Yet more Sea Monsters

[Braxton]

The sea monsters are at it again.   On the way out from Gig Harbor on our way back to our home port in Tacoma sea monsters attacked Ballou.   (Why do that have it in for C34s?).     We were 3/4 the way across the upper part of Tacoma Narrows when the engine stopped pumping water and the temperature shot up.   We immediately turned tail and headed back towards Gig Harbor.   By the time we were 1/4 mile out of the entrance the temperature gauge had pegged itself right along with my blood pressure.   Being that we were in 250 feet of water and that peak flood was scheduled for 45 minutes later stopping was not an option.    We made a beeline for shore and I told my crew (my father) to let go the anchor when we hit 75 feet.   Now I know that anchoring in 75 feet isn't that unusual for everyone else who sails in the Northwest.   For me, ( I grew up on the Chesapeake where I don't think I ever anchored in more then 10 feet of water) believing that an anchor can hold in 75 feet with four knots of currents is the equivalent of thinking that a deathbed conversion could save my soul after a life time of sin (its possible just not very likely).   

By some miracle the anchor held.   Now with our pulse slowing we set about solving the issue at hand.   The impeller proved OK but the raw water strainer produced a golf ball size clump of seaweed.   We thought we had solved the issue but after cleaning the filter and reassembling everything we still pumped no water.   

Opening the seacock without anything attached proved that no water was getting through.   Some poking with odd bits of wire produced only a trickle.    I was fishing through my clothes for my bathing suit when my father pointed out that it was I who had had the foresight to look at the current tables before leaving and that 4 knots of current who simply sweep me away and leave him newly promoted to captain but with a still clogged water intake.

Ultimately the solution was relatively simple.   With a reassembled strainer and the intake hose detached from the impeller housing I blew with all my might on the end of the hose.   This failed miserably.   Then my father (with a slight chuckle) pointed out that he still had the seacock closed).   He opened the seacock, I once again blew with all my might and we we rewarded with the sound of a rush of bubbles outside the hull. 

With everything reassembled we fired up the engine and were rewarded with the happy gurgle of water being ejected from the stern.

The hardest part of the whole experience was getting the anchor back up.   Even with the Ballou powering against the current hauling up 300 feet of anchor rode was a workout that I will not soon forget. 

I'm not sure how many Karma points we used up getting the anchor to set on the first try, but its good to know that you can successfully anchor those conditions.

However, I think we need a bounty on these sea monsters.   They obviously have it in for C34s for some reason that is not under stood by us mere mortals.

[Mark Elkin]

I've also been attacked, but by the California Kelp variety of Sea Monsters.  The usual solution mentioned so far, blow hard, seems to work well for others.  My alternative solution is quite simple given my plumbing.  (Honestly I don't know if other owners have a similar plumbing arrangement between the seacock and the raw water strainer as my Yorkshire Rose.  See the picture I posted earlier this year: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4081.0.html).  I unscrew the cap from the top of tee and push a 1/2 wooden dowel straight down through the tee, the open seacock, and the thru-hull.  It has always worked for me.  As soon as I pull the dowel back out, I close the seacock to keep the water out until the cap is back on the tee.

For those who absolutely do not want any sea water leaking in, one of the sailing magazines printed this tip from a cruiser a couple years ago:  Just attach a hose (like shown in my picture) that is long enough so the top of the hose is above the water line.  Then push a LONG dowel down the hose, fittings, seacock, and thru-hull.  When you pull the dowel out, water will rise in the hose only as high as the waterline outside.  Then blow into the hose and close the seacock when the hose is clear of water.  (This seems too excessive for me.  I can live with a little water leaking in for the second or two it takes to close the seacock after the dowel is removed.  But to each, their own.)

