Sea Strainer questions........

[1968Droptop]

I'm looking for info on sea strainers. I've yet to run in the river (going to soon though !!!), and I recently was informed about sand building up in your block. I'm looking to find out how to stop that from happening ? My buddy has a sea strainer on his boat, nothing fancy or billet, just a clear filter assembly. I'd like to know if this will help keep the sand out, and where I can find a reasonably priced unit. I've seen some billet units, don't know if they work for what I'm after, but at $300 a copy I want to make sure. The billet thing doesn't really matter to me much, my buddy's strainer looks just fine, just don't know if it'll work on sand ??? Thanks for the replies !!!

[FASTRAT]

I'm looking for info on sea strainers. I've yet to run in the river (going to soon though !!!), and I recently was informed about sand building up in your block. I'm looking to find out how to stop that from happening ? My buddy has a sea strainer on his boat, nothing fancy or billet, just a clear filter assembly. I'd like to know if this will help keep the sand out, and where I can find a reasonably priced unit. I've seen some billet units, don't know if they work for what I'm after, but at $300 a copy I want to make sure. The billet thing doesn't really matter to me much, my buddy's strainer looks just fine, just don't know if it'll work on sand ??? Thanks for the replies !!!
Chris...
1st off...if this is a jet?...i would be more concerned about getting sand in the pump, which will wipe out the wear ring & impeller very quickly!...most people i know "do not" (i think) run there jets in shallow water so as to get sand in the pump...another words...they dont beach them with the motor running
2nd...if u keep the pump out of the sand (shallow water)...u wont get it in the motor!
3rd...if ur worried about sand in the block...pull the drain plugs on the side of it above the pan rails & flush it with the garden hose when u get home!
i never run my motor or pump in shallow water...pump internals & impellers etc cost too much to re-build/re-place
just food for thought & my .02 cents
fastrat

[HammerDown]

Actually I pre filter the water prior to entering both my Block AND Header lines. The filters used will stop a piece of sand. Prior to using, everynow and then I would get a clogged header (Spider line)...and some sand debris in the block...not any more.
It simply has a clear top and I mounted them for easy reach so when parked at the beach...I can clean them out if needed.
True not much gets caught in deep water...but...I've stopped the occasional splinter of wood or sea grass from blocking a header line. And one time I cruised over a sand bar that would have loaded the block w/sand...>simply shut off the engine, cleaned out the packed sand from the filter and went on about my boating day. :cool:

[Konabud]

I just bought my boat this summer and pulled the motor after the season to do some upgrades and maintenance in the off season. I thought after reading about sand in the block that as a precaution I would pull my freeze plugs and look. I don't see how you could possibly hope to flush all the sand that came out of that motor through the drain cocks. First of all they're at one end of the motor and the sand seemed pretty well distributed throughout the motor. Second I don't think you can get enough volume to lift the sand off the bottom of the block once it's there. Maybe I'm all wrong here but in my opinion the only way you can get the sand out is to pull all the freeze plugs and flush it out with a hose directly. I have also thought about some kind of sand filter but for now I will just try and be careful about getting it in there in the first place. Since I don't know anything about how the previous owner operated the boat I will be interested to pull the motor in a couple of years and see what's there. Just my .02 :)
As a side note just as a precaution I also had the pump looked at and the thrust bearing replaced while I had the motor out (it's an E pump). They said that the pump was perfect as far as impeller and wear ring clearance went (no damage from sand).
HammerDown, what kind of filter are you running?

[Aluminum Squirt]

I don't run a filter and I have never had a problem. I run in some shallow water.......shallow enough that I've been stuck on a couple of sand or rock bars, and frequently less than 4". There was a pretty good thread about this recently, maybe somebody smarter than me can find it and link it here. There were a variety of good ideas and solutions, a couple of them were quite economical. The New Zealand guys run a "sand trap". I've only seen pictures and I have no idea what they cost, but they look pretty simple, and based on the rivers they run, I'd say they work.
I certainly don't want to start a pissing match with fastrat, but my findings have been quite different. In lake water, especially deep water, there isn't a whole lot of debris. Just about any river is going to have quite a bit of debris. Even a big river when it hasn't rained recently is going to have a fair amount of very small, lightweight sand suspended in it. I'm not saying this is true everywhere, but try this: take a white coffee cup out, scoop up some water and I bet you see a lot more debris than you thought was in there. The most likely place to not see debris is in the smaller fast running mountain streams wher the sand gets carried away quickly, but on those your going to end up in some very shallow spots.
As most of you know, we run our boats a little differently. I have fed a lot of sand and quite a few rocks through my pump. I'm not stupid enough to say it has caused no damage, but besides the obvious dings to my impeller (minor ones by the way), I have seen no change it MPH or RPM after 3-4 years of running in the sand, to include a race here and there. I'm not about abusing my pump, and I have nothing against the guys who baby their pump and make sure everything is perfect, impeller is sharp, clearance is next to nothing, road grime out before you fire it up etc. but pumps are tougher than you think. Use common sense, don't run them dry, and maintain them and they will serve you for many years, with or without sand. Sorry, I rambled a little off topic. Hope this helps-Aluminum Squirt

