Typhoon Seacocks

[ronkberg]

Hi Skeep, your new hoses look nice but I suggest a couple of safety thoughts.

I always use pipe thread tape on any threaded pipes, and figure it could be extra security (threads or not). Also, as many other have said, double clamps on all the connections is preferred. Remember that the valves are below the water line and if one of those slips off while you are sailing, then the boat will slow down and you'll soon have wet feet. Then you can close the valves and bail, bail, bail.

Typhoons are wonderful little yachts!

Ron

[Rollergirl]

OK, time to fix this before the controversy starts again.

[quote="Paul D."]This is from a 1998 response to a posted request when I needed to replace my Typhoon HORNET's gate valves.

Try this:
All sizes are ¾”
West Marine Part # Part
402570 bronze thru-hull
106783 45 degree bronze “ell”, Female to Male
195420 “Apollo” brand bronze ball valve
113003 Grocco full flow tailpiece (uses 1” ID hose)
282285 1” ID hose (buy a 3’ section)
115655 8 ea. #316 Stainless hose clamps (don’t use the cheap
price ones – they rust too quick; and double clamp hoses at both ends)

Put in in parts order (ell between thru-hull and ball valve) with Teflon plumber’s tape. I used 3M5200 on the thru-hull to hull joint. Total cost three years ago was about $120, and the scuppers will drain long leaf pine needles right through. Took about two easy hours once I figured out the parts (which took days to do). You might want to put all the bronze together before tightening the thru-hull collar so you can make sure the ball valve levers can clear everything and test for full-open to full-close lever swing. Good luck.

The uproar was due to the fact that I put a NPT thread (the 45 degree ell) together with a straight thread (the thru-hull). Given the load and the possibility of damage from abuse or foreign objects (low) I thought it was a reasonable compromise. Still do.
However, i see the point of the people who feel that the mechanism must meet the highest mechanical standards. It's true, if you are running the Newport -Bermuda race, you shouldn't do it my old way. Instead, do it my new way.
Or, as I call it, my new untested way.
Substitute a Groco IBVF-750 adapter flange (West Marine number 8672735) for the thru-hull nut. That sub sets up a straight-to straight coupling and then converts it to a NPT -to-NPT coupling.
The rub is that, having sold my Ty over a decade ago, i have not tried this. But i think it will fit.
Try it and report back here if you do.

Bill

[casampson]

Bill,

Thanks for the advice. The adapter flange is a good idea. Might be more suitable for the Typhoon when combined with an in-line valve. I'm still tempted to go straight hose to the thru-hull, but probably won't in the end.

Chris

[sharkbait]

Or, one could just use a straight thread bottom tap to convert the NPT to match the thru-hull. The thread pitch is the same and the tap will remove the tapered portion creating a nice straight female thread. I do it with certain regularity and have never had a problem. I have even done it with the Marelon valves.

[Skeep]

Ron, point well taken! I'll perform that additional surgery once back from a jaunt to Florida. Good eyes!

[Skeep]

And here is the perfect compliment topside/cockpit to the seacocks below, a 2 inch basket strainer that drops handily into the drain hole in your Typhoon cockpit. Found at Home Depot for about $2.50 each:



I leave them loose in the hole so that I can clean out the debris without any fuss and muss. Later, when I attempt to have a teak grate flooring fabricated for her, they will live below the teak floor and do their task quietly.

[Joe M]

Folks - excerpt from the USCG Small Vessel Inspection Guide (2003) Section V "Machinery Operation":

"Examine condition of sea chests, through hull fittings, sea water strainers and sea valves. All sea valves shall be exercised. All seawater flex hoses shall have double corrosion resistant clamps. All through hull fittings within 6” or below the water line must be installed with shut off valves."

