F 40/40 Engine Raw Water intake

Engines, Drive trains, Propellers, Steering, Ground Tackle and other mechanical system
TonyB
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F 40/40 Engine Raw Water intake

Post by TonyB »

Well last week we took Circe up into the CA Delta. And clogged the raw water intake twice. Very frustrating. In more than 10 trips on my Newport 30 to the Delta, the intake never clogged once. Guess the pressure and volume are much higher on the intake, also the location isn't as good. On the Newport the intake was almost behind the keel, allowing the keel to divert weeds. The Delta has lots of floating weeds, like the kind you see in aquariums, only much longer.

First time the strainer basket was filled, but cleaning it out didn't solve the problem. I had to dive the boat and pull the offending weeds out of the intake from the bottom. That worked well the first time. The second time we were underway and had to anchor in a 2 kt current. Clearing strainer didn't work. Diving under with multiple safety lines to keep me from being swept away, yielded no results.

So we motored at 1500 rpm for several hours keeping an eye on temperature. Luckily about the same time the engine heat started to creep up we were able to start sailing. When we got to a marina that night, I was able to get several large and compacted plugs of weed out of the intake hose between the through hull and the sea strainer. I used a short piece of copper wire with a hook fashioned in the end of it. And a lot of patience. Then the intake was clear! But what a hassle. If I had a spare piece of hose I would have taken the existing one off to clear it, but I was too afraid I would damage the hose getting it off the barbs and had no backup.

I am thinking of redesigning this short piece of hose, which has a 90 fitting to get into the strainer. Maybe I will figure out how to insert a "T" as a cleanout. A short piece of dowel aimed straight down the hose would have cleaned it out quickly.
Tony
SV Circe 1997 Freedom 40/40 - Hull #20 - Richmond Yacht Club, Richmond, CA

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Camino
Posts: 358
Joined: Fri Oct 28, 2016 4:51 pm
Location: Stockton, CA

Re: F 40/40 Engine Raw Water intake

Post by Camino »

Hi Tony

Sounds like a real pita for true! Sorry to hear. I have the f 35 Pedrick. Raw water intake is amidships right in the middle of the keel to hull joint starboard side. Delta weed is bad - you are right. We steer around it at every opportunity and try to stay in deep water. We have not had a problem with clogging yet. Goodway was at Stockton sailing club all of June and last Friday and Saturday Stephanie and I brought her back to Emeryville - Stephanie said she would never do that voyage again! Suisun and SAn Pablo returning were brutal. We hope your idea works and am interested in the outcome!
Tom and Stephanie
Good Way II F 35 (P)
1999. Wing Keel 5’
3GM30F, 3-blade maxi prop
Emery Cove, CA

TonyB
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Re: F 40/40 Engine Raw Water intake

Post by TonyB »

Yeah that is exactly where the intake is on Circe. The keel kind if guides the weeds right into it!! I will post what I end up doing but it might be awhile. As I have other higher priority projects.

As for bashing back from the Delta I can give you some pointers if you are interested. Done it lots of times and developed some tricks over the years. Let me know.

Tony.
Tony
SV Circe 1997 Freedom 40/40 - Hull #20 - Richmond Yacht Club, Richmond, CA

Paul Langevin
Posts: 34
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2012 5:06 pm

Re: F 40/40 Engine Raw Water intake

Post by Paul Langevin »

Hi Tony, we have Freedom 40/40 hull #11 Star Struck. When she was refitted by Paul Dennis in 2012 one of his improvements was to install a 90 degree elbow with a removable plug facing upwards at the location where the raw water intake comes through the hull(before the raw water strainer). This allows us to clear any pre-strainer clogs, such as eel grass, by closing the through hull and removing the plug. One two different trips we picked up a very long strand of eel grass in Stonington! Conn. that impeded water flow just enough to make the engine temperature rise but not enough to stop water flow through the system. After checking the strainer and finding it to be clear, I pulled the plug and found a 1" x 12" strand of eel grass coiled up in the intake line before the Groco strainer. The refitted clean out plug saved a lot of downtime and hassle. Perhaps you should consider the same improvement on your boat. Safe cruising. Paul
Paul Langevin S/V StarStruck, Freeedon 40/40

TonyB
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Re: F 40/40 Engine Raw Water intake

Post by TonyB »

