Stuck cockpit scupper seacock

[Sea Hunt Video]

The port side cockpit scupper seacock (I believe it is a Spartan - it is definitely original equipment and not a replacement) on my 1982 Cape Dory 25D is stuck. Fortunately ( ) it is stuck in the "open" position.

I have applied liberal amounts of WD40 and PB Blaster for the past 2 months - every time I am aboard. I have done this about 20-24 times, more or less.

Each time, after I apply one or the other I have tried to move the handle. It remains intractable and will not move.

For those with a CD 25D you know how difficult it is to get a "pulling" or "pushing" grip and leverage on this particular seacock handle because of its location. I have considered removing the sink and attempting to access the handle from above. I could possibly put a PVC pipe or similar over the handle and use it for extra leverage.

I have been reluctant to do this primarily because I am afraid I may rip the entire seacock out of its backing plate and be looking at a gaping hole with the ocean rushing in.

All other seacocks work perfectly. It is just this one - and not surprisingly, the one that is most difficult to access.

Thoughts, suggestions, recommendations, etc. will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance for any and all.

[Oswego John]

Hi Robert,

Sometimes jarring the handle with a deadblow hammer, ie brass or lead peen, will shock the frozen valve so that it can be operated.

Compare it to removing a prop from a shaft. You can tug as much as you want, but give it a little shock and it breaks loose.

If you can't get hold of a soft faced hammer, hold a piece of pine against the handle and rap on the wood with any hammer.

Hmmm. Could you call that "knockin' on wood?

Good luck,
O J

[Jerry Hammernik]

Robert,

Not sure from reading your post if you have loosened the nut on the seacock. The seacock itself is a tapered plug that is pulled into the body of the seacock. If you back off the nuts you should be able to apply fairly forceful taps to the end of the threaded shaft. Use the nuts to protect the threads from damage. Maine Sail has an excellent photo article on tapered plug seacocks. It will make these comments perfectly clear. I'm betting this will free it up for you. If you have already tried these steps then you really have a problem. As far as penetrants go the best I've found is General Motors Heat Valve Lubricant. Works the best in my experience. Available at any GM dealer's parts dept. But I'm betting that some gentle taps after backing the nuts off will get the job done.
Good Luck!

[Jim Davis]

While I don't use this stuff for its intended use I have found that a slug of "Head Lube" poured in the hose and left to sit for a day will often lube a seacock from the inside. Some times it takes several applications followed by gentle use of a pvc pipe extender will work.

[Steve Laume]

The OJ method tends to work better than a long extension or tapping on the nut. Some gentle heat on the body couldn't hurt either. It is much easier to spin the the valve than drive it out.

The ones in the hardest places to reach get turned the least and then become the hardest to turn, Steve.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I did try a mallet with a "sort of" soft mallet head. No movement but also not enough space to get a good "hit" on the handle.

I will check Maine Sail's website. Always good stuff there.

I am reluctant to apply any heat to the seacock because of it's location. There is a lot of wiring and hoses in that area. Some of them can be moved but not very much.

At worst, I will live with an open seacock for the portside scupper drain until I next haul S/V Bali Ha'i. I can then try to apply some real leverage force to the handle. As I said, I am reluctant to do that now because I may just yank the who seacock out of its backing plate.

[Andy Denmark]

Robert,

This is certainly a low priority item that can safely wait until you next haul out. At my boatyard we simply used a prop puller (where there was room to do so) and it worked every time with no banging or noxious chemicals sprayed around. On the really stubborn jobs we simply overtightened the puller some and left it alone and 1/2 hr later the thing was loose.

The caveat with the puller is access and room to work. Often it couldn't fit into the space we had to work in, sometimes due to the orientation of the valve and proximity to bulkheads, etc. But where it would work it was very simple to use.

Just a thought.

Andy

[Joe Myerson]

Robert

The advice given here is all good: If your scupper seacock is stuck in the open position, it's no emergency.

My suggestion is to try working the nut carefully. Make sure that you have the right sized wrench for the job. I'm not at the boat now, but I think it's something like 13/16 on the larger nut, and slightly smaller for the outer one.

If there's room down there, you could try getting extra leverage with a length of PVC tubing on the handle, but I don't think there's enough clearance under the cockpit sole to get much leverage.

