>Coupla thoughts here. Rudy's got a good point; you're worried about raw >water hose condition or hose clamps, get new hose. I like to leave fuel and >through hulls open when I'm aboard, anchored or dockside. You never know >when you might need to get under way in a hurry. Weather situation or a >dockside fire come to mind. On the other side of the coin, it isn't just the water hose or the hose clamps that you have to worry about. My engine is mostly under the waterline, so a failure in any part of the raw water cooling system could potentially put a lot of water in the boat. A leaking raw water pump seal caused by electrolosys could leave you with a nasty mess to clean up. It is all relatively unlikely (especially if you visit your boat regularly) but it does happen from time to time. I shut off the macerator thru-hull whenever it is not in use (since it is an underwater design.) George Rankin Silk Road.