New hull strainer

[Jim Walsh]

I've always found my original hull strainer to be a pain in the neck. I ended up using an ice pick to clean the seasons accumulation of concretions from the tiny holes and wire brushing it afterwords. What was building up out of sight in my raw water intake through hull was always a concern. I chose to replace the original fixed strainer with an opening unit. The photos show the new easy access strainer. The old strainer after removal, and the inside of the old unit showing some of the seasonal buildup. This is after drying out for the entire winter. I think this is an important improvement.

[Doug Hill]

Jim,

What a coincidence and timely post. I have been dealing with the same issue for a couple of years. Zebra and Quagga mussels in Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa, Holland, Michigan, where S/V MEANDER is slipped, are awful. I was using old dental tools donated by my dentist to clean out the darn things. I kept thinking there had to be a better way to clean out the cooling intake. So I ordered the same Groco fitting you show in your photo this winter. I am really excited to replace the old strainer now.

As a friend of mine told me after he had just hired a very expensive business consultant...."Now I can go wrong with confidence!"

I think this will be a winner for both of us. Good post.

Fair Winds,
Doug

[Jim Walsh]

The holes did not line up, of course, nothing ever does. I filled the old holes with 5200, centered the new strainer over the through hull, and drilled the holes for the new strainer. Obviously when I paint the bottom I'll be painting inside and outside the strainer which should limit the amount of growth in the area. The big plus is that mid-season I can open it up and brush it off to ensure it remains free of sealife.

[Jim Walsh]

This is what it looks like in the closed position for those who may be unfamiliar with this type of strainer.

[David Morton]

Jim, what did you use for fasteners?

David

[Jim Walsh]

I think they were #8x3/4 SS. I put a dab of Lifecaulk in the holes since I may want to remove the fasteners at some point. Just remember to clock your strainer to avoid the seacock bolts that go through the hull. You can see part of one at the three o'clock position in my photo of the open strainer.

[David Morton]

I guess what I really wanted to ask was did you fasten with thru-hull screws and did you connect it up to your bonding circuit?

David

[Jim Walsh]

No. It is independently attached to the outer hull. The through hull it serves is bonded, as is everything else on the boat, to my external bonding plate located on the starboard side of the keel.

[Sea Hunt Video]

Jim:

A question and a thought.

What is the model # for the Groco strainer you installed Is it RSC 1000

Is the clevis pin opening towards the bow or stern In my rookie brain I would think it would be safer to have the clevis pin at the stern. In that way the "water pressure" pushing against the clevis pin part, etc., is pushing the hinge/door "closed" versus trying to push the door "open". The word around your marina is that you can get S/V Orion up to 10-12 kts.

I assume there would not be that much "pressure" on such a small object but I have always been a "belt and suspenders", "if one ammo clip is good, four are better", kind of guy. As I get older and older I am told I "over think" stuff too much. Probably true.

I have the original "strainer" as yours. I always used a stiff clothes hanger to open up the holes and then shoved the hanger up the holes to try to dislodge any accumulated "crud" (scientific, nautical term).

[Jim Walsh]

Robert,
Yes it's RSC 1000. The hinge is toward the bow, opening at the stern. Just for clarification ORION has never hit 10 knots. If she does I'm not sure I'd want to be aboard to witness it. It would probably mean she's being pitchpoled by a freak wave.

[Steve Laume]

Jim, I am not sure if it is just the picture but that through hull fitting is not looking too sparky.

Your strainer didn't even look that bad. I have seen a lot of strainers very nearly painted shut. Some by the yard guys who don't seem to care. Raven has the slotted strainer and I scrap it out at every painting and dive on it in between. The biggest advantage of the opening strainer is that you can more easily clean out the through hull itself.

It only takes a barnacle or two, too pretty much seal off the cooling water flow, Steve.

[Jim Walsh]

Steve, the through-hull is fine, it just had 30 seasons of concrete sea life layered on it. I just used a putty knife on it to dislodge some of the crud. I'll wire brush it and slap some bottom paint on it now that I have access to it.