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Oh, and anyone coming aboard WILL be forced to look at it!

I have been gifted a W-C throne that is in desperate need of a rebuild. I hope to get this done this winter. Hopefully nothing is broken or made from unobtainium and I can get this done before next season.

The basket the fit in Soave’s raw water strainer is a Groco BP-1. ( HERE ) is a link of where I sourced it. Case closed… I’ll do the flush & heat exchanger internal inspection in the spring. Sail on, Rob…

Brian, Soave’s hatch gaskets look a larger than 1/2", maybe 5/8"? In 1985 Atkins and Hoyle changed their design to use thicker gasket material. Seems like the new version of porthole and hatches were used throughout. Best bet is to measure before you order. Rob.

I also rebuilt our W-C. It is so substantial and beautiful, it is nearly sculpture! it is very hard to get parts now…. Raritan does sell a properly sized joker valve. I had mine sandblasted and powder coated. Looks good.

Hi Rob, thanks for posting that link. Did you happen to check the diameters of the hatch gaskets as well? Brian

This is a conclusion for the original leaky porthole issue. The gaskets on all Soave’s portholes are 1/2". ( HERE ) is a link to the product I ordered to use to replace the old gaskets. Worth mentioning ! The gasket size is 3/8" for some portholes built prior to 1985. All the gaskets on Soave were installed up-side-down meaning the ends meet on the bottom of the porthole instead of the top. Sail on, Rob…

My 22’s 42-year old W-C head stopped pumping this year. Pump handle just moved up and down without resistance, nor moving any water in or out. Just prior to haul out I removed the old unit. Fun contortionist afternoon and only broke one part! Left the bowl aboard and took the massive lower unit home to rebuild. Thought I’d wire brush off the paint to reveal the bronze finish; got halfway through (the easy part) then realized I might end up with an absolutely beautiful, non-functioning head! So stopped and did the rebuild. Discovered, after removing what amounts to a really cool and super-complex piece of mechanicals, that the piston rod had fractured in half. Found a welding shop nearby that I’ll visit on Monday. Looks like a fix! For those contemplating a rebuild, it’s not anywhere as difficult as locating the needed parts!!! John Gialanella; Tourmaline, NS 22, #8 , Bolles Harbor, Lake Erie, Michigan

My 22’s 42-year old W-C head stopped pumping this year. Pump handle just moved up and down without resistance, nor moving any water in or out. Just prior to haul out I removed the old unit. Fun contortionist afternoon and only broke one part! Left the bowl aboard and took the massive lower unit home to rebuild. Thought I’d wire brush off the paint to reveal the bronze finish; got halfway through (the easy part) then realized I might end up with an absolutely beautiful, non-functioning head! So stopped and did the rebuild. Discovered, after removing what amounts to a really cool and super-complex piece of mechanicals, that the piston rod had fractured in half. Found a welding shop nearby that I’ll visit on Monday. Looks like a fix! For those contemplating a rebuild, it’s not anywhere as difficult as locating the needed parts!!! John Gialanella; Tourmaline, NS 22, #8 , Bolles Harbor, Lake Erie, Michigan 4 posts - 3 participants Read full topic

Thanks for the info! I put in the new sending unit and all is good. Whew! It’s race day tomorrow! RonB.