The raw water seacock on my 1999 Cataline 36 is behind the engine in a rather inconvenient location accessed from the aft berth. One has to raise the cushion (after moving anything on top of it), duck under it, lift off a cover, reach down into the cavity behind the transmission to see it using a flash light. Sometime before 2005 Catalina moved the seacock access to a more appropriate location in the entrance of the aft berth.
Has anyone modified the plumbing of the raw water intake, using the existing seacock, but adding a ball valve between the seacock and the strainer which could be accessed more conveniently? Yes it would mean more connections. And probably 4-5 ft of added tubing. I'm assuming the new value and tubing needs to be below the water line before entering the strainer.
Are the drawbacks to this design riskier than me wrenching my back operating the current located seacock, or just leaving it open, such as when cruising because this area becomes our garage and thus too much stuff to move to access?
Yes, I have to use flash light to see the seacock and open the cover that is below the mattress. My mattress is always folded back, so access is no problem.
If you are considering installing a ball valve elsewhere, you will have to remove the existing seacock and connect a new hose to the through-hull directly. This means the through-hull must be replaced to accept the hose.
In my opinion it is not worth the cost.
I wonder if a new seacock can be installed under the seat in front of the table for easier access.
Sail La Vie 1999 Catalina 36 MKII, M35B-17031, Coyote Point, San Mateo, CA
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