Hull Fittings

These include skinfittings, seacocks, cockpit drains, and instrument fittings.

All skinfittings should be checked, no matter what material they are made from.

Bronze can corrode and be effected by stray electrical currents which may originate from your boat, underwater cables, a marina berth or the boat next to you. Look for signs of pitting or verdegrease, ( green corrosion). If found, be suspicious and take them out check them over and replace if necessary.

Check for cracks or damage on composite plastic fittings and replace if necessary. Do not over tighten these just make them nice and snug.

Re-bed them with a good marine sealant (Not Plumbers silicon leave this stuff for the plumbers to "play with")

When re- bedding any fitting it always pays to mask off and clean around the area of the fitting and be generous with the sealer.

Always lightly tighten the fitting so that sealer squeezes out evenly and leave for 2 days to allow the sealer to cure. Then give a final tighten to snug the fitting home. This will give you a much better seal as you have allowed a thin gasket to form.

After 2 days you can also trim off any excess sealer with a stanley knife. To protect the thread while doing this and allow you to carry out the final tighten up put a little petroleum jelly or silicon grease on the area where the nut will be.

All through hull fittings should have a ply backing plate on the inside and under the nut.

Check for leaks between the thread and the seacock,(Valve) and the hose tailpiece.(if fitted). This is a good place to use PTFE tape (thread seal tape). This gives a good seal and makes it easy to remove valves and tailpieces.

Check that all valves are operating properly. My personal motto is to disassemble and lubricate with silicon grease every 3-4 years. Yep OK, the Toilet outlet valve I just replace when it stiffens up!

Under no circumstances should BRASS gate valves be used anywhere there is salt water, always use bronze, reinforced plastic (RC marine type) or 316 stainless.

All hoses and hose clips should be checked and fit double hose clamps on all underwater through hull fittings.

Oh and of course you will all have a softwood tapered plug of the right size tied to each through hull with light nylon cord "just in case a valve or skin fitting breaks off and in does cometh the sea".

What do you mean you haven’t yet, well now lets get that done too because there is no way you can hold your hand over a hole under, lets say the sink, and at the same time reach over and find the softwood plugs which are kept in the lazzeratte!

These plugs can be purchased from any good chandlery and are not expensive.