Seacocks (shutting)

[jonlaw]

When I leave my boat I shut the seacocks.
I do this mainly for two reasons, it keeps them moving, and its safer.
Lots of people don't.
If your boat sank and it was found to be water ingress through an open seacock, burst hose etc, would your insurance pay up ?
As you may not have taken 'reasonable care of your boat'
What do you think ?

 

[VicS]

I think you are doing the most sensible thing. Presumably you exercise them but leave the cockpit drains open or is the cockpit covered.

I also think that the chance of decent reinforced hose failing is virtually nil. It's as sturdy as the grp layup in small boats.

The boat I sail regularly has not had its seacocks closed for 30 years. Ok they have not worn out but they are now seized so they can't be closed. The owner now realises he was given bad advice 30 years ago.

 

[Anonymous]

How about toilet hose? On a couple of occasions recently I had to disconnect toilet hose and found that it tore quite easily along the ridging even though it was less than five years old. Got me a bit worried.

 

[fisherman]

Someone on here said the insurance companies get more claims for wrecked engines due to forgotten shut seacocks than sinkings due to ingress of water, so they don't mind open seacocks.Don't think I'd rely on this.

 

[Anonymous]

It wouldn't have crossed my mind to make an insurance claim if I'd left the engine seacock shut and wrecked the engine. Do they really cover that risk?

 

[Ships_Cat]

For toilet hose the best solution is not to use the "supposed" sanitary hose that everyone says to use. There are industrial hoses which are designed to handle, without permeability problems, materials far worse than our heads outputs.

Such hose was used on our boat by the builder and it is very rugged and 10 years later is still fine. Unfortunately I cannot give a specific hose recommendation as I have not had to replace ours and the yards I deal with have always just sourced good hose.

But for those interested it may be worth following up on with an industrial hose supplier and fitter.

John

 

[ColinHuggins]

quote]"Lots of people don't."

[/ QUOTE ]

I have great difficulty believing that, so would someone with better PC skills than myself organise a poll please? Just how many people leave their seacocks open when away from the boat?

I wait to see the returns.

 

[BrendanS]

can't you just read the last one, rather than doing it again?

 

[mobo1]

I always shut all stop cocks on my boat, but I leave a prepared laminated note on my dashboard which says "open seacocks" so I do not forget and damage my engines.

mobo1

 

[DaveS]

The problem is it's not as simple as that. I always leave closed the heads and sink seacocks, but leave open the engine intake (and the cockpit drains of course.)

 

[bumblefish]

I was taught it was part of the basic engine pre-start check on boarding to check all liquid levels, belts and and seacocks before starting. I did this recently on a holiday with a company mentioned occasionally here and found three significant areas of damage to the belts. This is on a boat used every day!

 

[nickcred]

O how I wish I had put a laminated sign on my boat saying "Open the Raw Water Cooling Idiot". Having just had to replace the engine on the boat due to forgetting to open it. A very expensive lesson to do all your checks no matter how mundane they seem. Advice I was given by the boatyard was that they never turn theirs off on their hire fleet.

 

[PCUK]

A simple overheat warning sensor in the exhaust would of course save all the wrecked engines for the more forgetful owner.
I always shut everything and always have done, therefore after thirty years it is second nature to open the cocks. However, I still check the exhaust water at every start up.

 

[reeac]

[ QUOTE ]
O how I wish I had put a laminated sign on my boat saying "Open the Raw Water Cooling Idiot". Having just had to replace the engine on the boat due to forgetting to open it. A very expensive lesson to do all your checks no matter how mundane they seem. Advice I was given by the boatyard was that they never turn theirs off on their hire fleet.

[/ QUOTE ]

I always hang the engine key by the engine cooling water seacock so that I have to go there before I can start the engine.

 

[fisherman]

[ QUOTE ]
It wouldn't have crossed my mind to make an insurance claim if I'd left the engine seacock shut and wrecked the engine. Do they really cover that risk?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you have mechanical breakdown cover. Otherwise you are covered for engine damage due to 'external causes', such as a bag up the intake or a hawser in the prop.

I had a new engine from Sunderland Marine when a small crack appeared in the block for no apparent reason. The engine ran OK, but the core plug fell out when warm.

 

[capt_courageous]

I always remember about shutting seacocks, turning off the gas bottle and the battery isolation switch within seconds of getting home.

 

[charn]

I'm leaving my boat on the Villaine River this winter (fresh water). Seacocks open or shut? Previously I have always closed seacocks when away from boat. When on the hard last year I was advised to leave seacocks open. Confused,you bet!
Advice welcome.

 

[Pye_End]

Are you talking about leaving them open when on the hard or in the fresh water river?

River - close. hard - open with a rag up them. Does depend on what level of frost you are expecting though.

 

[Steve_N]

When I mentioned to my surveyor that I would have to leave at least 1 of the 4 centre-cockpit drain seacocks open to stop the cockpit filling up and overflowing into the accomodation, he said that should the boat sink and any seacock was found to be open then I would get a reduced insurance payout.

So what about damage caused from water getting inside should the cockpit overflow?, I asked. 'Oh they would be unlikely to pay out for that - you should have left a drain open'

I plumbed in a new drain above the waterline via a diverter valve, for use when moored..

 

[Pye_End]

Sorry - should have been clearer - I never close my cockpit drain valves - partly because i do not have them - but if I did I would work them every so often to keep them working only. Mine are above waterline, so this one must be a bit more risky when they are below.

Insurance - I am sure every policy is different, but I would expect for mine to pay up whenI made a mistake - it is what insurance is there for! Worth reading the small print though - before you do something daft rather than after!