Coolant Intake Valve replacement

[BobbyD]

Hi, I am looking to replace the engine coolant intake seacock as was picked up by survey and looks in fairly poor condition. Unfortunately, the boat is quite some distance away and I’ve not been able to take a look at this to determine the size of a replacement. I was hoping to order in advance so that once I am down at the boat next time, I can fit the replacement.

Can anyone advise if there is a ’standard’ size for this type of assembly that I should order? The boat is a Beneteau 281, engine is a Volvo Penta 2020-C and I was considering replacing with a TruDesign valve and through hull fitting which have been recommended.

Any advice welcome!

 

[Bodach na mara]

I don't think that there is any standard, just recommendations. For example, my VP 2003 used a 1/2 inch BSP through hull fitting and gate valve, which I had intended to replace. However the engine developed a severe oil leak, was judged not economically repairable by the engineers, and was replaced by a new Beta 30. Although of the same power, the recommended bore of the intake was 3/4 inch, the fitting had to be plain with no scoop or grill and the engineers recommended a lever operated DZR ball valve.

You'll need to look at what is there and also what is recommended, which may not be the same thing.

 

[scottie]

Ask Beneteau ?
my guess would be 1/2” BSP but would check

 

[ChromeDome]

Buy a few variants and return those not used

 

[Tranona]

3/4" is more common for fresh water cooled engines. The raw water hoses on the 2020 are of a size that suggests 3/4" valves. When I swapped a 1GM raw water cooled for a fresh water cooled Nanni had to change from 1/2" to 3/4". Before you decide on Trudesign check the space around the valve as although the internal and external bore are the same, the valve body itself is larger diameter than metal valves and can cause problems in confined spaces.

 

[BobbyD]

Many thanks for the replies. I will just order two sizes and hope that one fits as suggested?

 

[chrisclin]

Be aware that the sizes referred to are the internal bore. When I replaced my coolant intake with a Trudesign one this year I had to enlarge the hole in the hull to fit it. Do not underestimate the difficulty in doing that ! I ended up using a file and didn't get it perfectly circular. Fortunately Sikaflex seems to have taken up the slack successfully.
If you are doing this yourself I would recommend getting Trudesign's installation tool to help drawing everything together.

 

[Tranona]

Not sure why you had a problem as the the threaded part diameter for Tru Design is exactly the same as comparable metal valves. It is the valve body itself that is slightly larger which only causes a problem if the valve is in a constricted space or 2 valves are close together. The hole required through the hull for the skin fitting is the same diameter.

 

[chrisclin]

I'm not the only person to have encountered that problem. The Hunter Association website has a running thread where a lot of owners were doing the same thing during lockdown and most found they had to enlarge the through hull holes. It's possible there was an issue between metric and imperial measurements but all 3 of my through hulls needed to be enlarged ( heads in and out and engine intake).
Chris