Engine Raw Water Intake Hose

Ward H

Ward H

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Nov 7, 2011
3,655
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
In the spring of 2019, my 2nd season of owning my boat, I ran all new engine hoses. This included new raw water intake hose from the seacock to the bronze strainer and from the strainer to the raw water pump. I used Trident 250/100 Flex Marine Wet Exhaust and Water Hose.

Each fall I pull the strainer end of the strainer to raw water pump hose and put it in a bucket, run anti freeze through and put the hose back on the strainer in the spring after using a bucket full of fresh water to make sure the boat will start.

The hose only stays on the hose barbs for about 6 months at a time and always comes off relatively easy.

This winter I tried pulling the off the hose between the seacock and strainer and it was stuck on so well I had to cut it off. This hose had not been removed for two years.

I've read how many will pull the hose off of the intake side of the strainer or pull it off the seacock to clear clogs.

How do you make sure the hose comes off easily? Do you pull it off at least once a year to ensure it doesn't stick on so well that it has to be cut off? Is pulling the hose off once in a while so you know you can remove it without cutting it off a maintenance thing? Or do you just cut it off to clear a clog and put a spare length back on?
 
D

dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
11,487
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Ward, that's the one hose I've never had an issue with. I have had problems with plastic strainers on a couple of hoses. The cover does not want to come off. To solve that issue I used some silicone grease or teflon grease depending on what's handy. The silicone grease is as known as dielectric grease and the teflon grease is the stuff Peggy recommends for head pumps. Perhaps smearing a little of that on the hose barb might make removal easier. That and making sure the hose barbs are clean and not cruded up with stuff that would interfere with removal.
 
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Tom J

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,309
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
I hate trying to remove and re-install those hoses. I decided to install a three way valve at the inlet of the strainer, and put the old raw water hose on one side of the valve, and a long length of hose on the other side of the valve. In the fall, I run the long hose to the bilge and flip the valve to suck up water or anti-freeze from the bilge to winterize the engine. In the spring, I run fresh water from the bilge to flush the engine. During the season, I can flush fresh water through the engine if I intend to leave the boat for a while.
This setup also work as an emergency bilge pump, running right off the engine, and not dependent on the electrical system.
 
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NYSail

NYSail

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Jan 6, 2006
3,069
Beneteau 423 Mt. Sinai, NY
I use Teflon grease on all hoses. Makes for an easy removal.

Greg
 
Ward H

Ward H

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Nov 7, 2011
3,655
Catalina 30 Mk II Barnegat, NJ
Putting lubrication on the hoses seemed contrary to not wanting them to slide off but it is apparently what I was missing.
Many thanks for pointing that out.
 
jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
21,171
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I find hoses are fickle. Some go on smooth as silk. Seal up with snug clamps. Do not leak, seep, or rust the clamps. They just do their job, no complaints.
Others are ornery. And they will not come off the barb fitting thus they are slashed, twisted with pliers, tortured and destroyed only to be replaced with something new.

If wishing to flush out the hose each year then perhaps the optimum design is to add a flush out fitting to the hose or a more complex connection than a barb fitting and clamps. Firemen flush their hoses often. They use threaded fittings. This adds cost and a potential failure point to a hose system. The benefit may outway the additional maintenance and risk.

I look at hoses as limited life items that are a consumable.
 
smokey73

smokey73

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Oct 26, 2010
1,906
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
Tom J said:
I hate trying to remove and re-install those hoses. I decided to install a three way valve at the inlet of the strainer, and put the old raw water hose on one side of the valve, and a long length of hose on the other side of the valve. In the fall, I run the long hose to the bilge and flip the valve to suck up water or anti-freeze from the bilge to winterize the engine. In the spring, I run fresh water from the bilge to flush the engine. During the season, I can flush fresh water through the engine if I intend to leave the boat for a while.
This setup also work as an emergency bilge pump, running right off the engine, and not dependent on the electrical system.
Click to expand
Thread Hi-jack alert! I'd be worried about something that got into the bilge, like a plastic bag blocking the strainer if using it as an emergency bilge pump, then losing my engine cooling. Also wouldn't you be worried about pumping out all the water so quickly that you damage the impeller in the raw water pump by running it dry? Easy to manage when just flushing the engine for winterizing but seems a serious risk to use it as an emergency bilge pump but maybe I'm overthinking it.
 
