Do you use or want your black water, direct overboard thru hull?

[Eddieclemons]

My current setup is heads to diverter valve that can go to the holding tank or to direct overboard via a 2" thru hull in front of my port engine. I am about to have a bottom job and the valve is in need of replacement. I do have a pump in the forward bilge that I can pump my holding tank overboard if needed and allowable. Should I keep head to direct overboard thruhull or close it up? Is their a situation and area that I would want to keep it? Thanks for all thoughts, Eddie

 

[Pascal]

You can only discharge three miles off shore so no point in keeping it. Easier to send black water to the tank and then pump overboard when offshore. If you re in Nashville, that’s unlikely

The fewer holes the better

 

[Eddieclemons]

You can only discharge three miles off shore so no point in keeping it. Easier to send black water to the tank and then pump overboard when offshore. If you re in Nashville, that’s unlikely

As we say around here, "Yot right" I was just wondering if I was missing something. Thanks

 

[jmooney]

We have a similar setup, I would keep all options available. Especially the ability to pump the holding tank out with your onboard pump. You may never use it in the Nashville area , but someday you might sell the boat, and the buyer would want the ability to pump out. With Cat 3406 engines I think it would sell fast. I am assuming that the valve you are referring to is the one for the pump out .

 

[Eddieclemons]

We have a similar setup, I would keep all options available. Especially the ability to pump the holding tank out with your onboard pump. You may never use it in the Nashville area , but someday you might sell the boat, and the buyer would want the ability to pump out. With Cat 3406 engines I think it would sell fast. I am assuming that the valve you are referring to is the one for the pump out .

I am only considering taking away my ability to go straight over board, I would maintain the ability to pump out the holding tank overboard. I DO plan to come back South in retirement, Lord Willing.

 

[HahnR]

I'd keep it open. Even if you never use it, it might be nice to have the ability to go directly overboard just in case of an emergency. Pump-out closed, broke down, a clog in the line somewhere, etc.... You never know.

Plus to plug the hole properly you're talking a bit of fiberglass work. Just my 2 cents

 

[zigzag930]

What HahnR said.....

I'd keep it for sure. You or another future owner may use it, so no real advantage to removing it.

 

[carolinacoast]

I had those individual overboard thruhulls glassed up. Less leak opportunities. I have everything plumbed to the 2 holding tanks and an overboard 240v pump when offshore. Eliminates possibility of pulling seawater through the system at a pumpout.
Surprisingly, I had 1 marina, who was cleanwater with a flag, have me sign a document that no Y valves were aboard.

 

[whoover]

What about keeping one direct discharge connected to an emergency crash pump, just my thoughts.

Walt Hoover

 

[motoryacht lover]

I would keep it. In the bahamas pumpouts are few and far between. Even in the states I would say my experience is that 50% of the pumpouts are operable. I call ahead to make sure the pumpouts are working, because as I said my experience is that a lot of times they aren’t working.

 

[jim rosenthal]

I'd keep it, in that it's easier to replace an existing valve than to close up a hole in the hull.

 

[Freestyle]

Keep it.

Toilets end cruises. Toilets that discharge overboard, never end cruises.

I keep an RV toilet in a box as toilet of last resort.

Family will make you sell your boat if your toilet system doesn't meet their expectations.

Keep it. Wish I had it.

Bruce

Freestyle
1986 62 CPMY (54MY with ext)
Tampa

 

[Pascal]

To each his own but I think some of the responses confuse direct flushing overboard and pumping over board. We really talking about direct flushing

In 40 years I have never had to flush directly overboard. It goes in the tank and either gets pumped out at the dock when possible or pumped overboard when allowed

In the bahamas where we spent a lot of time, pump outs are rare so we pump overboard when offshore. I can not imagine flushing directly overboard in an anchorage or marina. Disgusting.

And yes I always keep a spare pump on board although I ve never had to replace one. Probably because I have a spare

The fewer holes in the boat the better. I sleep Much better having glassed 5 unused thru hulls on my boat.

 

[Eddieclemons]

The thru hull saga continues. The boat is currently out of the water and after discussing it here I had decided to remove it and glass up the hole. When I met with the yard service writer, she talked me into replacing it due to cost and possible future use. Fast forward to yesterday when I get a call that the valve corrosion would require grinding it out from the bottom, but they have the valve working. I already had the valve working, but this thing needs to go. I play nice and ask what they recommend? They give me the options of leaving it as is, or filling the thru hull with epoxy, and if wanted we could install a new valve in a new hole?

I tell them that those options don't really align with the level of stewardship of the boat that I am trying to maintain and ask then to get the thing out and close up the hole.

 

[jmooney]

I replaced all my thru-hulls , including the main engine intakes , myself. This should be easy for any yard . You are never going to unscrew an existing thru-hull . They have to be ground away on the outside. Less than five minutes of grinding. You do have to be careful as you grind close to the hull. By the way, I increased the thru- hull size from 3/4 to 1 inch. Also I did unscrew the 2.5 inch engine thru-hulls as they were flush on the outside. I had to find a special tool that could stand the torque. The funnel- like installation tools are not strong enough to remove an existing thru-hull .

 

[Eddieclemons]

I replaced all my thru-hulls , including the main engine intakes , myself. This should be easy for any yard . You are never going to unscrew an existing thru-hull . They have to be ground away on the outside. Less than five minutes of grinding. You do have to be careful as you grind close to the hull. By the way, I increased the thru- hull size from 3/4 to 1 inch. Also I did unscrew the 2.5 inch engine thru-hulls as they were flush on the outside. I had to find a special tool that could stand the torque. The funnel- like installation tools are not strong enough to remove an existing thru-hull .

I would agree, I would have never imagined it not having to be ground off from the bottom.

 

[Captain Ralph]

We will be Hauling in October.
One of our projects is removing an aft head and all plumbing.
The rare times this head was used, it went to a tank. Its overboard discharge sea-cock was such a PIA to reach, I just left it closed and never worried about it.
With this heads removal, a couple of thru hulls to it are going away including that hard to reach outlet.
Already figured to cut / grind them out and glass up the holes.

I'm looking forward to the bottom work on Wills Hatt.
4 heads, 2 sea-cocks each, all thru hulls getting removed and filled.
Also a few large thru hulls aft that are not used.

So, this fall, there is going to be a lot of scrap bronze at the Huckins yard.

The effects of removing old thru hull hardware and properly patching the hull has to help lots of us sleep better.

 

[Briankinley2004]

Just FYI it is USCG compliant to lock the head with key not accessible to passengers until 3 miles offshore. Sams sells the keys. This way you can keep to direct flush overboard. If anyone cant hold it for the first 3 miles they are probably going to shite the whole trip. If you cruise the coast this may not work for you but for those that run directly offshore fishing it does. Plus the fish are attracted to the corn.

 

[Pascal]

Just FYI it is USCG compliant to lock the head with key not accessible to passengers until 3 miles offshore. Sams sells the keys. This way you can keep to direct flush overboard. If anyone cant hold it for the first 3 miles they are probably going to shite the whole trip. If you cruise the coast this may not work for you but for those that run directly offshore fishing it does. Plus the fish are attracted to the corn.

Doesn’t have to be lock and key. A zip tie is enough or even removing the sea cock handle and having attached nearby. On my 53 this I put the discharge above WL without a SC , I used a key switch for the pump and as long as the key is not kept in the switch it is legal. Over the years I have been boarded with these methods, no worries