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replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
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. 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). So - - new clamps - 304 enough, or 316 SS? freshwater use exclusively. - what kind of hose is recommended? clear plastic w/ reinforce mesh? - ball valve or seacock? everyone's using ball valves these days but West Marine says no no use seacock - what kind of valve? bronze ok assuming through hull is bronze? straight threading or just match the through hull threading? (is there any chance it's brass? i'm guessing no but not sure.. probably would have corroded by now?) - teflon tape sealant on the threading? or something else? Anything else I'm missing here (yeah I have some spruce plugs standing by)? Thanks very much for any comments, advice or procedures. I'm pretty new to this area and this is a fairly critical thing to be messing around with. -Colin |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
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. -Colin Hi Colin: If I remember correctly, which I haven't been doing very well lately, Old Ranger deck -cockpit drains empty to through hulls located BELOW the waterline? Is that true in your case? Bob |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Hi Bob, yeah that's the case here, these drains are basically bottom of the boat , most definitely below the waterline. Boat is on the hard, on the cradle, so no concerns about doing this while afloat. Thanks, -Colin |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Hi Colin:
Good to hear your boat is on land. With the through hulls, as you said, on the bottom I can see why the insurance folks want a valve there. Lets face it, with that set up a leaky hose will sink your boat. Here is the problem my Ranger friend had. He leaves his boat in the water al year. It freezes long and hard where he keeps the boat. So here is the question: So he closes the two 1 1/2" through hull valves for the the winter. But wait............ those are the cockpit drains. What happens if the through hull valves freeze, crack and let the water in? So close them and drain them or put antifreeze in the hose and valve so they wont freeze... But wait where will the cockpit water drain?? He does not want the cockpit to fill with water and spill into the cabin so he leaves the valves open and risks having them freeze, bust, and flood the boat?!?!?!? Do you live in FL? No....? if it freezes haul your boat for the wihter. Sounds as though you need some basic through hull information. Try this website. there are lots of other places with good How-To info too. http://www.yachtsurvey.com/ Or go to your local Big book store and start reading."Boat Maint." books. Bob |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
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replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
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replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
MMC wrote:
I agree about the design, but would it be easier to fill the existing holes and install thru hulls above the waterline? this would also negate another post about freezing water causing problems. MMC That's a good idea too, if you can design it so the drain tubes don't block the quarter berths. Freezing water can break fiberglass, though. It's tougher than hoses but nothing's perfect ;) DSK |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Drains above the waterline are also much less prone to clogging. The
floating stuff goes right through instead of building up into a mat at the water level. You should close the seacocks on below water hoses when leaving the boat so that means coming back to water (and slime if its been a long time) in the cockpit. Are you sure your cockpit really drains forward? Sometimes builders just put the drains there because it is easier. A good arrangement is drains straight back through the transom. You can get through hulls with flappers to prevent back surge and there are special drains to install low for complete drainage. -- Roger Long "MMC" wrote in message m... Doug, I agree about the design, but would it be easier to fill the existing holes and install thru hulls above the waterline? this would also negate another post about freezing water causing problems. MMC "DSK" wrote in message ... 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 |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Roger Long wrote:
Drains above the waterline are also much less prone to clogging. The floating stuff goes right through instead of building up into a mat at the water level. That's a nice feature of a catamaran! The cockpit is several feet above the water. You should close the seacocks on below water hoses when leaving the boat so that means coming back to water (and slime if its been a long time) in the cockpit. That sounds like prudent advice, but I seem to remember that the largest single cause of boats sinking is clogged cockpit drains. |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Hi: Everyone is right on with their advice. The problem with teh Ranger is that there is scant freeboard to put an above the waterline cockpit discharge plus if above the water line minimal if any head for drainage. Rangers are great boats, but....................... So Colin, have you got your tape measure out and looked closley if the measrment between the waterline and cockpit drains alow an above the waterline through hull for cockpit discharge? Bob |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Tape measure standing by. Heading out to the yard tomorrow. Thanks very