Maine Sail's primer on seacocks is very good.

--Joe

[Oswego John]

Back pedaling to the days when I used to get out of bed at 5:15 AM to work for my bread and butter. Every worker worth his salt used to carry in his tool box a variety of sizes of those pipes that slid over a Crescent or Stillson wrench handle.

The only trouble was the extra weight. They were made of steel. There was no such thing as PVC in those days.

The ultra formal name for those thingies was a "Cheater".

Another type of cheater was a magnifier lens that snapped inside of our welding shield. (Not that we needed any help to intensify the glare).

And then there was another type, with a variation of the spelling. That was the thing that Tarzan told Boy to go play with while he went cross town swinging on the vines.

Education is a wonderful thing.

O J

[Steve Laume]

If you can't get a good swing with a mallet on the seacock handle you could use a bar or even a 2X4 to prop against it and strike the end of the extender. A few sharp raps would be more effective than trying to turn the thing with a long plastic pipe.

As the old Harley saying goes, if you can't fix it with a hammer, get a bigger one, Steve.

[JWSutcliffe]

The handle on Spartan seacocks is bronze and the clevis end is prone to bending and breaking if you try forcing or hammering the handle to free up a stuck seacock. The valve plug is tapered, and with lack of lubrication and a bit of corrosion the tight fit of the taper becomes tighter. The easy solution - increase the taper clearance. Remove the outer locknut, loosen the inner nut a couple of turns and use a soft mallet to tap the end of the threaded section. DO NOT use a steel hammer against the threaded section - it will distort. Once the taper releases, work the valve back and forth a few times as you slowly tighten the inner nut until it stops leaking. If you feel adventurous you can remove both nuts after it is free and slide the plug out far enough to get some grease on the taper, while watching with dismay the water pouring in until you slide the plug back in. Or better yet, go overboard and put a tapered wooden plug into the through hull first.

Good luck.

[Jack.Ducas]

All prior posts offer good advice. I had the same problem a few years back although on the hard and attempting to service them. The fix for me was the use of a hair dryer to heat the outside of the barrel and the use of a cheater pipe over the handle with the locking nuts slightly loose. Hope this helps.
JD

[Bruce Bett]

When I first took possession of Malinche a few years ago all of her seacocks were frozen open. Most of them were freed up easily with the following approach. Lots of penetrating oil! Loosen the two nuts on the back side of the barrel (away from the handle). Back off the outer nut until the threaded bolt is recessed slightly in the nut (so that you can whack it without distorting the threads). Back the inner nut snugly against the outer nut so that neither can be turned easily. If you have room yeah right) hold a block of wood against the nut and wham it with a hammer. There’s no room to swing a hammer in there of course. I used a 3 pound sledge with a very short handle which gave me some authority even with a very short swing. Two or three of the seacocks did not free up this way. I finally was able to free them by applying heat then doing the above proceedure. I used a heat gun on a very cold Michigan winter day. I’m not sure a hair dryer would have done it. Be careful banging on or attaching extensions to the handles. I broke one off that way.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Today I brought to S/V Bali Ha'i an 18" long piece of PVC pipe (about 2" I.D.). I put it over the Spartan seacock handle and gently pulled. The handle moved I worked the handle "open/close" several times and applied a good amount of WD40. I am not sure whether it was the almost daily application of WD40 and/or PB Blaster over the past 2 months or just the extra leverage of the PVC pipe or both together but it worked and it is freely moving

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.

Now, all seacocks aboard S/V Bali Ha'i are "ready in all respects". However, they do need to get disassembled, cleaned, lapped, etc. My good friend who happens to live in South Florida and is a "world renowned" authority on the care and maintenance of seacocks , has promised to guide me through the process when I next haul S/V Bali Ha'i.

[Jim Davis]

Good job.

Now just to be safe try to remove all the water from the hose. You can do this by closing the seacock and either taking the hose off temporarily or using a small pump with a long hose to suck it out. Then pour some vegetable oil (Wesson or the like) or Head Lube into the hose (reattach if you took it off). Let it sit for a day or two, then open the seacock and work it a couple times. After that it doesn't hurt to exercise them monthly. Then at your next haul give them a full service.

Personally I like to leave all but the scuppers closed when I am not on the boat.