Seacock replacement - brand / model recommendations?

[Kickin Bears]

After going through and servicing all of the seacocks on board, having to lap a few even, it looks like I will need to replace ~3 of them. I was thinking about going with Spartans again, but a number of folks at the yard are steering me toward Groco.

What are your thoughts?

See pic below example where corrosion has eaten away at the plug to the point that there’s a divot in the off position. This particular seacock (raw water intake for the head) is grounded, and the pink tells me there was a stray current at some point causing very light galvanic corrosion.

[moctrams]

I don't think the barrel looks that bad. Get some valve grinding compound and clean it up.

[Kickin Bears]

A majority of the plug isn’t bad. But those circles you see on the off position are ~.5-1mm eaten into the plug. The pic might not be telling that particular story well. With the pink indicating galvanic corrosion, this particular seacock is being replaced.

I appreciate the feedback though, cause if you think this is ok then the other two just might be good to go for another 10 yrs. i still have to replace the blocks on the other two, so while they are off really seems like a good time to put new ones on there. The effort is really the same

[fmueller]

I did a pretty comprehensive refit of my 27 two seasons ago including replacing all the thru hulls.

My esthetic sense wanted to stick with Spartan, but my wallet said Groco. I went with Groco. I assuaged my guilt by sticking with Spartan above deck - I had two bad locker hinges - so I replaced all 4. I needed a larger exhaust port, and I replaced all the non Spartan fittings that were originally chromed magnesium (and oxidizing badly) ... the anchor deck pipe, the flag socket, and plastic bilge pump fittings. I also added Spartan mid deck cleats to the toe rail.

I think the Groco seacocks are equally high quality and if I care for them they'll last indefinitely, and while about 25% less expensive than Spartan, they are not exactly cheap either. (edit: the BV series - I didn't realize how much less expensive the IBVF series is, and I can't really see why - maybe easier to cast)

Since you are not replacing all of them, maybe you should stick with Spartan ?

Fred

Edit: I bought the Groco BV series. Part of the reason to replace the old Spartans was that most of the mounting blocks (which were nothing more than painted plywood) were dry and wet rotted, and while I could still service the cones (I did in the first year of ownership), the valves bodies were badly frozen to the thru hulls and some of the thru hull flanges were quite eroded (electrolysis)? - We we destroyed two seacocks just in the process of removing them them in order to replace the mounting blocks - and at that point I decided just to start new all around. We used G10 to make new blocks. These were bonded to the inside of the hull and tapped eliminating the old screws that penetrated the hull in the original style of mounting the Spartan valves. That got rid of many possible point of seepage.

[Kickin Bears]

Which Groco model did you use? BV series?

Replacing all is an option on the table. I don’t have a baseline for how long it takes to disassemble / reassemble a through hull and replace a seacock ... how many hours each do you think?

I could spread the work load over a couple seasons. I like to plan and sequence these projects

[John Stone]

Another option to consider....

I removed ten through hulls in the Far Reach during our extensive six year rebuild. I eliminated all but three. For a variety of reasons I decided to go with the multipart Groco IBFV through-hull and seacock/ball valve combination. They are super strong and surpass all ABYC standards. They are specially made to have matching threads and cost about 1/3 the price of Spartan seacocks. Not suggesting they are better than the spartan seacock but I am suggesting they are as good and for me offer greater flexibility at less cost. I will use the same for the engine intake.

Here is the link, scroll half way down to read about the IBFV.

http://www.farreachvoyages.com/projects ... rline.html

[moctrams]

Did Far Reach eliminate cockpit drains?

[Kickin Bears]

Thx John .. 1.5” through hull cost comparison below in case anyone is interested. Makes for a strong case to update all of them at that price + through hull

Groco:

IBVF Ball valve = $73
IBV Adapter = $45

Total = $118

Vs

Spartan:

Single piece (total) = $404

I appreciate the ABYC documentation and safety info provided!

[kerrydeare]

... it looks like I will need to replace ~3 of them. I was thinking about going with Spartans again ... What are your thoughts? ...

My CD28 had 6 Spartan seacocks, and eventually several looked like your photo. In order to lap and thereby reduce the diameter of the plug, I had the yard grind down the thin end of the barrel and extend the threaded portion so that proper tension could be applied to the plug to avoid leaks. This is much harder to explain that to actually do.

Was this simpler than replacing the whole seacock? Obviously I thought so, and the result worked well. Frankly it was not a question of cost but instead an attempt to make the job simpler and seaworthy.

[John Stone]

Did Far Reach eliminate cockpit drains?

No. We have three through hulls. One for the sink. Two for the cockpit scuppers. That’s it. With the inboard installation project we will end up with four.

I wanted to eliminate the cockpit scupper through hulls by draining the cockpit above the waterline. But, there was no way I could do that with out cutting out the cockpit floor and reversing the slope. I decided that was just to much work for what I was going to get out of it.

[John Stone]

Thx John .. 1.5” through hull cost comparison below in case anyone is interested. Makes for a strong case to update all of them at that price + through hull

Groco:

IBVF Ball valve = $73
IBV Adapter = $45

Total = $118

Vs

Spartan:

Single piece (total) = $404

I appreciate the ABYC documentation and safety info provided!

The really nice thing about the IBFV is when the ball valve goes bad you just replace it. Presto. New seacock for $75.00 And they are inexpensive enough you can carry a couple spares.

[Kickin Bears]

I didn’t even think about that aspect; great point!

Curious .... is the height of the hose connection on the Groco the same or higher than the Spartan? Trying to think out where the swap will give me a headache (e.g. the sink in the galley there is limited vertical room)

[John Stone]

I didn’t even think about that aspect; great point!

Curious .... is the height of the hose connection on the Groco the same or higher than the Spartan? Trying to think out where the swap will give me a headache (e.g. the sink in the galley there is limited vertical room)

Don’t know. Probably Spartan seacock not as tall. I took a picture of a 1.5” spartan seacock. 5” from base to top of hose barb. 3.5” from base to bottom of hose barb. Photo a little distorted.

I might get to the boat later today but maybe not. You can check the Groco website for pics or drawings or call their tech department. Very helpful folks.

[fmueller]

The other thing about the Grocos is that annual service just requires a grease gun with a flexible hose - no disassembly ...

[Kickin Bears]

Pulled the raw water intake through hull for the engine. Pics below; you can clearly see the rot I mentioned. Also included a shot of the spartan seacock.

Will be replacing with the Groco. After reading up on the Groco valves setup I’m sold. I’m likely going to even forego the glass board I made and grab the Groco block and epoxy that in.

Folks need to service and maintain their through hulls! After walking the yard and talking to folks (boat owners and yard personnel) it‘s clear to me that maintenance neglect is a SOP for MANY boat owners. Don’t be intimidated by boat work!!

Will be working on removing the galley sink through hull today, and am going to re-plumb the galley sink as I’ve already broken the O-rings on the sink drain (they just disintegrated)

I love this stuff! (seriously!)