much for everyone's comments. I think in general redoing the through hulls above is a good idea and in fact one that occurred to me earlier, but may be out of scope at least for this season. I don't want to screw with the existing through hulls (hell the boat's been floating for 35 years now) so I'm thinking get the proper valves and get the nice new hose that Will Not Break. I will of course endeavour to not have another connection point in the hose below the waterline, which is basically the way it is now. Bob yeah there is going to be *very scant* freeboard I bet. Closing the seacocks? I don't know, I get out there once/twice a week and if it rains a lot cockpit will flood and possibly forward into the cabin. Transom drainage came about 2 years later as a standard design AFAIK and in this cockpit the traveller is supported by a little wall on the back there that closes off the rest.. The (outboard) engine well itself drains back but everything else is to the front (Roger). What's the complexity with the teflon tape? I've used this before on conventional plumbing but I suppose it's not as critical there - what is the right and wrong way to apply it? Is there a reasonable way I can confirm that the through hull is bronze? I will pull the old hose off there in the morning and look at the threading. Maybe I can paste a photo in here at that point. Again thanks for everyone's comments. I may have more info to follow up on tomorrow. Cheers, -Colin |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
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replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
"DSK" wrote
I think closing off the cockpit drain valves while you're away from the boat is a bad idea. I agree 100% now that I understand the configuration of this cockpit. Having the hoses break is a much smaller danger. -- Roger Long |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
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replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Jere Lull wrote:
In article .com, wrote: Hi Bob, yeah that's the case here, these drains are basically bottom of the boat , most definitely below the waterline. Boat is on the hard, on the cradle, so no concerns about doing this while afloat. I'd spring for what's called a seacock, but it's just a ball valve with a base. Among other things, they sit lower. Definitely use teflon tape on the threads so you can take it apart for rebedding a decade or two from now. I'd spring for better hose than the clear reinforced. Don't even consider the clear stuff. I had a Ranger 26 and replaced all this stuff. Mine came with gate valves and needed upgrading. I put ball valves and reinforced hose on. The surveyor told me about a fellow who put The black PVC pipe on and it leaked constantly because it didn't flex when the boat worked. I would avoid anything too solid for that reason. Take the time to replace the drains in the cockpit at the same time. They are not large enough and the screens on them slow draining down a lot. By the way, I filled the cockpit in my R26 during a spin wipeout. Good drains, open valves and a secured lowest hatch washboard are the order of the day. Gary |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
MMC wrote:
Doug, I agree about the design, but would it be easier to fill the existing holes and install thru hulls above the waterline? this would also negate another post about freezing water causing problems. MMC I have heard of guys doing this but it requires you to cross the hoses (so port side exits stb etc) or when seriously heeled, water comes in. A better way is to relocate the drains through the transom. All of this is unneccesary. Mine worked fine, (and so have yours) for almost 40 years. Gary Mull was a good designer. |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Roger Long wrote:
Drains above the waterline are also much less prone to clogging. The floating stuff goes right through instead of building up into a mat at the water level. You should close the seacocks on below water hoses when leaving the boat so that means coming back to water (and slime if its been a long time) in the cockpit. Are you sure your cockpit really drains forward? Sometimes builders just put the drains there because it is easier. A good arrangement is drains straight back through the transom. You can get through hulls with flappers to prevent back surge and there are special drains to install low for complete drainage. With a Ranger 26 it only has to rain about three inches and the cockpit would drain down into the boat. I wouldn't leave my boat with the drains closed. |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Bob yeah there is going to be *very scant* freeboard I bet. Closing the seacocks? I don't know, I get out there once/twice a week and if it rains a lot cockpit will flood and possibly forward into the cabin. Transom drainage came about 2 years later as a standard design AFAIK and in this cockpit the traveller is supported by a little wall on the back there that closes off the rest.. The (outboard) engine well itself drains back but