The only problem I have with the strainers on the through-hull scoops is that once they get clogged, the only way you clean them is with a haulout (beaucoups dinero, even assuming you don't fry your engine in the process), or finding a diver at the next port who can go under your boat and clean the strainer.
The worst offender in our area (Pacific Northwest) is the white plastic grocery bag. These little mothers are lightweight, so they blow off boats all the time. Once in the water, they float on top, and they make a perfect strainer plug. Being lightweight, they are easily drawn toward a vacuum source. Being plastic, they persist in the environment a considerable time. They get sucked into the through- hull scoop screen and then stay there, blocking most or all water flow. Once they're wedged in, merely shutting off the engine won't get rid of them. A friend, who's cruised the waters of Puget Sound and Lake Washington for a lot longer than I have, sacrificed two engines to grocery bags getting stuck in the through-hull strainers. He finally ground off the strainer part of the through-hull, leaving an open scoop. He has ball valves on his through-hull and onboard strainers, and keeps an eagle eye on his temp gauges. Since grinding off the strainer on his through-hull scoop, he's retrieved at least five (that he remembers, but he thinks it may be more) grocery bags from his on board strainers. When the water temp spikes, he slows, shifts out of gear, shuts down the overheating engine, and inspects the strainers. If he sees a garbage bag in the strainer, he closes the ball valve, opens the strainer, removes the offending matter (has been seaweed a couple of times), closes the strainer, opens the ball valve, and restarts. He's usually on his way in five minutes. His attitude is that if something's going to get caught in the strainer, he'd rather have it brought to an on-board strainer where he can deal with it at sea, rather than having an engine out of commission until he can get hauled out or get a diver. My boat has the same setup. I have those large plastic-bodied strainers, but upgrading to a nice Groco brass strainer is on the list. Your choice, but remember that wherever there's a strainer, there's a chance of a clog; so think about how you're going to get to it to un- clog. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "UnifliteWorld" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/UnifliteWorld?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
