Seacocks

[billandangela]

We have all read a lot about the unreliability of seacocks....for example in YM.  The seacocks on my 7 year old B32 look fine but I know looks are not everything when it comes to corrosion and sudden failure. The material is not stated on the seacock.  Does anyone know if Bavarias' are trustworthy ? Anyone had a failure or needed to replace ?

[Moodymike]

I to have a B32. The seacocks are the same as I had on my previous 3 Moody's. All gave good service over many years.

[vikinglish]

Think this whole topic has been dramatised a bit IMHO.  On Bavs the smaller seacocks are poorer quality in terms of corrosion resistance than the larger seacocks, but comparable to those found on other yachts.
 

[solar]

They made of NO DRZ brass not Merlone or Bonze as they should be.
I'm changing my 2 under water seacocks asap!No point waiting them to sink the boat.
Maybe we should contact BAV and ask them to show some resposability for thier boats?

[CRYSTAL]

I did contact Bavaria and you'll be surprised with their reply. They said the Bavaria seacocks are Brass and should last at least 15 years. I checked my seacocks on mine which are almost 5 years old and 'seem' fine after lightly sanding it which brought back the light yellowish color back from the brownish / copper color which should indicate that the material is still intact / good condition.

Any recommendations? Bronze or plastic like Forespar Merlone?

[solar]

Sorry, but Bavaria's reply is pure BS!
YM pro's are right!
Only Bronze/Merlone seacocks are real marine grade! All other Brass/SS/Copper etc are good only for bathrooms.
To save a dime they were ready to put us all in danger GRRRRR!
The cost of good marine grade seacocks is almost nothing in the total cost of any boat.
Let them put their money where their mouth is! Will they pay for any of our sunked boats if they are wrong? I wonder!
We as Bav owners should let them know what we think in this case and ask for a recall just like in the car/bike industry!
 

[JVS]

GOOD LUCK, with that!

[Ricd]

Is anybody aware of any Bav with a failed seacock?  I haven't just wondering how big an issue this really is.

[PETER KRAAN]

HI  ,  my experience with  seacocks is that the ones that fail , are mostly  from the  toilet  ,   as it is the salt end calcium  that clogs up ! 

[Yacht Breeze]

The skin fittings are brass. Under EU regulations they are only required to last five years. It does seem penny-pinching not to fit marine grade kit but then Bavarias are budget boats. You get what you pay for. Will Bavaria upgrade to marine quality? Probably not, unless there's sufficient bad press such that they consider the cost of changing to marine grade fittings is less than they are losing in sales because of their continued use of brass.

As one well known proverb states: "Where there's muck, there's brass."

[PagetalPaul]

Hold on here ....... if people have been following all the detail in YM (and there is a lot of it), the best advice is to have a really thorough visual examination of the seacock itself first - for identifying marks and of course condition. If you have any concerns at that stage, take the worst one off at next lift-out, and do a deeper examination.

To add a little more commonsense ............ is it just possible that manufacturers are allowed, or do change specification or suppliers of parts over time? Of course ... my Bavaria 34 (1999) seems to have perfect seacocks after 13 years (pictures on request). So perhaps Bavaria have changed their specification in later years, but that doesn't mean to say that everything is wrong on all boats they ever made!

I don't hold any truck with "bashing Bavaria" (or any other manufuacturer, other makes are available) ..... but mention any manufacturer of any product, and there will always be one person with a different view. Bavaria have more boats out there on the water than most, so the law of numbers ...... and the chances of hearing about an issue ...... are always going to be greater.

I'd be interested to hear of any specific stories and experiences ......... from objective owners ...... lol

[solar]

Hold on here ....... if people have been following all the detail in YM (and there is a lot of it), the best advice is to have a really thorough visual examination of the seacock itself first - for identifying marks and of course condition. If you have any concerns at that stage, take the worst one off at next lift-out, and do a deeper examination.

To add a little more commonsense ............ is it just possible that manufacturers are allowed, or do change specification or suppliers of parts over time? Of course ... my Bavaria 34 (1999) seems to have perfect seacocks after 13 years (pictures on request). So perhaps Bavaria have changed their specification in later years, but that doesn't mean to say that everything is wrong on all boats they ever made!

I don't hold any truck with "bashing Bavaria" (or any other manufacturer, other makes are available) ..... but mention any manufacturer of any product, and there will always be one person with a different view. Bavaria have more boats out there on the water than most, so the law of numbers ...... and the chances of hearing about an issue ...... are always going to be greater.

I'd be interested to hear of any specific stories and experiences ......... from objective owners ...... lol

Sorry, but I can't understand your point!
Don't you think that a boat,any boat should be built with proper marine grade parts? especially an underwater,hard to inspect ,hidden part that can sink a boat in a blink?
And the only proper marine grade materials for marine seacocks today (ever?)are Bronze or Marlone!
I love my Bav boat, but when they're wrong (see my post about poor electric swim board lifters)...they are wrong!
The fact that your OEM seacocks or mine are still OK have nothing to do with YM excellent advise & campain in this case.
I'm sure that if 500 or more Bav owners would send VERY angry letters to Bav CEO asking for a free recall, we could get what we should get for our money in the first place,aka,proper marine grade parts and NOT house plumbing Brass/SS seacock toys.

[Hunros]

Hold on here ....... if people have been following all the detail in YM (and there is a lot of it), the best advice is to have a really thorough visual examination of the seacock itself first - for identifying marks and of course condition. If you have any concerns at that stage, take the worst one off at next lift-out, and do a deeper examination.

To add a little more commonsense ............ is it just possible that manufacturers are allowed, or do change specification or suppliers of parts over time? Of course ... my Bavaria 34 (1999) seems to have perfect seacocks after 13 years (pictures on request). So perhaps Bavaria have changed their specification in later years, but that doesn't mean to say that everything is wrong on all boats they ever made!

I don't hold any truck with "bashing Bavaria" (or any other manufacturer, other makes are available) ..... but mention any manufacturer of any product, and there will always be one person with a different view. Bavaria have more boats out there on the water than most, so the law of numbers ...... and the chances of hearing about an issue ...... are always going to be greater.

I'd be interested to hear of any specific stories and experiences ......... from objective owners ...... lol

Sorry, but I can't understand your point!
Don't you think that a boat,any boat should be built with proper marine grade parts? especially an underwater,hard to inspect ,hidden part that can sink a boat in a blink?
And the only proper marine grade materials for marine seacocks today (ever?)are Bronze or Marlone!
I love my Bav boat, but when they're wrong (see my post about poor electric swim board lifters)...they are wrong!
The fact that your OEM seacocks or mine are still OK have nothing to do with YM excellent advise & campain in this case.
I'm sure that if 500 or more Bav owners would send VERY angry letters to Bav CEO asking for a free recall, we could get what we should get for our money in the first place,aka,proper marine grade parts and NOT house plumbing Brass/SS seacock toys.

While I can see where you are coming from, I guess the point is that we bought boats built to the CE standard in force at the time.   I have been under no illusion that I purchased budget boats and therefore there would need to be compromises on quality, however nothing I have found in the three Bavarias I have owned suggests to me that they have put me or my family in danger due to building the boats down to a price. 

I guess the only thing Bavaria could do to support all owners better is to provide a clear maintanance schedule for the first 10 years of the boats life.