everything else is to the front (Roger). I think closing off the cockpit drain valves while you're away from the boat is a bad idea. That's one of the things that make solid fiberglass tubes a good idea IMHO. But you're right, it's worked all this time and will continue. It would be less trouble than putting in solid tube fwd drains and may help if you add a drain tube thru the back wall under the traveler. Cockpit drainage capacity is one of those things where more is definitely better! If you run the drain hoses back under the cockpit you can get right back to the transom. The little traveler bulkhead doesn't extend down below the deck. But why bother? The other challenge on my boat was teeing in the drains up on the seats to the deck drains. That would make fiberglass pipe much more difficult. Gary |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
On Sat, 08 Apr 2006 21:42:21 GMT, Gary wrote:
All of this is unneccesary. Mine worked fine, (and so have yours) for almost 40 years. Gary Mull was a good designer. I agree. Install good quality ball valves on top of the existing thru hulls, use reinforced hose rated for underwater service, and call it a day. I had virtually the same configuration on my old Cal-34. We replaced the original gate valves with ball valves at the request of my insurance company and everything has been fine for 20 years since. |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
I'll second this (below). If you want the satisfaction of making it
just right, pull the through hulls and put in seacocks. It isn't that big a job. However, I just stuck a ball valve on top of a through hull for the convenience (holding tank pump out). Despite all the theory about the thread mismatch and all the strain coming on just one or two threads, there is enough give in the metal that, with some pipe dope, it's solid. The yard that worked on my boat last year has been doing it for 20 years and never had a problem. -- Roger Long "Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Sat, 08 Apr 2006 21:42:21 GMT, Gary wrote: All of this is unneccesary. Mine worked fine, (and so have yours) for almost 40 years. Gary Mull was a good designer. I agree. Install good quality ball valves on top of the existing thru hulls, use reinforced hose rated for underwater service, and call it a day. I had virtually the same configuration on my old Cal-34. We replaced the original gate valves with ball valves at the request of my insurance company and everything has been fine for 20 years since. |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Since there isn't a perfect fit between the straight and taper
threads, I would use a pipe dope that will set up a bit instead of Teflon tape. Those backing blocks are very small. Adding the valves will put a lot more leverage. Be careful not to store anything heavy that could fall against these through hulls. -- Roger Long wrote in message oups.com... Thanks for everyone's comments. I took the hose clamps off the original piping yesterday and it looks like it's a 1 inch external diameter, threaded bronze fitting. Perfect. I'll find a bronze (or stainless?) ball valve to match, drop it in with some teflon tape, and install some good new hose. Looks like all I can get in terms of hose clamps locally is 304 but I'll keep an eye on them. Freshwater situation so we'll see how it goes. Here's a shot with the current clear plastic drain hose with the clamps removed. You can see the threaded connection partially exposed. http://users.openface.ca/~fox/drain-connection.jpg Good point about teeing the other drains in - there are two seat-level drains, as well as along the gunnel (sp?) so it's six + sink = seven feeding into the two lines. Could be a problem for the fiberglass - also an issue with the flexibility (see the PVC comment, thanks Gary). I agree that the drains are a bit small but it looks like it's 1 inch all the way, so to enlarge them at the point would be a more substantial project, presumably also would involve replacing the through hulls with larger diameter. Maybe that's a job for next season. Thanks again, -CB |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Yeah I've always been very careful down there with the storage. I have
been considering glassing in a bit of 2x4 as a guard around each drain, in fact. Is the understanding that all ball valves will have tapered threads and that the threads in the photo on the fitting appear to be straight threads? -CB |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
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replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Hm ok. So at this point I'm looking for recommendations on combinations
of hardware (which may be difficult as noted above) - Assuming that's a NPT thread on the photo, I want to put an NPT - Marelon ball valve? is this inappropriate? - bronze ball valve that's not the cheapest one out there? The Groco stainless ball valve at West Marine is all NPS. I assume this is what i Do Not Want. Their flanged seacock ($$$) is NPT both ends... do I need a hose barb fitting to screw into the top end to receive the hose? Not really sure how that part works.. I guess I can go hash this out at my local chandlery. Anyway thanks again for everyone's pointers on this matter. Cheers, -CB |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Woops s/NPT/NPS/. that's obviously a straight thread sticking up.
