BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26

wrote:
Hi, a few questions for those of you In The Know,

1971 Ranger 26 (Gary Mull). Cockpit drains forward to two drain hoses
that go straight
to through-hulls.

IMHO that's a rather poor design. Would it be feasible to
replace the hoses & valves with fiberglass tubes?

Required: install ball valves or seacocks (as there are none now, and
insurance blah blah
blah) and replace hose.

Can anyone walk me through the process? I'm assuming the through
hulls are bronze and threaded internally, looks to be about 1 1/2" hose
with double hose clamps at the hull connection. (I'll be verifying the
through hull threading this weekend).

Assume nothing until you disassmble what's in place now, and
see. Usually thru-hulls like this have what paradoxically
called Straight Pipe Thread, which is a parallel thread
intended to mate to tapered pipe thread. A poor compromise,
it's not as strong as either and it's relatively hard to get
a good seal.

So -

- new clamps - 304 enough, or 316 SS? freshwater use exclusively.

Use 316

- what kind of hose is recommended? clear plastic w/ reinforce
mesh?

No, use the reinforced hose rated for engine intake. It's
below the waterline, right?

- ball valve or seacock? everyone's using ball valves these days
but West
Marine says no no use seacock

A "seacock" is not really a good descriptor of a specific
type of valve. I tend to think of a flanged plug-cock valve
as a seacock, but these are rather old-fashioned (although
still great for this service, but they're expensive to make
and thus hard to find in today's bubble-pak world).

Anyway, ball valves are workable if they're the right
material, they're cheap & readily available.

- what kind of valve? bronze ok assuming through hull is bronze?
straight
threading or just match the through hull threading?

The best thing to do would be to get a flange fitting that
is matched to the thru-hull threads, and screw it down all
the way against the hull, and then mount the seacock valve
on that flange.

But that's a lot of trouble & expense, it's very rarely
done, and *if* the threads are matched & put together well,
then they seem to be strong enough for most service.

(is there any chance it's brass? i'm guessing no but not sure..
probably
would have corroded by now?)

Brass doesn't corrode, it turn lighter color & gets very
brittle. Try scraping it hard with something made of tool steel.

- teflon tape sealant on the threading? or something else?

I use teflon tape, myself, but takes scrupulous attention to
detail. I've rarely seen anybody else do it right except
field technicians (and they mess up sometimes). The average
person should not monkey with teflon tape, there's too much
that can go wrong (perhaps I should seek sponsorship from a
thread-dope company).

Anything else I'm missing here (yeah I have some spruce plugs
standing by)?

This will be considered heresy by some, but duct tape & a
garbage bag will seal up holes & leaks quicker & better than
any wood plug. What if the hole is jagged, or a piece of
valve is protruding?

This is why I said to think about putting in fiberglass.
It's strong. It will never leak or need maintenance. It is
proof against corrosion, abrasion, fire. It's more work, but
you'll never have to fool with it again (are you planning to
own this boat for a long time?)

After all, the only reason you need the valve is in case the
hose breaks somehow.

But then what do I know, I prefer open transoms

Fresh Breezes- Doug King