Last time we were motoring out in our 2002 Hunter 380, we were running the Yanmar at around 3200 RPM, and got an overheat warning after about an hour. We throttled down and checked that the raw-water intake was fully open. My wife said she moved the ball valve handle about 1/4", but that it was showing to be in the open position. The engine cooled down, and we continued at a lower RPM.
When I got back to the dock, I decided to check whether the raw-water strainer was blocked. I couldn't get the housing off by hand, so yesterday I went back with a filter wrench and spun off the housing of the ShurFlo strainer. Although the through-hull was closed, I got an instant gusher! Worse yet, I could not get the housing back on with the water pressure pouring from the top of the strainer. I checked several times to make sure the ball valve was completely closed and the handle was fully 90 degrees to the fitting. I tried opening and closing the valve to see if it was indexed wrong, but it didn't seem to make any difference in the amount of water that was coming out of the top of the strainer. The valve handle moves freely, so it isn't like the valve feels frozen in the open position. Finally, with no other way to get the water flow to stop enough to put the housing back on, I used a pair of big Vise Grips to crimp the hose between the ball valve and the raw water strainer enough to stop the flow to a trickle, then put the housing back on.
Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I checked the Hunter Ball Valve Recall letter, and the 380 isn't even listed as one of the affected models. Will I have to get the boat hauled to replace the ball valve? Any other ideas?
Let me tell you, It's a pretty helpless feeling while you are trying to get the housing back on the strainer and stop all the water from gushing in, knowing that if you don't fix it, the boat will sink at the dock!
When I got back to the dock, I decided to check whether the raw-water strainer was blocked. I couldn't get the housing off by hand, so yesterday I went back with a filter wrench and spun off the housing of the ShurFlo strainer. Although the through-hull was closed, I got an instant gusher! Worse yet, I could not get the housing back on with the water pressure pouring from the top of the strainer. I checked several times to make sure the ball valve was completely closed and the handle was fully 90 degrees to the fitting. I tried opening and closing the valve to see if it was indexed wrong, but it didn't seem to make any difference in the amount of water that was coming out of the top of the strainer. The valve handle moves freely, so it isn't like the valve feels frozen in the open position. Finally, with no other way to get the water flow to stop enough to put the housing back on, I used a pair of big Vise Grips to crimp the hose between the ball valve and the raw water strainer enough to stop the flow to a trickle, then put the housing back on.
Has anyone else experienced anything like this? I checked the Hunter Ball Valve Recall letter, and the 380 isn't even listed as one of the affected models. Will I have to get the boat hauled to replace the ball valve? Any other ideas?
Let me tell you, It's a pretty helpless feeling while you are trying to get the housing back on the strainer and stop all the water from gushing in, knowing that if you don't fix it, the boat will sink at the dock!