D

dlochner

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Jan 11, 2014
11,487
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
smokey73 said:
Thread Hi-jack alert! I'd be worried about something that got into the bilge, like a plastic bag blocking the strainer if using it as an emergency bilge pump, then losing my engine cooling. Also wouldn't you be worried about pumping out all the water so quickly that you damage the impeller in the raw water pump by running it dry? Easy to manage when just flushing the engine for winterizing but seems a serious risk to use it as an emergency bilge pump but maybe I'm overthinking it.
Click to expand
If you do this correctly, a strum box is attached to the end of the hose to block debris. And of course you watch the out put.

Presumably if you resort to using the engine coolant as a bilge pump the volume of water coming into the boat is sufficient to sink the boat if the engine is not being used.
 
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smokey73

smokey73

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Oct 26, 2010
1,906
Hunter 40.5 Beaufort, SC
dlochner said:
If you do this correctly, a strum box is attached to the end of the hose to block debris. And of course you watch the out put.

Presumably if you resort to using the engine coolant as a bilge pump the volume of water coming into the boat is sufficient to sink the boat if the engine is not being used.
Click to expand
like I said, I'm probably overthinking it.
 
Tom J

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,309
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
smokey73 said:
Thread Hi-jack alert! I'd be worried about something that got into the bilge, like a plastic bag blocking the strainer if using it as an emergency bilge pump, then losing my engine cooling. Also wouldn't you be worried about pumping out all the water so quickly that you damage the impeller in the raw water pump by running it dry? Easy to manage when just flushing the engine for winterizing but seems a serious risk to use it as an emergency bilge pump but maybe I'm overthinking it.
Click to expand
I have a heavy bronze fitting on the end of the hose with a strainer attached. When I am flushing the engine, I have a garden hose in the bilge and monitor the water level. In an emergency, I am very sure I would be monitoring the water level in the bilge, and it takes 2 seconds to switch back to normal raw water intake. Also the C310 has a rather shallow bilge, and it is not difficult to keep the bilge clean.
 
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Richard19068

Richard19068

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Jun 11, 2004
1,646
Oday 31 Redondo Beach
dlochner said:
Presumably if you resort to using the engine coolant as a bilge pump the volume of water coming into the boat is sufficient to sink the boat if the engine is not being used.
Click to expand
Hopefully one never need to resort to it. That raw water pump probably puts out around 4 or 5 gallons per minute. A one inch hole only one foot below the waterline lets in about 20 GPM with the flooding increasing exponentially with depth and size of hole. But I guess something is better than nothing! :oops:
 
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Tally Ho

Tally Ho

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Jan 7, 2011
4,818
Oday 322 East Chicago, IN
smokey73 said:
Thread Hi-jack alert! I'd be worried about something that got into the bilge, like a plastic bag blocking the strainer if using it as an emergency bilge pump, then losing my engine cooling. Also wouldn't you be worried about pumping out all the water so quickly that you damage the impeller in the raw water pump by running it dry? Easy to manage when just flushing the engine for winterizing but seems a serious risk to use it as an emergency bilge pump but maybe I'm overthinking it.
Click to expand
If the boat sinks, the engine is going to be ruined anyway :facepalm:

Ask these guys...

Greg
 
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JRT

JRT

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Feb 14, 2017
2,048
Catalina 310 211 Lake Guntersville, AL
@Tom J do you have pics of this slick setup, I read stories of similar approaches but would love to see the 310 setup
 
weekendrken

weekendrken

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May 7, 2011
281
C - 30 # 3573 Lake NormanNC formerly Bflo NY
Ward H said:
Putting lubrication on the hoses seemed contrary to not wanting them to slide off but it is apparently what I was missing.
Many thanks for pointing that out.
Click to expand
Ward
SuperLube is a required stow-away on any boat. It’s required by the USCG!!
The barbs, not friction keeps the hose on. I really prefer using hose nipples (clamped behind one larger bulb at the end of the fitting vs. multiple sharp barbs, but they are difficult to find in the appropriate size/material.
 
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Tom J

Tom J

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Sep 30, 2008
2,309
Catalina 310 Quincy, MA
JRT said:
@Tom J do you have pics of this slick setup, I read stories of similar approaches but would love to see the 310 setup
Click to expand
JRT, I have some pics of this setup showing stowed and deployed states.DSCN1256.jpgDSCN1264 2.jpgDSCN1265 2.jpg
 
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