-CB |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Through hull fittings are always straight thread. Seacocks are always
straight thread. The reason is that there is no way to predict how thick the planking and backing block will work out to be. You have to cut the through hull so that the maximum amount is in the seacock with just a little margin to get everything tight. The flange of the seacock then keeps it from coming unscrewed. It would be odd to find a ball valve with a straight thread (I looked). Even if you could, it wouldn't be a good idea because, without a flange against the hull to secure to the backing block (even if only with bedding), there isn't much to keep it from coming unscrewed. Try twisting hoses onto that set up. The purpose of tapered threads is to lock tight but there is always some uncertainty just where they will end up along the axis of the pipe because of manufacturing tolerances, torque, etc. That's why they can't be used where a flange is going to stop the motion at some point. Putting the straight thread into the tapered thread results in only a couple of the threads fully engaging. If you put enough strain on it, those two threads will strip. That's the theory. It's fact that the straight thread into the taper thread can not develop anywhere near the design strength of the joint. It's practice that, with the malleability of bronze, some pipe dope, and the fact that the whole thing is typically connected to flexible hose instead of more pipe that people might be stepping on or which is subject to thermals stress, the joint is strong enough for boat drain purposes. It is second best and you do need to recognize that protecting it from impact and stress is much more important than with a proper seacock that has a flange to mate with the backing block. Putting a seacock in is pretty quick and easy with a helper. I did the ball valve thing with my two head connections because nothing is stored in the area and I was working alone in cold weather that would have made working with bedding compound difficult. If I was replacing gate valves in an engine room where someone might step on the through hull or anywhere else that it was subject to strain, or if it was connected to pipe instead of hose, I would definitely use proper flanged seacocks and new through hulls. Why new? You have to pull them anyway to trim to proper lengths and they don't cost all that much. -- Roger Long wrote in message ups.com... Woops s/NPT/NPS/. that's obviously a straight thread sticking up. -CB |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Thanks for your comments, Roger. I was looking at this Marelon ball
valve, does anyone have any experience with these in the context of below-waterline drain hardware? http://tinyurl.com/e9xcp Thanks, -CB |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
I wouldn't have any problem with that but a 1" bronze Groco is only
$22.99 from Hamilton Marine here in Portland. -- Roger Long wrote in message oups.com... Thanks for your comments, Roger. I was looking at this Marelon ball valve, does anyone have any experience with these in the context of below-waterline drain hardware? http://tinyurl.com/e9xcp Thanks, -CB |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
wrote:
Thanks for everyone's comments. I took the hose clamps off the original piping yesterday and it looks like it's a 1 inch external diameter, threaded bronze fitting. Perfect. I'll find a bronze (or stainless?) ball valve to match, drop it in with some teflon tape, and install some good new hose. Looks like all I can get in terms of hose clamps locally is 304 but I'll keep an eye on them. Freshwater situation so we'll see how it goes. If you use 304 SS hose clamps, try to see if you can at least get ones with SS screws as well. In my experience, the most common failure is when the clamping screws rust out. Doubled 304 SS clamps should be OK, although you should be willing to renew them once in a while. Not a big expense item. Here's a shot with the current clear plastic drain hose with the clamps removed. You can see the threaded connection partially exposed. http://users.openface.ca/~fox/drain-connection.jpg Ouch... hose clamped to threaded fitting? No no no. Of course, it won't be like that when you're done! I agree that the drains are a bit small but it looks like it's 1 inch all the way, so to enlarge them at the point would be a more substantial project, presumably also would involve replacing the through hulls with larger diameter. Maybe that's a job for next season. Could also try the aft drain idea, simpler than bigger thru-hulls and could be made substantially larger. Still not as good as an open transom though! ;) Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Yeah tell me about it. Seeing the hose clamped to the thread didn't really agree with me. Now, having read about Marelon and bronze, and don't put the two together, I'm looking at this full flow flanged seacock, bronze. Is this the right thing to fit on the through-hull? What to do with the flange? I don't really want to get into bolting it through the hull, .. will the flange portion even fit correctly on the seat? Is there another way to bond the flange? http://tinyurl.com/g2hl4 Basically if I just screwed this on as is, I can imagine the flange sitting up off the hull about 1/2". Is this the wrong piece of hardware for what I have in place already? Thanks, -CB |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
