Ahoy Mariners!
Having an issue I hope someone can help me with before I make expensive decision to haul the boat.
After launching last week I noticed the bilge filling during the evening. My 500gph scavenger bilge pump in the lower bilge had issues (another problem, now resolved) and the water got as high as the upper bilge level where the emergency 2000gph bilge pump easily took care of it.
I traced the leak to a slight drip coming from the sea strainer hull interface. I also noticed the pipe/gate valve assembly can easily rotate back and forth about the athwart-ships axis, like it's not completely screwed into the sea strainer. So is it possibly coming in because the pipe into the strainer is loose?
I remember at the end of 2013, I had contemplated removing the gate valve to replace it with a ball valve, so I had felt around and tried to loosen the gate valve only to discover the whole assembly loosened, not just the gate valve itself, but it along with the pipe going outboard and the downstream 90 degree elbow and nipple for the hose lol. So whatever it is I actually loosened, I snugged up by hand and left it for a future project to concentrate on other more urgent projects.
So, while it's a slight leak, that even stopped Friday night (plugged most likely by debris/gunk in the harbor), I'm understandably nervous.
I'm not sure exactly how my sea strainer penetrates, or is held in place to the hull, much less how the gate valve plumbing rotated loose as I did not appear to have an issue last year. When I look or feel around the pipe/hull interface, I don't feel a backing nut. It appears to be glassed in, and four projections the appear to be glassed over screws about the perimeter, as if its held in place by 4 bolts coming though the hull. The pipe end before it meets the hull appears to be glassed/taped over. It's hard to tell if the pipe itself is threaded going into the strainer. Is even an NPT thread or is it a straight thread? So I'm worried to take off the raw water hose and attempt to "tighten" the assembly while she’s in the water. Would the sea strainer on the hull rotate? Loosen more? Make a slight issue worse?? I'm nervous just touching it!
FWIW, I did not notice it being loose after commissioning the engine and replacing the hose, but the yard rushed me that day so I can't say for sure if it was or not. Nor did the sea strainer outboard seem loose when I cleared the vents after the yard bottom painted her. I always scrape out any paint in the slots to insure maximum flow.
I'm hoping all 323's raw water inlets are similar, and that perhaps one of you monkeyed with it more than I to have a true understanding of exactly how that particular fitting is installed.
Right now she's sitting fine on the mooring, both bilge pumps fully operational. 200AH of battery capacity, and I finished a 140W solar panel installation yesterday, so I'm pretty sure a drip every second or so won't sink me this week, especially when she stops after brine shrimp fill the gap. I did close the raw water intake itself as well.
All things being equal and if 323's are similar, and one of you do know how the fitting is installed and can let me know, I'd really appreciate it.
I'm going to get a price from the local yard, not mine but one that's less than 400yds from the boat, to maybe lift her in the sling, or possibly do the fix/replacement for me. They don't allow you to do your own work like my yard does but is unfortunately 5nm away.
I would just hate to spend that kind of money only to find out the strainer is held in place by some means I don't know and all I had to do was tighten the pipe gate assembly going into it.
Finally, I wouldn't be too unhappy just sitting out the summer at the mooring and deal with it at hauling! Replacing the whole setup would be a snap for me, so wasting $$ for yard crew on a job easily done by me grinds my gears. But I don't want to lay awake every night wondering if wave action on the boat will eventually cause something to come loose and I lose her altogether, then I'll wish I spent that $1k or so to have had it done. At least until the water gets warmer and I can snorkel down to check externally. So even if something did occur when tightening I can patch externally and haul it.
It goes w/o saying even if it’s just a hand tightening at the mooring, this off season a full replacement will occur.
Thanks in advance!!
"Sub" Ed
