Anybody recognise this?

[Funcan]

Hi

A friend and I recently bought a nice little 1958 seagull sloop that we're in the process of tidying up (removing massive amounts of cheap polliurethaine varnish and assorted tatty paint jobs mostly.

In the locker between the cabin and the deck, there is an odd brass fitting. It appears to be a valve of some kind, and may well vent to outside the hull, I've not yet had it out of the water to look. Any suggestions what it is please? I also has what I assume is an earthing wire that isn't connected to anything... should it be?

Pictures at http://duncan.thomas.googlepages.com/talpa-whatisthis%3F

Thanks

 

[bdsweeting]

Tempted to say that it a water inlet with strainer serving two differents sized hose connectors.

However, have to ask, what's under the screw cap? That could reveal the secret.

 

[Porthandbuoy]

Looks like it says Stuart on the cap. I know Stuart Turner made a seacock that gave you the choice of drawing water from outside the boat or from the bilges. That's not as daft as it sounds if:
a) the boat is old and leaky, or
b) the cockpit drains into the bilges.

The wire will be for bonding the seacock, engine, etc, to an anode.

 

[Dipper]

I am thinking along the same lines as MikeEchoPapa. It is certainly associated with a Stuart Turner engine - the name 'Stuart' on the top is a bit of a give away.

My old Stuart Turner P55ME engine had a similar inlet water strainer but it was about 6" high and only had a single hose connection point. The top could be unscrewed (with the valve closed!) to allow access to the removable cylindrical filter. Yours may have been a smaller engine needing a smaller strainer - mine was a twin cylinder 8HP.

I would assume that the larger connector is for the engine cooling water. Perhaps the smaller connector is for a salt water tap or deck wash pump - just a wild guess.

The wire would probably have been led to an anode to prevent electrolytic corrosion of the valve.

You could try contacting Fairways Marine to see if they have any ideas. They sell most Stuart Turner spares.

Mariposa's reply has just reminded me that mine did actually have two hose connectors and the second one was to allow the engine to act as a bilge pump. I remember thinking at the time that you would need to monitor the bilge water very carefully to make sure the engine didn't run out of water once the bilges were dry.

 

[nordic_ranger]

Hi I'm pretty certain its a raw water inlet valve for a Stuart Turner engine. I've come accross a few of them all different sizes.

 

[oldharry]

Yep, its a Stuart Turner engine coolant Seacock, with a two way valve to allow for clearing the bilges. I had one on a plywood Felicity. Problem was of course a) bilge water was in limited supply and you had to remember to switch back, and b) it clogged very easily if rubbish had got in to the bilges.

Under the cap is a nice little copper strainer device which could be cleaned once the valve was closed (lever to horizontal posiiton)

 

[penfold]

Concur with Mariposa and Oldharry; it's a engine cooling water seacock for a Stuart Turner. Many years ago my old man had a converted 19/24 racer from 1904 with a P55 8hp twin which had an identical seacock/bilgepumping arrangement. As the others have noticed there's significant risk of bilge debris clogging the works; I don't remember it ever being used, as the 19/24's bilge was invariably a morass of tallow, paint flakes, indeterminate dirt, oil and water.

cheers,
David

 

[Funcan]

Cheers. I discovered today the boat used to have some sort of inboard that was removed. It's odd how you meet the guy with the mooring next to you in a boat club over an hour's drive away....

Given I don't need nor particularly want a seacock, I'll investigate removing it when the boat is out of the water over the winter. It is the only thing stopping my fridge from fitting perfectly in that locker.