[FASTRAT]

true as it may be...sand in the block is not good...but...what about the pump??...sand in there is far worse than the block!...i like Hammer's idea of pre-filtering the water going into the block etc...also...Konabud's idea about pulling the freeze plugs & flushing the block is good...now...i'll tell u all a secret...i have my brass freeze plugs re-placed with rubber expansion plugs (u know the 1's i'm talking about)...when i get home...i pull them & flush the block with hot water...whatever is in there comes out & i'm good to go next time...i still think IMO that u want to try to keep the sand out of the pump!...sand from the previous owner of my boat who did alot of "beaching" ate the pump up...good thing was...it was saveable...i'm not a rich person who can afford to have there pump fixed/re-built all the time...sooo...i learned to take care of it & everything else also
fastrat

[FASTRAT]

Squirt...
i totally agree with u...all i was trying to say was...takeing care of the pump is more important (at least to me) than worrying about sand in the block...there was a thread on here awhile back about plugging the in-take grate when towing ur boat on the trailer which really helped from getting rocks/road grime/sand etc in the pump & therefore takeing care of it...good article!
fastrat

[Aluminum Squirt]

Fastrat, you are absolutely right. All things being equal, take care of your pump, don't beach it, tow with a cover on your intake and don't start it on the trailer on a sandy ramp, etc. I'm all for taking care of a pump. I am not afforded those things with where and how I boat. I guess my point was, take care of things, keep the sand out of the block, and realize that if you run some sand through the pump, its not the end of the world. I do it all the time, and so far so good. A little sand and an occasional rock (small ones only, I run a grate) are not going to kill the average pump set up for recreational purposes-Aluminum Squirt
PS-Anybody ever find that previous thread about sand in the block?

[Konabud]

i'll tell u all a secret...i have my brass freeze plugs re-placed with rubber expansion plugs (u know the 1's i'm talking about)...when i get home...i pull them & flush the block with hot water...whatever is in there comes out & i'm good to go next time
fastrat
You're lucky! The center plug on each side of mine is directly underneath the motor mounts as if I could get to them in the first place LOL!!
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/3112Kona4.jpg

[HammerDown]

HammerDown, what kind of filter are you running?
Actually the filters I'm using I would not recomend unless your water block pressure is low. Mine never gets above 12 psi usually more like 8-10. With that being said I simply use a pre-filter that's for a freshwater pump in a Motor Home or even a Boat that uses a fresh water sink.
Also, I do not send water to my headers via the Block but, I tapped/T'ed the inlet line from the pump before it enters the block. I also reduced the feed line going to my OT Bassetts.
This system has worked and been in service for many seasons...I like the idea of debris free water going into my Block and Headers. And as mentioned, it will stop a grain of sand.

[1968Droptop]

And as mentioned, it will stop a grain of sand.
Exactly what I'm after, stopping sand. But where do I find a reasonably priced unit that can handle some water pressure ? I'm not running my water inlet valve WFO, but I sure don't want to worry about over pressurizing the unit either.
I agree that intentionally putting sand through the pump may not be the best idea. But in our rivers there is plenty of crap suspended in the water, and there's nothing I can do about that but leave it on the trailer. I'd like to filter out as much as possible before it enters my cooling system, and protect as much of my equipment as I can.

[Squirtin Thunder]

Drop top Chris pm me your #

[Taylorman]

Heres what i use, works great.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/vidrinek/Boat/DCP_4830.jpg

[1968Droptop]

Taylorman, that is very similar to what Tony has on his boat. Not a big buck item, but doesn't look terrible and does the job. Where did you get it ? I was looking at maybe a Sea-Doo unit like this one http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Carbon-Tech-Water-Strainer-1-2-for-Sea-Doo_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ26449QQitemZ4621365 292QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
Wonder if it would work ???