Another point for consideration is the chemical resistance integrity of the hose. We all follow the strictest safety rules when handing "hazardous" materials on our boats, like when fueling the outboard or using a solvent to clean and prep surfaces. But if it happens, a spill of fuel or solvent that washes down a cockpit drain could "eat" away at that "econo-buy" hose leading to a serious leak. Its happened...I read this a few years ago in Professional BoatBuilder Magazine

"Soon after the boat was launched, I spilled some acetone in the cockpit, and it ran down the cockpit drains. Suddenly, water was flooding into the boat. The acetone had eaten straight through the cheap, spiral-reinforced PVC "cockpit drain hose" that I had installed. I was pretty badly shaken."

Our "Littlest Yacht" may only be worth $3000 on the insurance policy but if she swamps or sinks because you skimped on $300 worth of seacocks, hose and clamps...what’s the knock on effect. Are you and your crew now stranded? Have you created a hazard to other boaters? Do you need rescue?

On another topic...Skeep, your anchor location. If you need it in a hurry is that the best location on a TY? If it works for you consider securing it so it doesn't shift around during a sail and damage your valves or hose.

So just some things to consider. Have a great Sail!

Joe

[Skeep]

Excellent observation Joe. I haven't quite determined where that dang thing is going to go but you're spot on with your recommendation!

[Steve Laume]

Skeep, although the strainers are a clever idea, I'm not so sure they are a good one. Anything that could fit through a simple cross strainer in the cockpit will flow through the through hulls unless they are clogged with marine growth. If they are the sink strainers are not going to help.

If those sink strainers clog up, your cockpit will not drain. My yard guys have always cautioned me to keep an eye on the drains, especially in the winter time. If they clog in the summer and you have a lot of rain it would not be good. If you left these in for the winter and they clogged it could be very bad.

What is the point of creating a restriction to keep debris from disappearing down the drains? I would ask myself if the positives out weighed the possible negatives, Steve.

[Rollergirl]

The reason I had converted my right angle connected gate valves (other than the gate valves being a bad idea) was to make a smoother path for the pine needles that clogged my scuppers and the rest of the flow path. The needles, a product of coastal flora and some wind, hung up at the right angle. They even hung up, sometimes, with the 45 degree bends in the new system I came up with.
The screens would enable you to trap those needles, and things like them, before they clogged the rest of the system.
When you clear the screens, the rest of the system works too. Let the flora build up inside, and you are low on recourse to clear the clog.
Sure, you have to keep the screens clear, or the cockpit can fill. For a no-worry solution get a cockpit cover.
But those screens sure look like a great solution to me.
Bill

[Steve Laume]

The screens will be fine as long as you make regular trips to the boat to clean them out if need be. Maybe screened bowl type colanders set inverted on top of the drains would be a better solution to keep the drains open and the screens from creating a problem of their own. You would only set them over the cockpit drains while the boat was not being used. I am glad I don't have to worry about pine needles. Ice in the winter is my biggest concern.

I have always kept a small sink plunger on board for unclogging cockpit drains. Plunge vigorously for a few seconds and away go your troubles, Steve.

[tjr818]

Those screens would also collect dropped nuts, cotter pins, and washers, saving a few projects and a few boat dollars along the way.

[Skeep]

Per the screens: does anyone know if there was an original "fitment" for these cockpit drains? They appear to have been designed with a ledge so that a circular fitment would drop-in and be somewhat held by gravity, thus, my "clever" idea of these small sink strainers?

Anyhow, I think my resorting to screens was born of the problem of deciduous debris at my local yacht club. Otherwise, I'd have probably left them alone. But as Tim notes, they are extremely handy when you begin to think of the ever-present possibility of dropping those small yet critical elements like pins, washers, small tools, coins, pills (?), etc.

Perhaps we could start a Strainer Support Group (SSG) for those struggling to cope with cockpit debris?

[Steve Laume]

Here is the Spartan page for scupper drains.

I have never dropped anything useful down the cockpit drains but have flushed away some nasty stuff, Steve.

[Skeep]

Well just an update on the screens. Pretty happy with their performance so far. Have not had any such accumulation of debris that would clog the screen, and the water flows rather happily at all times. And, they stay put without any adhesive! I'm pretty happy so far!