Seacocks - open or closed?

[TheBoatman]

Re: Best way...

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For what it's worth, there's a group of people here who have convinced themselves that it's a good idea to leave the engine cooling water inlet stopcock open - because, they say, they might forget to open it when they start the engine.


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Unfortunately in my YC we have a rule that says "all sea cocks" must be left open.

The reason is that we have so many members that are sailors but don't have boats with engines in that we "cooked" our club boat engines so many times that we figured that it was cheaper to risk the boat "going down" rather than shut the sea cocks.

FWIW
I was always told that you should shut all sea cocks if the boat was going to be left unattended, but those were fishing boats and not yachts.

Why would you close a cockpit drain sea cock?

Wouldn't you then be trapping any rain water in the cockpit!!! /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Our Gibsea Master 96 doesn't have any cockpit drain cocks - it's solid tubing down to the waterline.

Peter.

 

[Guest]

Re: Best way...

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we figured that it was cheaper to risk the boat "going down" rather than shut the sea cocks.

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Then again, scenario: while underway a fitting on club boat develops a leak. Seacock hasn't been used so has seized up. Boat sinks and drowns crew. Next of kin sue. Could also be expensive...

 

[fireball]

Re: Best way...

If your not going to bother closing the seacocks at all (cockpit drains excluded) then why bother having them to start with?

Engine water - right next to Engine electric master switch - do both at the same time.
Heads - both seacocks at the back of the bowl - can't flush without first turning them on ... and easy enough to remember to turn them off afterwards
Galley Sink - this is the only one I forget ...

Cockpit drain - above waterline ... no problem!

 

[Aja]

Re: Best way...

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If your not going to bother closing the seacocks at all (cockpit drains excluded) then why bother having them to start with?



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Right back to post #2. Fit seacocks leave them open and forget. Crazy.

Donald

 

[dulcibella]

Re: Best way...

I used to leave them open until I came on board one morning to find the bilge half full (and that's a lot on a long keeler). The cause was a small split in the raw water hose into the heat exchanger. I'm now converted and leave all seacocks except the cockpit drains shut. No problem about remembering to open it. Just make a small sign saying "engine cooling valve shut" and hang it over the start key hole. When starting, hang it on the valve lever. Those prone to really senior moments can put their names on the back of the sign.

 

[Ships_Cat]

Re: Best way...

Sounds like an open and shut case doesn't it.

John

 

[Roberto]

I leave them all closed; as for the risk of forgetting the engine raw water seacock closed, I always hang the engine key in the seacock handle.. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif