Stinson Plumbing
Freshwater systems, heads, holding tanks and raw water cooling. Stinson Plumbing works on boats of all sizes, from pontoons to houseboats, around Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley.
Marshall County sits between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. That means a lot of boats, houseboats and docked vessels within a short drive of our Benton shop. When the plumbing on your boat breaks, most shops will not touch it. We will take a look and tell you straight what it needs.
Marine plumbing is not the same as residential work. The fittings are different, the hose runs are tighter and the holding tank rules are strict. But underneath it is still water supply, waste drainage, venting and pressure, which is what we do every day. From a clogged head on a pontoon to a freshwater system that needs a rebuild on a houseboat, we can help, and we will confirm what fits your boat before any work starts.
A boat asks more of its plumbing than a house does. Everything moves, vibrates and lives in a damp, salt-free but humid environment, and there is far less room to work. That changes how the job is done.
A boat's freshwater system runs on a pump, an accumulator and a pressure switch instead of city pressure, so a sputtering faucet or a pump that short-cycles usually traces back to one of those parts rather than the fixture. We find the weak link and fix it so the galley and the shower run steady.
Sanitation is where boat plumbing gets strict. Lake marinas require a proper holding tank with no discharge to the water, so the head, the tank, the vent and the pump-out fitting all have to work together and stay sealed. A head that smells is almost never normal, and it usually points at a failing sanitation hose, a clogged vent filter or a tank that needs service. We diagnose which one it is and fix the cause.
Anything that passes through the hull below the waterline has to be right the first time, because a failure there is not a drip, it is a sinking risk. Seacocks, strainers and thru-hull fittings get the same careful treatment a gas line gets in a house. For specialized engine cooling work, contact the team so we can confirm the system before we schedule.
A bilge pump is the part you hope you never need and cannot do without. We install and replace bilge pumps, check the float switch and the discharge routing and make sure scupper and cockpit drains carry water off the deck instead of into the boat. A pump wired wrong or a discharge that dumps back into the bilge is no protection at all, so we set it up to actually move water where it belongs.
A houseboat is a home that happens to float, and it has the full set of plumbing a home does: a kitchen, a bathroom, a water heater and the supply and drain lines that tie them together. We work on all of it, using the same quality fixtures and valves we install on land, adapted for life on the water. Whether it is a galley faucet that has quit, a shower that runs cold or a full freshwater system that needs to be reworked, we can help and will confirm the scope before we start. For the parts that overlap with home systems, our work on a houseboat water heater follows the same standards as a home water heater.
Western Kentucky winters freeze hard enough to crack a boat's water lines, and a split line is a spring surprise nobody wants. Before the first hard freeze, a freshwater system needs to be drained and purged with antifreeze, every line and every trap, the same way we winterize a seasonal cabin. Handling it in the fall is far cheaper than chasing burst lines and water damage once the weather warms back up.
When the weather turns and the boat comes back out, the plumbing needs to come back to life the right way. Lines that held antifreeze over the winter need to be flushed and the freshwater system sanitized before anyone drinks from the tank or showers on board. It is also the moment small problems show themselves, a pump that will not prime, a fitting that wept over the cold months, a head that did not survive the layup. Catching those at the start of the season beats finding them on the water on a holiday weekend, so a spring check is worth the call.
Marine mechanics handle engines and boat dealers handle sales, but the plumbing on a boat is still plumbing. Water supply, waste drainage, venting and pressure are what we work on every day in homes across Mayfield, Owensboro, Benton and Paducah. The skills carry straight over to a boat.
The difference on the water is space and materials. Hose clamps replace soldered joints, sanitation lines need specific grades of reinforced hose, and fittings below the waterline leave no margin for error. We carry marine-grade materials and work to the installation standards the job calls for, and we will tell you plainly if a repair needs a specialist beyond plumbing.
We service boats docked or stored anywhere within our normal coverage area. That includes marinas and private docks on:
We will come to the marina, the ramp or your driveway. Wherever the boat is, that is where we work, and we will confirm the location and access when you book so the visit goes smoothly.
Our work
Good to know
Yes. We handle plumbing on charter boats, tour vessels and commercial fishing boats. Same materials and standards, just bigger systems. Contact the team to confirm scheduling for a larger vessel.
We can. Freshwater systems need to be drained and antifreeze-purged before the first hard freeze. We do it the same way we winterize a seasonal cabin, every line and every trap.
No. A properly vented and maintained marine head should not stink. The cause is usually a failing sanitation hose, a clogged vent filter or a holding tank that needs service. We diagnose and fix all three.
That usually points at the freshwater pump, the accumulator or the pressure switch rather than the faucet. We trace it to the part that failed and fix it so the water runs steady again.
We come to the boat. Marina slip, private dock, ramp or your driveway, wherever it sits within our coverage area is where we work. Tell us the location when you call.
Need plumbing work on your boat? Call (270) 356-1204 or request service online. Describe the boat, the problem and the dock location and we will schedule a visit that fits the season.
Benton, Paducah, Mayfield, Owensboro & Western Kentucky