Cocks

P

PhilipH

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That's seacocks - do people close 'em up or leave 'em open when leaving the boat for a week or so? On a new boat what are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. Discuss.
 
One advantage of closing them is it keeps them working. Left open for long enough they may be seized up should you need them shut in a hurry.
 
I'm constantly baffled by my own inconsistent opening/closing of seacocks. Heads seacocks are religiously closed before departure, whilst various sink and drain seacocks are left open. In fact all seacocks are left open except for heads. Why close the heads? No idea, just habit. Probably because they are accessible. A candid contribution to the discussion.

TLOM
 
have always closed em when leaving the boat, i also close them when making passage, they are nice and free and it is not a prob to use them, reasoning of this is that if a hose ever lets go it wont matter
stu
 
A reasonable question. They're designed to be opened and closed. However, some are buried deep in a locker. Others, such as the engine cooling intake, will be open all the time anyway if motoring for extended periods. The cockpit self-drainer has seacocks will be open at sea. On that premise, why close any of them when at sea?? Perhaps there are good arguments for closing them when leaving the boat. Has anybody lost a boat because a hose fell off whilst the boat was left unattended??

As I said - my own habits are probably inconsistent but would be interested to hear good reasons for adopting various opening/closing policies.

TLOM
 
Re: Foundering at sea due to Cocks

Many years ago I read a story in the sailing press about a new Nicholson 70 ketch commissioned by a well known sailing author.
He set off on a transatlantic voyage soon after, and while out in the Atlantic one of the heads (there were about 4 or 5 on board) outlet pipes parted company with its seacock / skin fitting.
The seacock had been left on.

First thing the crew knew about it was when the waterlevel came above the cabin floor....... they knew that ONE of their through hull fittings was to blame, but which one? They had about 30 below the waterline, all likely contenders.
And they couldnt find which one it was......

What happened?
The boat sank.
Crew bailed out, presumbly into the liferaft, and were subsequently rescued.
Thats one reason (amongst many others) why I am a bit paranoid about seacocks....
 
Re: Foundering at sea due to Cocks

Good point - well made. It comes back to my admission of inconsistency. Yes, there are some that need to be left open whilst underway by the very nature of their purpose. Probably all others should be closed if it is possible that a hose will decide to part. Must try harder.

TLOM
 
So you know how to be there when a leak develops! I was trying (and failing) to be ironic.

I was on a Contessa once night sailing and someone left the toilet seacock opened. I opened my eyes (off watch) to see my shoes floating gentlely. Being a wooden boat owner I was quite calmed before I opened my eyes by the gentle swish of bilge water. Unfortunately the seals had gone on the freshwater tank and that was the end of tea. And to answer TLOM, the yard where I used to lay noticed one of the boats on their mooring was a tad low and they discovered a burst clip and leaking hose. Didn't sink but I think water got up to bunk level.

It's just a sensible precaution. But how many people double clip their hoses?
 
Always closed when leaving the boat - when on board can respond to emergent leak. When unattended, without closing seacock the boat is at the mercy of several jubilee clips.
 
close all when leaving the boat on her mooring (paranoid about that), leave them open when parked for a weekend in a marina, leave them open at sea. Thats me -inconsistant or what!
 
one point missed here is the bilge water alarm. The guys in the Nicholson could have found which cock if they had ample warning. My alarm sounds if there's a few inches of water in the keel lowest point. They don't eat battery power. The simplest is a small pipe coming up to a washing machine pressure switch, which can be up out of the wet, otherwise a mercury tilt switch in the bilge, but you need wires down to it, and can get stray current in the bilge if damp.
 
Well, to be honest, I WISH I opened and closed them properly. The result of not doing so, esp foul-water outlets, is seizing. My heads outlet is seized, and it will have to remain that way till next serious haulout. It is not a happy state, and not proud of it. I used to have a routine of open and closing the cock 10 times, just to keep it working well, but now... will need replacement. As said, it is best to close all when at sea, apart from cockpit drains, and close all when leaving the boat, but I would recommend the 10 operations on any that feel a little 'tight'. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
 
I used to be fairly relaxed about closing seacocks until a friend's boat sank at his marina pontoon berth.
The culprit was a failed bolt holding on the engine cooling water strainer lid. Or rather, not holding.
All three below water level seacocks on my boat are Blakes and are turned off as part of the "going ashore" drill. I agree that not using them results in seizure.
 
Next liftout I have 7 ( yes SEVEN ) through hull fittings to remove and glass over. 4 superfluous sink drains, 1 head ( in and outlets ) and a shower drain ( although thats above the waterline )

Benneteau built the boat ( 11.5m ) with 13 below the waterline skin fittings /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
 
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