How many of you actually close thru hulls?

[teshannon]

I'm curious how many of you actually close the thru hulls when you leave the boat. I know it is a very good practice but I find myself not doing it.

[chucklesR]

I don't. Did once - resulted in many hours of study and impeller replacement.

My engine and air conditioning thru hulls live under my aft berths, which are the pantry stowage area to starboard and other stowage/guest berth to port. Getting to them involves unloading the bed. In an emergency I can throw stuff out pretty fast but routine shifting around takes 10-15 minutes.

edit - it's a new boat, I don't see a need at this point to worry about failure.

[TrueBlue]

This question has been asked here quite some time ago - I think in survey form. But, don't recall the results. Since my NC33 had 12 bronze through-hulls, I wasn't about to close and open them all, when leaving and returning to the boat. I did exercise them frequently though.

[sailingdog]

Teshannon-

I only open them when I am using them. There are only two on my boat, since it is outboard-powered... so no raw water cooling system to worry about. One is the water intake for the head, the other the holding tank to sea outlet. Since I can flush the head via the head's sink, due to the way it is plumbed, I generally leave both closed.

[Freesail99]

I don't close the Thur hull going to the engine. But I do close the Thur hull feeding the head. I also close the two Thur holes for the sink drains while sailing as keeling well cause water to come into the sinks.

[sailortjk1]

Not me.
We are at the boat every weekend, so it is only unattended from Sunday evening until Friday evening. So far no problems.

[Plumper]

I close all my through hulls, except my cockpit drains and automatic bilge pump (which exits above the waterline) every time I leave the boat. It is a bit anal perhaps, but I read somewhere that most boats sink at their berth, unattended, because of failures of fittings. Mine are very easy to get at. Opening and closing them is routine and takes 15 seconds. Nothing has to be moved, one floorboard needs to be lifted. I visit my boat almost every day.

[T34C]

While I check them frequently, I don't typically close them when I leave the boat. Being an old boat, they didn't exactly make the thru hulls easy to get to.

[hellosailor]

Chuckles-
"I don't. Did once - resulted in many hours of study and impeller replacement."
There's a convenient PITA solution to that, you know. You tie a foot of red streamer or ribbon to the engine key, and leave the key attached to the main intake valve when you shut down to leave the boat. That way you can't start up again without taking the key off the intake valve. (And hopefully opening it at the same time.)
Also cuts down the number of mussels growing in the intake strainer for some of us.

Still a PITA when that intake is in the bottom of the engine compartment and can only be accessed through the lazarette. (Why on earth do people build boats that way?!)

[Cruisingdad]

I guess I am in the minority. I close them and open them every time I leave. It is good a good practive and maintenance. T-Hulls should be maintenanced (ie, used).

One of the things I wuold often do when shopping for a boat was open/close the T-hull. MANY of them would not even budge. I cannot imagine what would happen if there was an emergency and you had to get that thing close quickly. I hope you carry a lot of plugs.

I leave the keys to my engine around the T-Hull to the engine, which stays closed. Always reminds me to open the Thull before starting.

The exception is the air conditioners. I leave them open because I leave my a/c and heater on all the time.

I will say, though, that many boats have very difficult access to T-Hulls. I can see why many people would not close them or work them. I have seen many people make an extension to open them with a broom handle, but it still would not be fun.

- CD