Cockpit drain valves, educate me please

[robwm]

What is the actual purpose of the valves on the cockpit drain lines/hoses on my CD22? Why can't the drains simply flush water in the cockpit through their hoses directly out the through-hulls? If the purpose of the valves is to prevent water coming into the cockpit while healing, it seems to me that simply crossing the hoses so they drain on the opposite side would solve that scenario.

My previous boat, Cal 24 T-4, had such flow-through hoses for draining the cockpit and it worked flawlessly.

What am I missing? Enlightenment and education, please ...

Robert

[mgphl52]

The sea cocks allow you to stop the ingress of water into the cabin/bilge in the event of one of the hoses failing!

[Bill Goldsmith]

The sea cocks allow you to stop the ingress of water into the cabin/bilge in the event of one of the hoses failing!

That's right. Every hole in the hull below the water line with a hose attached to it needs a seacock. Some later CD models have cockpit scuppers that drain to the transom above the water line and don't need seacocks, but the below water line through-hulls must be protected.

[robwm]

Thanks for your replies!

I do appreciate the usefulness of seacocks/valves in the event of a hose failure, and, they also provide a means for replacing the hoses while on the water (that is if you can unfreeze the seacocks, or, are systematic enough to have operated them on a periodic basis ). However, the potential failure problem can also be handled by the use of better quality/jacketed hoses which being out of sunlight and draining water only should outlast the boat.

It seems to me that, at least in the case of the cockpit drains, their potential for being damaged is minimal to none while problems with frozen/corroded seacocks seem to come up fairly often. Just musing here ....

Robert

[Bill Goldsmith]

...the potential failure problem can also be handled by the use of better quality/jacketed hoses which being out of sunlight and draining water only should outlast the boat.

It seems to me that, at least in the case of the cockpit drains, their potential for being damaged is minimal to none while problems with frozen/corroded seacocks seem to come up fairly often. Just musing here ....

Hi Robert,

In practical terms you're probably right that the risk of failure is small if equipped with top notch hose properly attached. But steel hose clamps do fail. It's all about the amount of risk you're prepared to accept. If the boat is only used for daysailing on a protected lake or harbor in nice weather within sight of land, and you always have enough good PFDs and a fully charged radio, then it may be OK to go without seacocks. But I kind of cringe even saying that. A CD22 is capable of offshore passages. Heck, I recall there is a member here who sailed his Typhoon across the Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Texas. I'm one of those who disassembles the seacocks and services them all annually!

[Keith]

I find that if you actuate the seacock occasionally that you do not need to do annual maintenance. I think that it has been there years since I did any maintenance on any of the 6 seacocks and they all still actuate very smoothly. The raw water intake is actuated daily during the sailing season (6 months in NE) and a few times over the winter. For the cockpit drains I leave one open and one closed all the time and alternate which one is opened/closed on a monthly basis during the sailing season.

Keith

[robwm]

Thanks for the feedback Bill and Keith.

The need for periodic actuation and maintenance of the seacocks is what actually led me to muse about alternatives. I have no issue doing such actuation/maintenance especially since they are quite accessible on my CD22 and recently attempted to operate them since I had not done so since buying the boat a year or so ago. What I found is that they are solidly frozen in place and will require some fiddling before they can be closed/opened.

I suspect the PO had not given much thought to operating them and I may have added to the problem by not attempting to operate them sooner. Visually, the hoses, clamps and seacocks themselves seem to be in good condition, and, the drains are draining quite freely, so they moved down the list of "to-dos". The search for a "stupid proof" alternative is what led me to ask about alternatives. Again, I appreciate the feedback.

Robert

[Keith]

Robert,

You can try a gentle blow in the direction of the drum axis. Use a non metallic hammer so that you don't damage the threads or try the lever end (no threads to damage). I freed up a friend with a 25D last summer with the just a few blows.

Keith

[fmueller]

Don't ABYC regs require seacocks on below waterline thru-hull fittings. i.e. insurance issue if not present ?

[SVFayaway]

Don't ABYC regs require seacocks on below waterline thru-hull fittings. i.e. insurance issue if not present ?

That's correct. In fact, shut off valves are required on any through-hull that could even potentially be below the water during normal operations. So a bilge pump through hull at the transom (a very common installation) where it would be under water while heeling or when the boat is motoring needs a seacock just as much as a through hull below the static waterline. During a trip this season my 28 took on enough water to get above the cabin sole when such a through hull started siphoning into the bilge while motoring. Now all my through hulls will have shut offs and vented loops, which they should've had to begin with.

[Dave Berquist]

There is an alternative to the bronze valves made of delrin ( I think that's what it is called). The typhoon senior I just bought has them and they seem to move smoother than the originals.

[s2sailorlis]

If you're referring to Marelon valves it's important to exercise them. They have a tendency to seize up of not used. I had them on my last boat.

There is an alternative to the bronze valves made of delrin ( I think that's what it is called). The typhoon senior I just bought has them and they seem to move smoother than the originals.

[Chrisa006]

Crossing the hoses is fine if your boat is level, but if you are heeled over and would like the water you just got from a wave to drain you are out of luck.

[mgphl52]

Crossing the hoses is fine if your boat is level, but if you are heeled over and would like the water you just got from a wave to drain you are out of luck.

That's true for many boats, but it works great for a Typhoon... else you could water entering the cockpit from the lee side when heeled. Been there, seen that.