A blown hydraulic hose on a fishing boat doesn't wait for a convenient time. Neither does a weeping fitting on a private boat the morning of a trip. Here in San Pedro, a lot of our customers work on or around the water, and after 20 years in the instrumentation valve and fitting business, I've seen how much time a boat owner saves by having a local shop that can build the hose, match the fitting and hand it across the counter. Here's how we help commercial fishermen and private boaters keep their boats running.
Hose Assemblies Built While You Wait
Fishing boats lean hard on hydraulics: net drums, winches, haulers and steering all run on hose. When one fails, the boat sits at the dock until it's replaced. Ordering a hose online and waiting on shipping means lost days on the water.
At A-Best Industrial Inc. Fittings, Valves, and Tubing, we build hose assemblies while you wait. Bring in the old hose, or the length and end fittings, and we'll build a match. Our hoses are US Coast Guard approved. Learn more on our hose assemblies page.
A quick tip from the counter: when you bring a hose in, tell us what it feeds and roughly what pressure it sees. That keeps the replacement right for the job, not just the right length.
Fittings and Tubing That Stand Up to Salt Air
Salt air is hard on metal. For tubing and fittings on deck or in a damp engine room, 316 stainless is the usual pick because it holds up to chlorides better than 304. We stock 316/316L stainless tubing along with DK-Lok instrumentation tube fittings to go with it. See our tubing page and compression tube fittings.
If your boat was plumbed with Swagelok or Parker A-Lok, you don't have to replumb to use DK-Lok. DK-Lok tube fittings are 100% interchangeable and intermixable with Swagelok and Parker A-Lok for like size and material, properly assembled per the DK-Lok catalog. In ASTM F1387 testing witnessed by TÜV Rheinland, 14 combinations of intermixed DK-Lok and Swagelok nuts, ferrules and bodies passed 100% of the testing, with "No failure observed." DK-Lok also confirms it in its Parker A-Lok interchangeability letter.
Valves You Can Count On
Every boat has spots where you need to shut flow off fast, such as before pulling a pump, a filter or a gauge. A quarter-turn ball valve shows you at a glance whether it's open or closed. For fine control on a small line, a needle valve lets you open it a little at a time. Browse our ball and plug valves and needle valves.
Gauges That Read True on a Moving Deck
Engine vibration and a rolling deck make a dry gauge needle bounce until you can't read it. A glycerin-filled gauge dampens that bounce, and an all-stainless case holds up better in salt air. We stock all stainless pressure gauges in small dial sizes, glycerin filled and dry, with bottom and back mount connections.
Check Your Work Before You Head Out
After you replace a hose, fitting or gauge, test it at the dock, not offshore. Once the system is pressurized, apply Gator Leak Detector all the way around each joint you touched and watch for bubbles or foam. On male connectors and other NPT-to-tube fittings, check the pipe-thread joint as well as the tube nut, since the NPT side is often skipped. If something leaks, isolate and depressurize before putting a wrench on it. Never tighten a fitting under pressure.
Serving Boaters Up and Down the California Coast
We're right here in San Pedro, and we support commercial fishermen and private boaters all along the California coast, from San Diego, Dana Point, Newport Beach and Long Beach to Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Maria, San Francisco and Bodega Bay. If you're coming in from up or down the coast, call or email ahead with your hose length, end fittings and what it feeds, and we'll have it ready to go when you get here.
Stop By Before Your Next Trip
Whether you run a commercial fishing boat or take the family out on weekends, A-Best Industrial Inc. Fittings, Valves, and Tubing can help with hose, fittings, valves, gauges and tubing in one stop. Call 310-833-3353 or email sales@abesttube.com. We're open Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–5:00 PM Pacific, with after-hours emergency service.
Swagelok and Parker A-Lok are trademarks of their respective owners.