Spartan Seacocks - to overhaul or not?

[Typhoon4Fun]

My TySr has two Spartan Seacocks for the cockpit drains. They have been immobile since I bought the boat one year ago. I went through the first season not really giving it too much thought but figured it's time to do something.

I have read through a number of seacock-related threads on this forum, as well as the Marine How-To page on servicing Spartan seacocks. Hopefully they haven't been neglected so long that I can't clean them up.

My question is whether I ought to go a step further now and replace the backing plates with G10. They are showing no outward signs of moisture/rot, but they are wood and I assume over 30 years old. It doesn't seem like an overly-complicated job once you have the right tools assembled, but I will have plenty of other stuff to do in the spring. Just wondering if folks think they're a nightmare waiting to happen or if I can prioritize other stuff for now (other stuff that admittedly doesn't have to do with keeping the boat from sinking!). Looking at other threads on the subject, people have replaced some scary looking plywood backing plates, but it's not clear to me whether those backing plates were showing much more obvious signs that they were compromised.

[mgphl52]

Those look fine! I would suggest just doing the typical servicing on the sea cocks.
When out of the water, loosen them up, clean everything and lap them.
If you don't plan to haul out, you could plug the outlet(s) below & then service them.

[appletim1]

Those look fine! I would suggest just doing the typical servicing on the sea cocks.
When out of the water, loosen them up, clean everything and lap them.
If you don't plan to haul out, you could plug the outlet(s) below & then service them.

Those backing plates look dry and sound to me. Are they firm with probed with a screwdriver? If so I'd agree.

[Typhoon4Fun]

Thanks to you both for weighing in! That's what I figured but I wanted a second opinion to make sure I wasn't overlooking anything due to wishful thinking.

She's out of the water for the winter so I'll service the sea cocks and save the backing places for another off-season.

Tom

[Bill Goldsmith]

I replaced the head intake and outflow seacocks backing plates and the galley drain backing plate with G10 board because the wood plates had gotten punky. The wood engine intake seacock backing plate, on the other hand, looks fine so I have not touched it other than to check it. Yours looks dry and solid.

[Typhoon4Fun]

I replaced the head intake and outflow seacocks backing plates and the galley drain backing plate with G10 board because the wood plates had gotten punky. The wood engine intake seacock backing plate, on the other hand, looks fine so I have not touched it other than to check it. Yours looks dry and solid.

Excellent! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thank you

[Mbigos]

I keep all of mine going, and have replaced one backer plate with g10. I love that these are serviceable. The lapping kit and grease from Spartan is a great "tool for the job."

[Typhoon4Fun]

Well I thought this would be straightforward (never fails), but now I'm coming back for advice, moral support..

I bought the spartan grease and lapping compound. The nuts came off easily. But I can not for the life of me remove the tapered cones.

I have done a lot of googling and have been following what seems to be the standard advice. I'm applying PB blaster and tapping the threaded end of the cone. I even devised a way to fit a balloon over the end of the seacock so I could fill it with PB blaster to let it soak in. I've given it two 2-3 hour balloon sessions. I was trying to avoid heat because I'm wary of damaging whatever the through-hull is bedded in, but tonight I got desperate and hit the port seacock with a propane torch until it was smoking (assuming that was PB burning off), and then commenced tapping but no dice.

I don't really have any swinging room, so I have devised a way to rotate my mini sledgehammer along its long axis so the end swings into the end of threaded rod. Maybe that's not enough force (though it has mangled the ends of the nuts, which I have partially threaded on to protect the cone's threads).

I have attached a picture taken up the through-hull. I think it has been a lonnnngg time since these have budged because there is a good bit of corrosion visible on the cone (looks like it's only 3/4 - 7/8 open). I haven't sprayed much PB up in there because I figured it wouldn't do much good with gravity working against me but maybe I need to?

So who has been here before? What am I missing? What's my next move? Stay calm, keep applying PB and tapping? More heat? Do these need to come out of the boat so I can give em a good swing (which I think opens the can of worms of rebedding/replacing the through-hull and backing plate)? Help, please!!

[Jim Walsh]

Muriatic acid will dissolve barnacles and the various worm husks found on boat bottoms. I will not advise on its application or use. It can be neutralized with soap and water. Search the internet and decide if you are comfortable using this technique.

[Typhoon4Fun]

Search the internet and decide if you are comfortable using this technique.

Thanks, Jim. Oof that looks nasty. Not something I'd like to apply with the seacocks in the boat (confined space, for one thing). But maybe I need something that will really attack that corrosion. I've attached another pic, this one from above, and you can again see quite a bit has accumulated on the surface of the cone. In the same photo you can also see a good bit of pitting on the interior.

[Keith]

I'd try tapping on the side of the casting. If you could put an axial load on the cone with say a 2x4 then tap the casting with the axial load applied that might just pop it loose. A shock load often will break it free.

Keith

[Keith]

Another thought along the same line. put a wrench in place of the handle (more leverage) apply a load with the wrench then tap the casting.

Keith

[John #126]

Others have noted that heat applied to the casing will cause it to expand but the plug won't expand as much.

[keneasley]

You may have done this but did you try putting the PB Blaster:
down from the top (after you removed the cockpit drain hose)
and up from the bottom (from outside the boat)
and through the drain screw and or grease fitting screw (on the side of the base of the seacock) ?
these application may get more of the Blaster onto the cone than can get in form the ends.

On my former boat I had one where the cone was stuck and was able to remove it with the Blaster and by putting a board on the threaded end and hitting that with a small sledge-type hammer.

[sloopjohnl]

If not muriatic acid, how about plugging the bottom and filling with CLR and letting sit awhile.
Heat, cool, heat, cool, heat, cool cycles work on a lot of sticky metal situations even if they are similar metals.