Two months before the definitive installation of Guidi marine valves on board our Daydreamer, the lab-boat of Boatandboats.com, we’ve run a preliminary check of their functionality. After their installation, the boat was put in water again without sailing; consequently, valves haven’t been used.
Our first check, which precedes the tests we’re experiencing next July and August and in late summer, have allowed us to appreciate their real installation, holding and total fluidity of the opening/closing movement.
More specifically, what we’ve installed on the seacocks and drains of the two bathrooms and the galley of our boat are two Guidi valves which bring an important innovation in the world of marine valves. First of all, because of their size and encumbrance, significantly limited thanks to the absence of levers and therefore an easy installation even in small spaces.
The first of these products is named Alex. Exclusively patented by Guidi, it is a non-stick full flow valve equipped with two counterposed sleeves and a 90-degree lock. In our case, Alex has been applied on the sink drain. It features the same functions of traditional valves but it combines three innovative useful characteristics: small size, total absence of levers and extraordinary holding performances. Furthermore, the “open/close” lettering is clearly legible on the operating knob, which allows to locate the valve position quite easily.
The second valve we’ve installed on our Daydreamer is a Guidi non-stick 2210. In this case, too, the traditional lever has been removed to the advantage of a small and very practical handwheel which ensures a fast and easy opening/closing. The handwheel is even equipped with a small pivot which, once tightened, blocks the valve while, when unscrewed, it allows the valve to be opened and closed.
The valve includes a full-flow inner channel which allows liquids to pass through as well as an internal anti-scaling protection.
What we’ve executed on our boat was a simple preliminary check about 60 days before their real installation on our lab-boat. Since the boat was stationery during our check, valves haven’t been used.
We’re sailing off for our cruises in the next few weeks and this will be the occasion to test the real performances, efficiency and user-friendliness of these valves.
