fixture. If it is loose, I tighten it. If It is black when it should be yellow, I take it apart and try to figure out why.

It is just my way. I bought my boat #21 of 120 built in 1974 - used in 2015. There was no “Here’s your Boat Manual – It will tell you everything you need to know about your boat”. There is a lot of looking in places no one wants to open. Seeing of things that would cause most boat owners to abandon ship for the safety of a dinghy.

Last winter I made plans to inspect and replace valves or through hulls in anticipation of a long voyage into remote water. The valves and thru hulls on my boat were of an unknown age. They all have functioned without issue. I exercise all of the valves each 60-90 days. I had the boat hauled in 2018 and inspected all of the thru hulls. These looked good on the outside with good metal.

When I changed the sink drain hose this past February, I noticed a bit of stiffness in the valve. The 90-degree hose fitting appeared to be brass pipe nipple.
IMG_0395.jpeg
After changing the hose for the first time the area was dry. I decided time for a replacement was nearing. Right next to it is the Engine raw water supply valve.
IMG_0403.jpeg
Both are ¾ thru hulls. I decided I might as well consider both of them.

I started to make plans for a haul and then Corona Virus Lock downs hit. 2.5 months go by and I make my first run up to the boat. Surprise, “you got water” around the valves. It was only about a quart and a half, but where was it coming from? It did not appear to be salty on taste. It was a RED FLAG in my inspection protocol. I called the marina office. First haul date was a week from Thursday. I mopped up the water and there did not appear to be much in the way of leaking, so I headed home with fingers crossed.

One week later, after a discussion session with @LeslieTroyer and some designing of a ThruHull Wrench tool, we were off to the boat.
IMG_0595.jpeg IMG_0591.jpeg

Started up the engine and headed to the crane. Out of the water. Washed down by the yard, we had 12 hours to remove the valves, replace them before splash down the next morning. Piece of cake. Right.

With help from SBO boating buddies @LeslieTroyer and @Ken Cross working under the boat, I started to remove the valves from the inside. The drain valve, the one that first started my concern, would rotate 180 degrees, but it was just spinning the thru hull. Darn. The thru hull seal is busted, it will need to be removed. Let’s try the better-looking valve (the engine raw water valve). I was thinking, I’ll just spin this one off and we’ll have lots of time to work on the bad boy. I put the wrench on the valve and started to twist. Pop the valve split in two and I was looking at the exposed ball in the valve.
IMG_0603.jpeg
What the… Looking at the valve the threads that were supposed to hold the valve together were nearly gone - corroded. It had been holding together on a prayer and good luck.

The rest of our efforts went smoothly. We splashed on time. The new valves look great.
IMG_0611.jpeg
Now just some clean up and a splash of bilge paint, good as new.
I have made a record of the date and materials in my boat log. $134 for materials, $336 for the short haul, peace of mind - priceless.

Timing. If you think it is time to inspect or change something on your boat, follow the Nike motto - Just Do It - sooner than later. It may already be too late.
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,714
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
I'm not sure I agree with the conclusion (Nike), but the question is an excellent one.

One of the tings I do in my day job is inspect tanks (up to 10,000,000 gallons) and refinery equipment. Inspection decisions and inspection frequencies are determined by the results of past inspections (rate of deterioration) and industry experience (failures and inspections of similar equipment). In this case, and experienced inspector would have flagged the valves for removal and inspection a decade go.

Why? Not because of fear, but because experience says that if there is corrosion coming from threaded connections big problems are likely.

The actually moral of the story is that you inspect things until you develop a baseline of deterioration rate and what the signs are. You don't inspect everything every time, just enough to get a feel for what you are seeing. If a certain percentage show signs of serious deterioration, you inspect more. And obviously, the concequense of failure makes a difference. A failed through hull is bad. A failed block on a barber hauler is trivial. And oil change intervals are a continuum of cost/benefit. It is also easy to do the things that are easy and obvious (oil change) and overlook the less obvious (hoses, masthead fittings and spreaders) or painfull (through hulls, keel bolts).

Put your inspector hat on, pretend you are a surveyor, and grade what you see based on what a buyer would need to know, not what you want to hear.
 
Last edited:
Jan 7, 2011
5,574
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
Changed head sail when I tore the original (I think) 1988 sail...it might have been a little baggy. But once it tore, it was time.

Change the engine oil every other year the day I haul out.

I fill the fuel tank every year at haulout too. If I am lucky, I don’t have to fill it during the year. I am raise my sail within about 300 yards of my slip and be on Lake Michigan :)

I haven’t change a thru hull on this 30-year boat, but I have only Owned her for 5 or 6 years.

Greg
 
Mar 26, 2011
3,714
Corsair F-24 MK I Deale, MD
I neglected to answer the actual questions:

On your boat, how do you judge that the timing is right?

  • To change your thru hull. Any sign or leakage or movement.
  • To buy new sails. With polyester sails, when the shape gets too bad. With laminate sails, after a few significant repairs (they tend to explode at some point).
  • To change your oil. Follow the manufacture requirements, annually at a minimum.
  • To fill the fuel tank. I run e10, so as often as possible to minimize breathing. Also, the tanks have not been that big. Additive plus silica vent drier if not sealed. With diesel it would depend on the tank size; you have to balance reduced breathing against 2-year old fuel. I would probably install a silica vent drier and then keep only what I would use within 2-4 months.
I don't fancy a shiny boat, but I value reliability very highly.
 
  • Helpful
Likes: jssailem

capta

.
Jun 4, 2009
4,926
Pearson 530 Admiralty Bay, Bequia SVG
We change the oil on the engine and genset around every 150 hours. That's about bi-monthly on the genset and annually on the engine. We installed the EZ Oil Drain Valve on the engine so its no fuss, no mess now.
We purchase new sails when the old ones are shot and we can afford it.
We only have real seac0cks on this boat (no ball valves) and exercise them monthly, so I haven't given changing them much thought.
We fill the fuel tank when it gets down around a quarter tank, about three times a year or a bit more if we have lots of charters. The genset uses the fuel for the most part.
Three or four times a year we dismantle and lube the windlass. Winches every couple of years.
 
Jun 21, 2014
13
Freedom 32 Venice
I recently had my 35 year old diesel tank cleaned for the first time. Remarkably it was in excellent shape as well as the diesel fuel that was in it. The worker ran it through an elaborate filtering system and it came back in good shape. That gave me some great peace of mind.