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Catalina 27 Seacock Replacement Advice.

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bpmeyer

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I'm a new owner of a 1978 Catalina 27. The boat didn't cost enough to warrant a survey, so I've spent the past two weeks getting into every nook and cranny to start putting a list together of all of the maintenance required to make her a reliable and seaworthy vessel. The Jabsco toilet doesn't take any water in from the thru-hull. The knob on the seacock spins and spins without opening. The seacock for the sink and icebox drain tube performs the same. Would anyone care to impart some wisdom on how I should go about replacing the valves? Will I have to haul the boat out in order to swap out hardware? Photo 1 goes to the Jabsco, photo 2 goes to sink and icebox drain hoses.

Thanks,

Brandon

Image

Image
 
#3 ·
Those are gate valves, not sea cocks. They need replacing with "real" sea cocks and that will require the boat be hauled. Since the handles spin, the valves are toast anyway. Just hope something doesn't happen where you need to close them as they will not work.
 
Discussion starter · #4 ·
As you are familiar with these valves, do they just twist off the thru-hull fitting or will it require removal and replacement of the thru-hull hardware as well? Did Catalina construct the thru-hull for engine intake the same way?
 
#5 ·
Those old valves were wrong when they were new. I wouldn't put any faith in the holes glassed into the hull either. Bite the bullet here. haul out. cut or drill out the crap, install new thruhulls on good backing blocks Bronze and SS ball valves are good for this application and cheaper than real seacocks. New hose clamps too. Get rid of plastic T's be fussy even if it costs. It will be cheaper than bringing a crane to the slip to raise it off the bottom.
 
#7 ·
Others have said it; get rid of those gate valves at any cost! Replace them with proper seacocks with backing plates. Otherwise, you may be paying much more than the cost of the boat to have it hauled up from the bottom. The valve glassed into the hull next to that exhaust hose scares me particularly, because exhaust hoses vibrate.

You own it now, it's your problem. Take care of it ASAP!

Where in SW Florida are you?
 
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#8 · (Edited)
It is rather scary that there are still Catalina's out there with the "Volcano" thru-hull fittings. The rather notorious Catalina Volcano seacock installation was nothing more than a pipe nipple glassed into the hull with a Volcano looking nature. True cost cutting and corner cutting at its finest. Yours are not even beefed up at the bottom like most "Volcano's" were.....

Unfortunately this is not just a twist off the valve and thread on a new one job it is really a rip it all out and install proper seacocks job.... Most Volcano's have leaked by now and its always amazing to see these still out there........
 
#9 · (Edited)
BTW - a good survey on this boat should have cost somewhere neat $550 (probably less). I am not pointing this out to embarrass the OP, but as a warning for others. I don't know what the OP paid, or what his financial position is.

The observations that we have all made (above) should have been pointed out in a survey, and if they were not, you would file a claim against the surveyor and a complaint with AMS/SAMS. If the valves were pointed out to you in the survey, you would have been justified in pointing this out to the seller, and you may, or may not have received either the repair done for you, or a discount from the selling price. A survey will also be required if you intend to insure the vessel (and I strongly suggest that you do).

I suspect that the cost of the repair will cost you more than $550.

I just want to use this as case and point to highlight that it is usually worth getting a survey, regardless of the selling price of the boat. Heck, I would get a survey if I were given a boat.
 
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#10 · (Edited)
eherlihy said:
BTW - a good survey on this boat should have cost somewhere neat $550 (probably less). I am not pointing this out to embarrass the OP, but as a warning for others. I don't know what the OP paid, or what his financial position is.

The observations that we have all made (above) should have been pointed out in a survey, and if they were not, you would file a claim against the surveyor and a complaint with AMS/SAMS. If the valves were pointed out to you in the survey, you would have been justified in pointing this out to the seller, and you may, or may not have received either the repair done for you, or a discount from the selling price. A survey will also be required if you intend to insure the vessel (and I strongly suggest that you do).

I suspect that the cost of the repair will cost you more than $550.

