Hi, would value your advice. We've just bought a Seamaster 23 which was surveyed 2 years ago, and when we contacted the surveyor he said not to bother getting it done again. However it now turns out not all his recommendations were carried out, which is making it tricky getting insurance cover.
Outstanding recommendations are mainly to do with replacing inlet piping (to heads, galley and engine) with spiral reinforced plastic hose. My query is whether we can do this ourselves (never done maintenance on a boat before, and not particularly skilled DIY-ers). If it is feasible to do it while the boat is in the water, how do we check that the seacocks work before removing the piping? Any hints or tips gratefully received!
We would rather get someone else to do it but the professionals are busy and we need to get insured!
Alternatively, are there any insurers out there who will insure poorly maintained boats, at least third party, until the maintenance is done? The boat was built in 1970 (grp hull).
My advisor says that in theory this is a straightforward job which it would be feasible to do while the boat is in the water. You can check that the seaocks are working by eg turning the engine water seacock off, then running the engine very briefly to check that no water is coming through. He says only run briefly, to avoid risking damage to the water pump impellor or the engine overheating. Equally, turn off the sea cocks and try (gently) to pump the loo. If the seacock is working, there will be immediate resistance. Do not try to pump against it as this could cause damage!
However, he advises that in view of the age of the boat, and the fact that this maintenance is already at least two years overdue (and possibly much longer) it would be wise to have the boat out of the water before starting work. This is because complications might occur if the seacocks are worn or corroded. Also, it might not be possible to replace the old hoses in a hurry if you needed to, as they are likely to be brittle. Also the pipe runs may not be straight forward. Do not be tempted to put shorter pipes in, but make sure you follow the existing pattern of anti-syphon loops etc.
When you put your new hoses on, it is a good idea to put two jubilee clips on each end, for safety. Also follow the example of the racing safety rules, and tape a softwood bung of the appropriate diameter adjacent to each skin fitting, so that in the event of failure, the hole can be plugged with minimum delay!
You do not say where your boat is based. Are you a member of a yacht club? More experienced members are usually glad to give help and guidance to new boat owners.
The boat is in Hartlepool Marina; there is a yacht club there but we're not members - though it might be a good idea to join. I believe they do a lot of racing and we prefer cruising. I will ask around in the marina anyway. The harbourmaster's office recommended one person but he sounds very busy. Maybe I just need to find an enthusiastic amateur to keep us on the right lines.
We don't know the boat well at all yet - have sailed her twice, both times with the previous owner. He has left all his stuff on board, so I need to go and trawl through it all as there is a fair possibility we will have bungs, hosepipe and clips already, if I can find them. Amazing how much stuff can be stowed in a 23ft boat!
It would probably be a good idea to join the club. Go along anyway and make yourselves known. You will probably find there are cruisers as well as racers, and lots of enthusiastic amateurs to keep you on the right lines, as you suggest!
When we bought our first boat we received no end of help from other members of our club. They saved us a fortune in boatyard fees by showing us how to do things ourselves. And as well as saving money, you also get to know how everything on the boat works, which can come in extremely useful when you are at sea and the unexpected happens!
Just one comment-spiral reinforced hose is an absolute pain to work with and you only really need it if there is a lot of suction involved.All my systems(surveyed and insured)are piped up using braided reinforced tubing which is tough enough and will stand low levels of suction created by engine etc.-and its a little more flexible-though always put its end in a pan of hot water before trying to push it on whatever hose you use.
But whatever you use go to your local hose shop-there are various UK companies with outlets throughout the UK which specialise in flexible piping-hoses;hydraulic;air;ducting etc.-because prices are far better.
While you are doing this, there is something else that I would strongly recommed you do at the same time.
Do you know what sort of seacocks are fitted? (these are the taps that actually turn off the water).
On a boat of this age they are likely to be either Blakes (these look like a cone that tuurns inside another cone and the lever only turns 180 degrees) or what are known as Gate-valves.
You can tell which they are by looking at them. If there is tap that you rotate in the same way that you would a domestic boiler valve (or even a bath tap) then you need to have these changed as soon as is possible.
The reason is that although the body of the gate-valve is bronze (and therefore doesn't corrode or suffer from electrolysis - unless you are very unlucky ) the insides of gate-valves are made of brass and suffer from electriolysis, so you get sudden and somethimes catastrophic failure of the insides, meaning that you can't either open or close the seacock!
If you find that you have gate-valves fitted, the best type to replace them with is the modern ball-valve. these require no maintenance do not suffer from corrosion or electrolysis!
It is a simple job to replace gate-valves with ball-valves, but you do need the boat out of the water.
All you need is a decent spanner or wrench, remove the old gate-valve from the fitting that will be attached to the hull, go and buy a new ball-valve, taking the old one with you to ensure you have the correct size and thread.
When refitting the new ball-valve, use lots of plumbers ptfe tape on the thread, do it up tightly but not murderously tight and refit the plastic tubing.
If you find it difficult to force the tubing over the fitting, get some boiling water, stick the last few inches of the pipe into the water for 20-30 seconds, put some Fairy Ligquid over the fitting and you should be able to force the pipe onto the seacock.
Also please remember that it is important to double fasten the pipe - this means put 2 Juubilee clips on to each end of the pipe (these need to be done up very tightly by the way). Also make sure you use stainless-steel Jubilee clips.
Welcome to the world of yacht owning DIY - you'll find it very rewarding and you'll never be short of advice from other yacht owners!
Went to see the boat today, along with someone who might be prepared to do the work, or at least find a friend to do it. We only looked at the engine installation today - replacing the hose, he says, would not be difficult. However, the seacock is the gate valve type and the handle (wheel thingy) is so corroded that it actually came off as I turned it!! Having said that, it did turn very smoothly and I doubt whether the inside is in as bad condition as the handle. Someone else is due to have a look at it, but in any case we will be taking the boat out of the water at some point over the winter, and will no doubt replace all gate valve seacocks as you suggested, David. Thankfully we are now insured, on condition that we get the survey recommendations carried out before the end of November. This may still mean doing most of the work ourselves, but I suppose it's no bad thing to learn how the boat is put together before needing to do emergency repairs 5 miles offshore!
Hi Judy, glad to hear you have the insurance sorted. Sounds as if you have everything else in hand too. Hope all goes according to plan. But do be aware of the great truth about boat maintenance: every "five minute job" always expands to fill half a day! The gate valve wheel coming off in your hand is a prime example of this! But we've all been there....
The more you do on the boat, the more you will trust it and the more you will enjoy it, I reckon more than 50% of the enjoyment comes from knowing it's sorted and capable of anything you can chuck at it!
If all else fails its a jolly good conversation opener in the yacht club bar!
