Gulfstream Seacock

[Roarque]

New to us Grady White 232 Gulfstream made in 2006. We are crawling around the boat, trying to learn everything we can as soon as we can.

The seacock valves were explained in the Owner's Manual and apparently are located somewhere near the transom. There are two vertical rods with round ball type "handles" sticking up from the bottom of the boat beside the batteries. Are these the linkages we need to pull upwards on to open the seacocks?

I have very long arms and can barely reach the port side linkage by reaching in from the battery access hatch. The starboard linkage seems to be out of reach.

My question is - are these the seacock valves that are supposed to be opened and closed with every trip we make from the mooring ? How do you do this without putting your back out? Is there another way to access these seacock valves?

Greg and Karen

 

[Tuna Man]

Assuming these are the same as my 06 Marlin, yes those long stainless rods with the black round handles are connected to the thru-hull valves. Lift the handle to open, push the handle down to close. In in theory you are supposed to leave the valves closed whenever not in use, especially when the boat is left unattended and sitting in the water for days or weeks. In reality many of us open them and leave them open for extended periods of time. Mine are kind of stiff and I fear snapping the connector from the rod to the ball valve handle to which they are attached.

Hope this helps, and by the way congrats on the new boat and welcome to the forum.

 

[bea5454]

Congratulations on your purchase. I have a 2006 Gulfstream and am willing to bet you will love it.

Yes, the black balls on stainless rods operate the seacocks for the saltwater washdown (stb) and livewell (port) which should be down (closed) when at dock for an extended period of time. I find they do tighten-up/bind a bit with inactivity, but if you work them a few times they will loosen-up.

They are really designed to be accessed through a hatch on the inside of the transom. Flip-up the rear seat to access the hatch. The hatch opens downward and you should be able to access much easier than through the battery hatch. Mine has some plastic labels (appear factory-installed) which indicate what each seacock operates.

Best of luck with the Gulfstream and do not hesitate to ask if you have additional questions!

BJB

 

[ocnslr]

You note that the reach rods are hard to reach, and use. And that you need to open the valves every time you use the boat.

And another poster indicates that they usually leave their valves open because they are stiff to operate.

Based on over 50 years of experience, analysis of far too many sinking/flooding reports, and the past responsibility of being an offshore skipper of US navy sail training vessels, I will venture the following.

If the valves are stiff to operate, then lubricate them, replace them, or leave them permanently closed - but do not leave them open when not needed. Just an accident waiting to happen.

Do not arbitrarily open the valves every time you use the boat, unless you specifically need to use that water system. Our two aft seacocks are for the livewell, which we use rather infrequently, and the raw water washdown, which we use more often but certainly not every time we use the boat.

We also leave the seacock for the flushing water to the head closed until the first use of the day, and then leave it opened until we secure the boat in the slip.

We have literally thousands of miles on our 2002 Islander, and make a lot of trips over 80nm offshore. But the basic rules regarding the seacocks is the same, whether well offshore or in the lower Chesapeake Bay.

JMHO,
Brian
Commander, US Navy (Ret)
Master, Oceans, Steam, Motor or Sail, 1600-Tons
Chief Mate, Oceans, Unlimited

 

[Roarque]

Thanks for your prompt replies.

bea5454 - I found the hatch behind the fold down and that made accessing the seacocks easy. Interesting that the starboard valve was open and that both mechanisms could be cycled easily. They are now both closed as "Why Wait" is moored in the marina at Schooner Cove on Vancouver Island.

I am looking for other uses for the live well as we fish with coyote spoons and flashers out here and live bait is not required. Karen and I are thinking of converting the live well to an ice storage tank for keeping bottled water cool on fishing trips.

Greg

 

[jimintheair3]

If you decide to use the "livewell" for dry storage, use the black plugs that came with the boat and close the seacock. If you don't water is forced up to the tank and gets everything wet.
"Hocus Pocus"
Jim

 

[tiderunner222]

I try to exercise (open and close) mine almost every time I go out even if I don't plan to run the washdown or livewell. I didn't used to and they got to the point where they were pretty tough to open or close. After getting in the habit of doing it each time I went out they loosened up and work smoothly now.