Unconventional Seacock Plumbing?

[Spinagain]

Happy to have just acquired my first Bertram: a 1979 28 FBC. Previous owner had boat in the water all last season with no issues but I'm trying to sort everything out, make sure everything works, and learn what I can before launching this year.

I've owned and worked on a few boats before (wood and 'glass) but I've never seen an arrangement like this boat for the engine cooling seacocks. Each seacock (Port and Stbd) appears to be a "Y" valve with one leg of the "Y" connected to the thru-hull, the second leg to a jumper hose from port to stbd valves, and the center of the 'Y' plumbed to the inline strainer then the engine. From what I can tell one valve position feeds water from thru-hull to engine (makes sense) while the other position closes the thru-hull and connects engine to opposite valve?

Is this a 'factory' installed arrangement and if so, why? Or is it someone's idea after-the-fact? I can imagine the jumper hose could be disconnected and used for winterizing or as a crash valve (?) but seems 'jenky' as my son would say.

Thanks in advance for any comments and advice-

[scenarioL113]

Pictures are worth a 1000 words...

With that said I dont know if that is orthodox or not but it sounds odd. Maybe a previous owner was worried about a clog of a strainer and could by-pass and use opposite side???

You could prob make use and have a crash valve setup or winterization access as you stated.

See what others say as they chime in, personally I never saw what you describe but that does not mean much.

[mike ohlstein]

Sounds like someone had crash valves, and Rube Goldberg Plumbing didn't understand what he was looking at and 'fixed' it.

[Carl]

Sounds like someone had crash valves, and Rube Goldberg Plumbing didn't understand what he was looking at and 'fixed' it.

I ditto what Mike said, it was broke till he fixed it.

[Tooeez]

I have a 79 28 and it came from the factory with bronze gate valves on the thru-hulls.

[Tony Meola]

I have a 79 28 and it came from the factory with bronze gate valves on the thru-hulls.

For quite a while that was what Bertram used on their boats. Not sure when Ball Valves became available.