[Stu Jackson]

Many good stories, and thanks for the ideas, lots of different ways to do it.  Yup, Braxton, weird things happenin' up your way!  From my August 2008 Secretary Report in Mainsheet magazine: 

Among the interesting little "tidbits" of information that I'd remembered reading about on the website had to do with cleaning out the raw water intake with a dinghy foot pump.  On a nice mid-winter March sail with Ken Heyman, our treasurer who was here visiting, we had just left the South Beach Marina and were motoring over to see the "Lady Washington," one of the tallships that regularly visits the Bay Area and has cannonball encounters of the close kind with fellow tallships.  Since it was cold out, there seemed to be a bit more white smoke from the exhaust than usual,  which I attributed to the lower air temperature.  Upon checking the temperature gauge, we noted it was pegged and stopped the engine immediately.  Ken and I went through a checklist of actions we could take.  Sailing back to the marina was not among them, since there was no wind and the end of the ebb was setting us north towards the Bay Bridge.  Thru hull strainer clear – check.  Raw water entering – check, but a trickle and less than expected.    Raw water pump impeller in one piece – check.  Raw water pump turning – check.  Spare raw water pump gasket to replace cover – check.  Temperature gauge working properly – check.  Hoses and thru hull clear – hmm...  We got the dinghy foot pump out from the lazarette, replaced the strainer and opened the seacock.  Because the arrangement of the hoses and the strainer on "Aquavite" aren't configured to connect the pump there, we removed the hose from the raw water pump and used the dinghy pump at that end of the hose.  That turned out to be actually be easier than trying to work under the head sink.  There was significant resistance at first, but after setting the three way valve on the foot pump to a higher pressure setting, the pump started working.  Whatever had been clogging either the thru hull or the line was flushed out.  Once everything was reassembled, we started the engine and all was well.  Lesson Learned: It pays to read the material on the website because you just never know when you'll be faced with an insurmountable problem only to find out that one of our skippers had "been there – done that" and had most importantly reported it for all of us to know.  Thanks to Ken for his analytical assistance!

[Ron Hill]

Guys : The raw water intake will get stopped-up by a blockage.  It's usually at a most inopportune time.  In the old Mainsheet Tech notes I made a few recommendations that are still valid today:

1. Carry a 3/8" 2 ft long wooden dowel on board, it can be used to "poke out" stoppages in a thru hull.
2. The dinky pump can be used to "blow out" stopages, especially in hard to get to places that the wooden dowel can't be used.  VERY good for jelly fish stoppages!!
3. Next time you haul out install a round 3" bronze strainer on the raw water thru hull inlet.  I caulked mine lightly in place, so if needed I could poke it off with the dowel.  Don't forget to use bottom paint on the inside of that strainer.  When I recommended that strainer from West Marine 10 years ago it was $4.99.  I now see the same strainer at West for $12.99 !!

I had 3 stoppages in the first 10 years I owned my C34.  Since I installed that strainer 10 years ago, I've had NO stoppages and the engine temp. has remained the same.  A few thoughts.   

[tonywright]

Excellent suggestion Ron. I had a strainer on my previous boat, never had a stoppage problem in 10 years, and wonder why Catalina does not install one?

One guess is it impedes the flow?

Tony

[Braxton]

It can't impede the flow more then a big clump of kelp does.    I'm unclear on whether or not I have a strainer on  mine.  I've only had the boat two months and the only time I've seen it out of the water was pre-purchase (when I wasn't away of our sea monster issues).   I'll certainly be putting one on at the next haul out.


So here is another wild and crazy idea.    With so many thru-hulls in the same spot could you hook the raw water up to more then one?   I would expect that you then couldn't ever create enough suction to pull an obstruction in as once one thru-hull was clogged you would just start pulling from the other.   

Am I over engineering this and should I just stick with the stainer?

[Jack Hutteball]

As a side note here, the thru hull on my MK II is a 90 degree unit and it is located under the aft cabin bunk with no opening above it.  No way to get a dowel in it.  Guess I will have to rely on the dink pump method.  I also had a strainer on our previous boat and nary a clog in the 25 years we sailed her.  Think i need to think about that on the next haul out.  Ron, is your strainer simply "glued" on to the hull?

Jack