TRu Design composite ball valve

I've installed hundreds of Forespar Marelon (and their New Zealand made forerunner) over the past 30 years.

Never had a complaint about a single one. If you can afford them, they are a 'no-brainer'.
 
I have a 1 1/2" true valve since 2 years and I am very happy with out. The skin fitting is stainless steel.
 
Replaced all mine with them as well. Only maintenance is to move them once a month which is hardly a chore and probably good practice whatever the material.
 
Replaced two bronze ones with Trudesign three years ago. Very pleased with them, as they operate easy and smoothly. Take care not to cross-thread them. I've used loctite 55 teflon wire. Mine came from SVB Germany.
 
fwiw,

i've also fitted a dozen or so (both below and above w/l) from 1/2inch up to 1.5inch no problems at all.
I have to say I made a mistake tightening one and couldn't undo it, so since I had a couple of spares and it was only a 3/4 inch one, I decided to chisel it out.
It was an awful job, took me way too long, wouldn't snap, chisel wouldn't go through the body, was pleasantly surprised.
So destructive tests show they are indeed very strong!

cheers

V.
 
I've always liked the idea of them, but they're just so expensive.
Is it naive of me to expect plastics stuff to be cheaper than metal stuff?
 
When I replaced my through hulls + valve + tails with TruDesign a couple of years ago, they were cheaper as a set than bronze or dzr. No problems whatsoever and the valves don't seem to stiffen up as much as metal.
 
Very good product - just check the dimensions as they are somewhat larger than the metal components they replace. If you have a tricky layout it could be a challenge.
 
Ceirwan said:
I've always liked the idea of them, but they're just so expensive.
Is it naive of me to expect plastics stuff to be cheaper than metal stuff?
Click to expand...

They are too expensive if bought from Lee San, who were charging much more than the importer's recommended retail price when I checked on the Bainbridge website before buying mine. A company to avoid IMHO. They are cheaper from Germany, or from almost any other supplier who has an account with the importers (Bainbridges) and will place an order for you if you give them a list of required part numbers. Most imported goods are dearer in Turkey, where I sail, but I bought a 3/4 inch Tru Design valve in Marmaris for a good deal less than the UK price.
 
Replaced the 5 in the heads this year, which needed doing. Liked them so much I ordered and replaced the remaining two in the galley as well, even though they didn't need doing (yet).

I installed the optional load bearing collars as they weren't adding much to the total price. As the hull was rather thin in the area where they are, I cut circular packers from 20mm HDPE sheet to get to the optimum thickness as per the manual. Looks all very sturdy with the collars on.

Thread sealant is in the manual, PTFE tape, 10-12 turns for the tailpipe, Sikaflex for the skin fitting.

2seacocks.JPG
 
Yngmar said:
Replaced the 5 in the heads this year, which needed doing. Liked them so much I ordered and replaced the remaining two in the galley as well, even though they didn't need doing (yet).

I installed the optional load bearing collars as they weren't adding much to the total price. As the hull was rather thin in the area where they are, I cut circular packers from 20mm HDPE sheet to get to the optimum thickness as per the manual. Looks all very sturdy with the collars on.

Thread sealant is in the manual, PTFE tape, 10-12 turns for the tailpipe, Sikaflex for the skin fitting.

2seacocks.JPG
Click to expand...

Whats the specific function of the load bearing collars please?
 
ean_p said:
Whats the specific function of the load bearing collars please?
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They secure the assembly against shearing off from sideways load (either by something heavy hitting them, or something pulling on the hose too hard). Depending on the location, this may or may not be a risk. In my galley they're in a cupboard with heavy pots and pans which could bounce around in heavy seas. Their primary reason for existence is an ABYC (US) regulation though. More information: http://www.trudesignplastics.com/marine/products/70-load-bearing-collars
 
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