Seacoks in Albin Vegas

[BarryLeat]

Does any Vega owner or Ballad owner for that matter (same builder) know what the actualmaterial specification is for seacocks in these boats built 1970 to '80? i think they are bronze and I asswume they were of Swedish origin by a company called A B Andersson. Appears not to exist today after web searches. Have written to a potential company,Tour and Andersson in Sweden (makers of valves, etc.) but no reply forthcoming. Having examined mine closely they are in excellent condition with no evidence of surface corrosion, (plus other sailing friends engineers, etc who think they are excellent), only the dark colour of the patina that occurs on bronze. Having taken one apart there is no evidence of surface pitting, etc. (sign of dezincification).

 

[richardbrennan]

I am sure we are all asking ourselves a similar question after the articles in YM. Cannot help with Albins, but if anybody knows the answer for a 1998 Westerly I would be most grateful.

 

[Tranona]

Owners Association or Trafalgar Yacht Services. Almost certainly DZR

 

[BabaYaga]

I made a quick search on a Swedish Vega website and a forum.
Some posters on that forum state that the original through hulls and gate valves were made of bronze.
Found nothing specifically about this in the available brochures, though.

 

[Hostage]

Interesting also. I have never seen a Vega that was originally fitted with an anode of any description. Somebody may prove me wrong???

 

[Kelpie]

I replaced all of the original skin fittings and valves on my Vega because the surveyor flagged them up and so my insurance company said I had to do it. They probably had some life left in them but interestingly the heads outlet valve had partially failed and was letting in a steady stream of water. Also the sink outlet valve crumbled when I tried to unscrew it from the skin fitting, so maybe it was at the end of it's life.
The existing skin fittings are epoxied into the hull, which was a little annoying to find when I was half way through the job and working with the boat dried out between tides. It certainly was good for my work ethic.

In retrospect, whilst I didn't really have any choice in the matter, it would probably have been OK to leave the old skin fittings in place and put new ball valves on, as I think these are superior to gate valves.

FWIW all of my new fittings were DZR. I presume the originals were bronze but cannot be entirely sure.