As a new owner of a CD 30, and never having a boat with seacocks before I ask the Mechanic working on installing a new engine how to clean and rebuild the seacocks. He said to use neverseize instead of waterproof grease when I was putting them back together. Made sense at first, but he continued to tell me to tighten the nuts with the seacocks either in the open position or closed position and to tighten until I can no longer turn the handle to open or close the seacock. This is when I became confused, for this does not make sense to me for I would need a wrench to open or close the seacock in the future. This does not seem safe to me. Is this correct or is that why waterproof grease is normally used? Do I need a thin wrench to correctly put the nuts back on?
otter777@aol.com
Question on Seacocks
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Russell
It's bad advice
You should be able to open and close the seacocks. If you lap the cones and apply waterproof grease, it's pretty easy to adjust them where (a) they can be opened or closed, and (b) they are watertight, and do not leak in any position.
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Tom
Russell is right
Maybe your mechanic was pulling your leg. Maybe there was a misunderstanding and he meant that you tighten them until they stop leaking but will still shut off by hand. If not, he should stick to engines and leave seacocks to seamen. You want to be able to shut a seacock instantly in case a hose breaks or pulls off. Any surveyor will open and close every seacock to make sure they are free and not sticking. If you tighten them that tight, they will freeze up and you won't be able to close them even if you loosen the nuts. Then if a hose breaks you're in instant doo doo while you try to find the sledge hammer to pound them closed. If they didn't want seacocks to close. they wouldn't put handles on them.Jim wrote: As a new owner of a CD 30, and never having a boat with seacocks before I ask the Mechanic working on installing a new engine how to clean and rebuild the seacocks. He said to use neverseize instead of waterproof grease when I was putting them back together. Made sense at first, but he continued to tell me to tighten the nuts with the seacocks either in the open position or closed position and to tighten until I can no longer turn the handle to open or close the seacock. This is when I became confused, for this does not make sense to me for I would need a wrench to open or close the seacock in the future. This does not seem safe to me. Is this correct or is that why waterproof grease is normally used? Do I need a thin wrench to correctly put the nuts back on?
TomCambria@mindspring.com
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sloopjohnl
Re: Question on Seacocks
neverseize does just what it says - will never seize. waterproof grease is just what it says it is. but neverseize is not waterproof.
Jim wrote: As a new owner of a CD 30, and never having a boat with seacocks before I ask the Mechanic working on installing a new engine how to clean and rebuild the seacocks. He said to use neverseize instead of waterproof grease when I was putting them back together. Made sense at first, but he continued to tell me to tighten the nuts with the seacocks either in the open position or closed position and to tighten until I can no longer turn the handle to open or close the seacock. This is when I became confused, for this does not make sense to me for I would need a wrench to open or close the seacock in the future. This does not seem safe to me. Is this correct or is that why waterproof grease is normally used? Do I need a thin wrench to correctly put the nuts back on?