wrote:
Now, having read about Marelon and bronze, and don't put the two together, I'm looking at this full flow flanged seacock, bronze. Is this the right thing to fit on the through-hull? Sure does sound like it. ... What to do with the flange? I don't really want to get into bolting it through the hull, .. will the flange portion even fit correctly on the seat? It will if you put in a spacer, like a doughnut with a flat to accept the flange and cut to the right thickness so that the body of the seacock is on *just* tight enough when the flange meets the surface. Hey, it's just more work. ... Is there another way to bond the flange? If it were me, I'd secure the flange by using short self-tappers into the doughnut spacer. http://tinyurl.com/g2hl4 Basically if I just screwed this on as is, I can imagine the flange sitting up off the hull about 1/2". Is this the wrong piece of hardware for what I have in place already? No, I think it's the right one. Have you shopped around the on-line discount retailers? It's possible you could save some. I took a quick look and found a different kind that is substantially cheaper. http://www.pyacht.net/cgi-local/Soft...cz2363ff237b23 or http://tinyurl.com/ps2y4 The place where they saved money making this one is obvious, the valve body is much smaller & the handle cheaper (although I dunno if the Groco handle is really any better). Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Thanks Doug. Two followups;
What to make the spacer of? Are there commercial products available or are we talking about cutting a chunk of rubber to fit? Are we talking a bronze dougnut? NPS threading on the through-hull and the seacock; what to seal with? Pipe dope or teflon tape? I think I read teflon tape only for tapered threads so.. ? Thanks again, -CB |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
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replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Interesting thought re the cutting board.. I can see that working
nicely. The bottom thread on the seacock is straight to match the straight on the through-hull. However the top is tapered so I'll get a bronze hose barb fitting with tapered to match there. Cheers, and thanks again to everyone who lent some insight here. -CB |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
"Bob" wrote
2) Just last night I was washing off my 1/2" white cutting board and ran some hot water over it to clean it. The board started to warp. No problem! Just keep your boat out of hot water. (Always a good idea anyway.) I use epoxy embalmed plywood myself. You know, they used to build whole boats out of that stuff, even without the epoxy:). -- Roger Long |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Roger Long wrote: "Bob" wrote 2) Just last night I was washing off my 1/2" white cutting board and ran some hot water over it to clean it. The board started to warp. No problem! Just keep your boat out of hot water. (Always a good idea anyway.) That made me chuckle! Could be a problem for some of us though........ I use epoxy embalmed plywood myself. You know, they used to build whole boats out of that stuff, even without the epoxy:). Wood?????? Interesting idea! I may have to start expermenting with that idea. Where can you find that stuff? Bob Roger Long |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
"Bob" wrote
Wood?????? Interesting idea! I may have to start expermenting with that idea. Where can you find that stuff? It's pretty hard to come by since the hurricanes and all the post storm construction. I still have few scraps in my shop that I'm hoarding for special projects. -- Roger Long |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
Roger Long wrote:
I use epoxy embalmed plywood myself. You know, they used to build whole boats out of that stuff, even without the epoxy:). Epoxy "saturated" wood is highly over rated IMHO (although it does take a thread fairly nicely). The stuff will still rot. Epoxy "saturation" helps a lot but it's really a misnomer since it doesn't get more than about 1/8" into the wood. For that matter, wood will also warp if exposed to UV or hot water, or if the grain is funny in a spot you can't see. Fresh Breezes- Doug King |
replacing forward cockpit drain hose, valves, ranger 26
"DSK" wrote
Epoxy "saturated" wood is highly over rated IMHO (although it does take a thread fairly nicely). The stuff will still rot. Yes, but to rot you have to have both rot spores and moisture over a fairly narrow range. There are no spores left alive in plywood after all the heating and processing and the Epoxy embalming (I know it isn't saturation) will keep any new ones from getting to the wood. If the through hull doesn't leak and is in a well ventilated place, it's going to last longer than I am. It's not often realized but rot does need a very precise moisture range. It moves very fast when conditions are right, up to 3/8 inch per day, but lies dormant the rest of the time. That's why you get rot in places where there are moisture gradients or changes. It increases the chance of conditions being just right. -- Roger Long |
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