Marelon Thru Hulls/Sea Cocks

[Harborless]

Whats the skinny? I read these guys are more durable and less corosive than the bronze sea cocks.
I just got a 26' Paceship and wanted to replace all four seacocks and thru hulls while the boat is on the hard getting its bottom cleaned up next week. I have a few questions.
If I use Marelon, should I use it all the way? Like, thru hulls sea cocks and all other parts? Also, I have never done any work like this on a boat so I am wondering where I should look for a how-to guide. Lastly, about how long of a job is this in man hours? I expect to have the boat on land about four days. Will that be enough time to take out all the old stuff and install and cure all the new?
Thanks for the help guys this is the first project of many to come!

[Kiltmadoc]

Don Casey's "this old boat" has a nice discussion and instructions about marelon and bronze seacocks; I was just reading it last night. I would recommend getting the book at your local library...it's expensive and heavy!

[BubbleheadMd]

The debate over bronze vs. marelon is never ending. I'll just give you one solid fact-

Marelon is approved by the AYBC (American Yacht Building Counci). It meets the industry standard in yacht building. Marelon ABYC & ISO

Some people are simply freaked out by a "plastic" valve below the waterline. They are GRP (glass reinforced plastic), not just crappy plastic. I will be the first to admit that I frowned upon them, until I actually handled them and saw some installed on a boat. I'm not advocating for one or the other, but now that you have some more information, you can make an informed decision.

It's my intention to replace my thru-hulls and seacocks this summer and I plan on using Marelon parts.

[Harborless]

Thanks for that information.
Any ideas where I need to look for Marelon Sea cocks and thru hulls for a 26 Paceship?
Also, is the four days planned for on the hard going to be enough time to do all the installations?

[Harborless]

I suppose I would just look in the manuel for the dimensions of each seacock and thru hull then based on those dimensions get the new stuff. OR, since the boat is 30+ years old with the same thru hulls and seacocks, should I go a size bigger just to be safe?

[BubbleheadMd]

4 days for 4 thru-hulls when you've never done anything like this might be pushing it, but it's not rocket surgery.

There is a link from one of our contributors (Maine Sail) that gives the procedure in detail, with full color, glossy, 8X10 photos and arrows and all sorts of jazz. I can't access it from work so hopefully someone will post it up.

There is no "thru-hull specifically for a Paceship". You just measure the size and buy the same sized replacement. If you want to enlarge the hole and buy a bigger mushroom and seacock, go for it. Just remember, if the thru-hull or seacock fails, then you'll have that much more water rushing in.

[Harborless]

Thanks for the help Bubble. I am a dinghy sailor so this is my first actual BOAT. Its a little overwhelming feeling to be honest. So much to be done, so many books I need to read.
Too late to back out now though! It will get done.

[john1066]

I've had Marelon seacocks and wouldn't hesitate to have them again. I'd recommend you change the thru-hulls at the same time unless you know for sure the existing thru-hulls are bronze, not brass, and have US N.P.T type thread. Check out the Forespar website for more details.

The most time consuming part of the operation could be removing the old seacocks and thru-hulls. Fitting the new ones shouldn't take more than a couple of hours, plus the curing time, once the holes are cleaned up.

I see no point in changing the size.

[catamount]

There isn't really any problem mixing bronze thru-hulls with Marelon seacocks. When you take your old parts out, check the condition of your thru-hulls -- if they are bronze and still good (not pink in color, not swiss-cheesey in texture) then you can re-use them with your new valves.

What you especially want to pay attention to is your backing plates. If you have some old scraps of rotten plywood, you'll definitely want to replace them, ideally with some G10 fibreglass sheet (see mcmaster.com) epoxied into place.

[paul323]

This is the link Bubblehead mentioned: Compass Marine "How To" Articles Photo Gallery by Compass Marine at pbase.com

Bookmark it. It's outstanding. You'll refer to it often (I do!!!)