Carver Owners Forum

Hi Can anyone help us with our just bought carver 3007 1981, it seems the engine cooling seacocks are stuck in the open position as is the head discharge seacock is too !
Any ideas how to free them ?
Many thanks

Iv had good luck over the years with stuck nuts and bolt by soaking in automotive brake fluid. Of coarse there are many other choices of penetrating oil to chose from. Maybe disconnect the hose and dump the fluid right into the top of the valve and let soak for a couple days?

There is a product called "Hot Sauce" conditioner. Make sure it is the conditioner, as they market several products for marine use. The mechanics around here are raving about how this conditioner is freeing up all kinds of stuck hardware. er

Did this boat have gate valves? Many of the early Carvers (as well as other manufacturers) did, so it wouldn't be surprising.

If so, can you actually turn the handle a bit but the gate doesn't move, or is the handle completely stuck? There is a packing nut on the shaft that can be loosened. Some LIGHT taps directly on the screw for the handle might help loosen things up.

Is the boat still in the water? That would definitely change how I would approach the repair. If it's out of the water I would pull the seacocks off and put them in a vice and work the issue... or just replace them with ball valves.

(note: if you do replace them, you need to be aware of the thread types... NPS or NPT, as they are not interchangable)

billy wrote:Source of the post Hi Can anyone help us with our just bought carver 3007 1981, it seems the engine cooling seacocks are stuck in the open position as is the head discharge seacock is too !
Any ideas how to free them ?
Many thanks

Welcome to the forum....if your boat is in the water, my advice is to leave them alone until you get the boat hauled. If they are old they could be very fragile, and you don't want to break the fitting while in the water....big hole to plug quickly. It is surprisingly easy to break them so be careful.

When comes time with the boat on the hard....I would recommend replacing with new and don't forget to redo the backing plates as well. The reason I say this is, the bad corrosion eats the metal from the inside out, that is not always obvious from the outside....good luck with your new boat..

To add...there were some old Groco valves that had a lock on them, they were quite rebuildable.....a pic of these valves would be very helpful to assist you.

Thanks very much for all your replies , the boat is being transported to Brighton Marina in England onto a hardstanding.
I will then attempt to fix the problems to include leaking windows and lots of Tlc.
Will keep you updated with the progress and any further help i will require.
Have a great day everyone and thanks again to you all.