I just want to use this as case and point to highlight that it is usually worth getting a survey, regardless of the selling price of the boat.
Click to expand...
A number of years ago one of my customers mentioned he was about to buy a boat for his lake home in Michigan. When I asked what it was, an older Pearson, and how much $4200.00 (verbally discussed bottom price), I asked if he was getting it surveyed. "Nope, its only $4200.00". Long and short he agreed and got it surveyed.

In the end he bought it for $1.00 which turned out to be a $3799.00 savings for the $400.00 he spent on the survey.. While the boat showed well almost nothing was right on it....

Sadly he should have bought it in Michigan, as we also discussed, because it cost him more than $4000.00 just to get it there but he spent 2 years fixing it up here in Maine before loading it up for Michigan...
 
#11 ·
What others said, plus I would consider getting rid of any through hull you will not need. Simplify. Think carefully, and maybe you can replace the old toilet with a composting head for example.
 
#16 ·
I had one of those in my Catalina 22. It's my first boat, and replacing that gate valve with a proper seacock was my first boat project. I had never done any boat work or fiberglass before so I was kind of nervous, but it went well.

I followed Maine Sails instructions that have already been linked to. I took my time, I dry fit everything several times, and it was actually pretty easy.

If I were to do it again I don't know that I'd go with 1" bronze, that's probably overkill on my little lake boat. 3/4" Marelon would have been fine.

Before:
Image


After:
Image


Notes on a thru-hull replacement
 
#17 ·
Minnesail said:
I had one of those in my Catalina 22. It's my first boat, and replacing that gate valve with a proper seacock was my first boat project. I had never done any boat work or fiberglass before so I was kind of nervous, but it went well.

I followed Maine Sails instructions that have already been linked to. I took my time, I dry fit everything several times, and it was actually pretty easy.

If I were to do it again I don't know that I'd go with 1" bronze, that's probably overkill on my little lake boat. 3/4" Marelon would have been fine.

Before:
Image


After:
Image


Notes on a thru-hull replacement
Click to expand...
Looks good but I would not use that hose under the waterline. It is good for potable water systems though. Better to use rubber exhaust hose.
 
#18 ·
eherlihy said:
BTW - a good survey on this boat should have cost somewhere neat $550 (probably less). I am not pointing this out to embarrass the OP, but as a warning for others. I don't know what the OP paid, or what his financial position is.

The observations that we have all made (above) should have been pointed out in a survey, and if they were not, you would file a claim against the surveyor and a complaint with AMS/SAMS. If the valves were pointed out to you in the survey, you would have been justified in pointing this out to the seller, and you may, or may not have received either the repair done for you, or a discount from the selling price. A survey will also be required if you intend to insure the vessel (and I strongly suggest that you do).

I suspect that the cost of the repair will cost you more than $550.

I just want to use this as case and point to highlight that it is usually worth getting a survey, regardless of the selling price of the boat. Heck, I would get a survey if I were given a boat.
Click to expand...
If I had a survey done on my old catalina 27, I would never have bought it and I would never have learned how to fix and repair so many systems on a sailboat. Just sayin'.
 
#19 ·
mitiempo said:
Looks good but I would not use that hose under the waterline. It is good for potable water systems though. Better to use rubber exhaust hose.
Click to expand...
Surprisingly it isn't under the waterline. The bilge of a C22 is really shallow and this is under the companionway where it's even shallower.

That being said, I do plan on replacing it sometime. If I filled up the cockpit with a bunch of people (or, eek, water) it could put that hose below the waterline.

Anyway, it's a damn sight better than aquarium tubing and fittings that were there before!
 
#20 ·
-Yup, she has to come out of the water

-Yup, you should have gotten a survey

-and you should have seen that bad "seacock" even before a survey. There is at least one checklist on this forum for doing your own pre-survey, and seacocks are on it.

-BUT, on the other hand, so far it's just seacocks, which won't break the bank by themselves. See Mainesail's instruction on the right way to install the new ones. Marinehowto.com
They'll help you get it just right the first time.

-Then again, you have a long way to go before you're ship-shape.

-So, best of luck, and now you know the best time to ask for advice from this excellent forum is just about anytime you don't have fairly certain knowledge on how to proceed. Plenty of experts here who are eager to assist.
 
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