Thru hull hoses when to replace

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Greetings Gradymates:
I bought my 228 new in 2009. I keep her up and all and I wonder when I need to replace the 9 through hull hoses on the boat? I see the rear scupper hoses regularly. There are minor cracks in the exterior of those on the stress points like in places the hose bends. The hoses don't appear or feel brittle but I am not sure how cracked is too cracked ? I am 7 years in and the hull is dry and I want to keep it that way too. Thanks for any tips here.

 

[GreatWhite23]

My boat is 25 yrs old , going to change the scrubbers this spring the rest of the hoses every five years. Have been caring corks to plug the hole if they give out. They are not easy to get to in the Marlin so have been neglectful. If they are cracking I would replace.

 

[DennisG01]

It's not uncommon for those hoses to get small cracks in them relatively quickly, especially on the outside of tight bends. But those are wire reinforced hoses with another liner on the inside (or, at least I assume that is what you have)... in other words, very durable. I wouldn't be quick to replace them - especially based on what you have written. I wouldn't be surprised if you get at least 20 years out of them.

 

[Parthery]

Hoses on mine are 16 years old...they have some minor cracking on the outside but overall are OK. I've checked them with a hose and no leaks. No plans to replace them at this point.

 

[Harpoon]

Mine is 20 years old. All hoses are fine. Keep an eye on the ball valves on the thru hulls. they NEED to be functional. Although I broke a thru hull off once and saved the boat with a wine cork (different boat).

 

[drbatts]

I just replaced the wash down hoses on my 02 265express over the weekend. The hose had developed several leaks at the end of last season. This is the same type of hose Grady used for the scuppers. it is heavy duty with wire reinforcement. There were 2 large defects in the hose where the inner layer became compromised leaked creating a bubble in the hose which actually burst. This happened in 2 separate locations both on straight runs without a curve. The section coming off the through hull going to the pump had multiple cracks in it but seemed to hold water at the time of replacement. Over time I had also experienced smaller pin hole leaks some of the other less heavy duty(spa type hose) that fed an additional raw water outlet. At the time of replacement I checked the scupper lines which appear to be the same type of hose but all look OK. I'm guessing these lines are pressurized so undergo more forces and stress then just a drainage hose, creating the failure. They are also 14 season old at this point too.

I had noticed the leak at the end of last season. On the way back from a fishing trip the boat was listing hard to port, and was rather unresponsive to trim. What I had found was the wash-down pump essentially filled the port bilge with seawater. This never drained to the main bilge which is where the pumps are because the drainage hole was clogged with what I can best describe as construction debris. I cleaned out small pieces of plywood, fiberglass, wire ends and other crap. So in the process of fixing the hose I also cleaned out all the drainage pathways and installed a high water alarm.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Thanks for all your input. I would think hoses under pressure would not last as long as drain hoses but then again, hoses under pressure should be designed to handle said pressure.