Hey Paul,
That was exactly my thought. Replace the 90 with a T with a cap on top. Sounds like it works well. When I get around to it I will post some photos. Thanks!
Tony
SV Circe 1997 Freedom 40/40 - Hull #20 - Richmond Yacht Club, Richmond, CA

Laisve
Posts: 23
Joined: Wed Apr 04, 2018 11:22 am

Re: F 40/40 Engine Raw Water intake

Post by Laisve »

Paul Langevin wrote:
Thu Jul 11, 2019 3:09 pm
Hi Tony, we have Freedom 40/40 hull #11 Star Struck. When she was refitted by Paul Dennis in 2012 one of his improvements was to install a 90 degree elbow with a removable plug facing upwards at the location where the raw water intake comes through the hull(before the raw water strainer). This allows us to clear any pre-strainer clogs, such as eel grass, by closing the through hull and removing the plug. One two different trips we picked up a very long strand of eel grass in Stonington! Conn. that impeded water flow just enough to make the engine temperature rise but not enough to stop water flow through the system. After checking the strainer and finding it to be clear, I pulled the plug and found a 1" x 12" strand of eel grass coiled up in the intake line before the Groco strainer. The refitted clean out plug saved a lot of downtime and hassle. Perhaps you should consider the same improvement on your boat. Safe cruising. Paul
Hi Paul,
We also have a 40/40. What is the replacement elbow and plug made of? PVC? I'd like to fashion something similar.
Freedom 40/40
Portsmouth, RI

TonyB
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Re: F 40/40 Engine Raw Water intake

Post by TonyB »

Yes I would be interested as well. Do you have photos and and part numbers for the T? I think PVC is probably a bad idea. It should either be Marelon or bronze. I have't been able to fine Marelon in a T. Just in a 90 elbow. No plug to remove as a cleanout. Thinking something like this in a "vertical" orientation and plug in the top.

https://www.westmarine.com/buy/seafit-- ... 32_001_011

or maybe this would work better.

https://www.supplyhouse.com/Bluefin-WYE ... e-Threaded
Tony
SV Circe 1997 Freedom 40/40 - Hull #20 - Richmond Yacht Club, Richmond, CA

TonyB
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Re: F 40/40 Engine Raw Water intake

Post by TonyB »

Does anyone have the intake size? I want to order some parts before I go down to the boat. Is that a 3/4 inch hose and fittings? 1 inch? Thanks all!
Tony
SV Circe 1997 Freedom 40/40 - Hull #20 - Richmond Yacht Club, Richmond, CA

TonyB
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Re: F 40/40 Engine Raw Water intake

Post by TonyB »

Ok so finally did this. All hose and fittings are 3/4 inch. The tail off the seacock is a straight Barbed fitting. I would like to have removed this and replace with a threaded nipple with a “Tee” mounted right there. But the barbed tail seemed like it might be permanent.
So instead I installed a shot section of hose and directly onto another barbed tail to 3/4 threaded pipe. That goes into the “Tee”. Top of the “Tee” has a cap that can be removed for clean out. The side of the “Tee” goes to a 90° elbow threaded pipe to barb. This goes to a “U” loop of hose which goes on a barb straight into strainer.
Before “Tee”
422C3670-E937-474E-AC64-B1BD10B2AC7D.jpeg
422C3670-E937-474E-AC64-B1BD10B2AC7D.jpeg (25.79 KiB) Viewed 4714 times
“Tee”
B0DBB016-2D48-46C5-8171-1F913DB54A6F.jpeg
B0DBB016-2D48-46C5-8171-1F913DB54A6F.jpeg (27.6 KiB) Viewed 4714 times
“Tee”
BCAD8F19-F3A3-48A0-8A84-B5CD9BA5C748.jpeg
BCAD8F19-F3A3-48A0-8A84-B5CD9BA5C748.jpeg (26.87 KiB) Viewed 4714 times
Last edited by TonyB on Mon Jun 01, 2020 1:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
Tony
SV Circe 1997 Freedom 40/40 - Hull #20 - Richmond Yacht Club, Richmond, CA

AlJacobs
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Joined: Sat Dec 31, 2011 6:50 pm

Re: F 40/40 Engine Raw Water intake

Post by AlJacobs »

I have a 40/40. What I do is unscrew three of the 4 screws holding the thru hull shutoff and slightly loosen the 4th. Rotate the valve off the thru hull and take a long screw driver to clear the thru hull. Sounds complicated but really easy.

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