[Taylorman]

Taylorman, that is very similar to what Tony has on his boat. Not a big buck item, but doesn't look terrible and does the job. Where did you get it ? I was looking at maybe a Sea-Doo unit like this one http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Carbon-Tech-Water-Strainer-1-2-for-Sea-Doo_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ26449QQitemZ4621365 292QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
Wonder if it would work ???
West Marine. Its like this one http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/144570/0/0/water%20strainer/All_2/mode+matchallpartial/0/0

[Captain Assin' Off]

I just got off of a test run on a small block 4-sp. 69 camaro, smokin pile--- er, wrong subject, we get a ton of sand in our motors, from the shallow water run in's at the beach, mostly. It does accumulate, and the clearance between the wear ring and the impellor isn't an issue, most sand isn't .015" in diameter, it just gets blown through, but a lot does settle in the block. A definate needed item. There are clear plastic units, that are available Chris, I'll check my Fisheries Supply Catalog, I have an account there, and I can pick up a couple for us, I've been meaning to anyways....Matt.

[Wicked Performance Boats]

I flush my block about twice a year, running it with the block drain plugs out for about 5 minutes. Almost all the heat is in the top of the block and heads as that is where the combustion happens. I run my boats on the river all the time. I don't think a little block sand hurts anything. And my headers don't plug because i hardly ever turn the water on!! Budlight ps. I know several boaters that have that block concrete poured half the way up in the block with no problems.

[jrork]

I'm with you Chris. It's one of those things that are cheap insurance. I noticed last year that my Bassett T-valve was letting water into the headers at a lower rpm that I'm use to seeing. Shut off the motor and pulled the T apart. Sure enough, a little peice of grass was holding the ball off the seat. I'm thinking a strainer might have saved me from that momentary hassle.
Good luck and I'm curious what you end up with........John

[HammerDown]

Heres what i use, works great.
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b334/vidrinek/Boat/DCP_4830.jpg
This is similar to what I use...except my unit has a clear bowl that mounts faces up not down and the lower body is black. It also unscrews for easy clean out.
I use one for the engine and another for the headers...again for me they work great!

[Aluminum Squirt]

I found the other thread:
http://www.***boat.net/forums/showthread.php?t=106032&highlight=sand
-aluminum Squirt

[1968Droptop]

There are clear plastic units, that are available Chris, I'll check my Fisheries Supply Catalog, I have an account there, and I can pick up a couple for us, I've been meaning to anyways....Matt.
Count me in on that Matt, and maybe jrork as well ??? LMK if it's one of those clear units. I like those better as you can just see if it's filled up with crap !
I don't think a little block sand hurts anything. And my headers don't plug because i hardly ever turn the water on!! Budlight ps. I know several boaters that have that block concrete poured half the way up in the block with no problems.
I was thinking the same thing bl, I've heard about filling the block up for added strength. But I sure like the idea of some filtration. It sure can't hurt anything.
This is similar to what I use...except my unit has a clear bowl that mounts faces up not down and the lower body is black. It also unscrews for easy clean out.
Where did you get it ? Tony's is clear, and it just unsrews for cleaning. Very simple, tidy, an easy to install.
I found the other thread:
http://www.***boat.net/forums/showt...&highlight=sand
THANKS !!! I'm going to read it and see what I can learn. No one commented about that Sea-Doo strainer (http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Carb...sspagenameZWDVW) in my earlier post. It was priced right, just don't know if them little things have less, same, or more water pressure than we do ???

[HammerDown]

[QUOTE=1968Droptop]
Where did you get it ? QUOTE]
I just walked into a West Marine or Boaters World. I did order extra clear bowls and screens. The Manufacture is Perco >(I believe). Grainger carries nice strainers also.
But remember...my water pressure is down there!

[Captain Assin' Off]

Just looked up the strainer info, they have several varieties, ranging from $60, up through several hundred dollars. I'm thinking the style with clear bowls,so you cam unscrew them without tools, and clean them on the spot. How many should I get? I could pick one up before the Rork gathering, and see if you guys like it, or pick up a few styles, put them on the account, return what we don't want, and duplicate the order for what we do want. :idea:

[Konabud]

Those Groco's (from the other thread) look like a good unit, looks like they're big enough to let the sand settle out and also have enough capacity to not plug up. You can also get a fine mesh screen for them. Less than a hundred bucks. :)