H340 Sherwood Raw Water Strainer

[Chew Oon]

I have a 2001 H340. Her raw water strainer is installed without leaving me much room to unscrew the lower bowl. Please see photo attached.
I think if I rotate the strainer clockwise I can make more room to unscrew the lower bowl. Presently I cannot rotate the strainer with moderate force and I want to avoid tightening it further instead, or worst, breaking the nylon cap.
Will rotating it clockwise tighten or loosen it?
Has anyone experienced similar problem and what modifications have been done?
Thank you.

 

[Sailgunner]

If room allows install a groco. Those screw on strainers are a pain. I replaced on strainers on my boat with Grocos.

 

[Ward H]

Rotating the strainer towards the camera, like it appears to have been done in photo 1, will loosen the connection to the thru hull valve elbow fitting. It will tighten the hose side fitting unless the hose twists or you loosen the hose clamps so the hose barb can spin in the hose.
Disrupting a 18 yr old pipe connection may cause a leak requiring disassembly and reassembly. Be really careful not to disturb your thru hull and valve.

As Sailgunner mentions, a bronze Groco strainer is easier to clean and isn't plastic. It's a nice upgrade but is quite a bit larger so space could be an issue.

 

[sailcapt340]

Chew Oon,
I have the same setup as you, on my 2000 340. I tried, and would love to have a Groco Stariner but the head space is the issue on the 340. There is less than 1 inch from the top of the Sherwood Strainer to bottom of the removalable floor. So we're out of luck with that one.
Like you, there is about 1 inch of space below the bowl of the strainer and requires tipping the bowl to remove it. Spilling out the some of water in the bowl.
I have a Groco Strainer for my air conditioning, but that's in the bilge. And the difference is night and day for convenience. I've just learned to live with it.

But like Ward mentioned, be careful twisting and turning your current Sherwood if the hoses are as old as the boat! Keep tapered wooden plugs handy! Don't put a lot of pressure on the Thru Hull while doing this twisting.

I've replaced all my original hosing, to and from the engine, a couple of years ago. And that particular hose is probably the easiest of them all to replace. If you replace that hose, maybe then you could tilt the Strainer just enough to make it easier to clean, but I don't think you/we have a lot of room for movement like you are showing in your pictures. And it will loosen the connection at the thru hull.

 

[Chew Oon]

Sailgunner, Ward H & Sailcapt340,

Thank you for your input.

I tilted the strainer just enough for me to remove the bowl. The wire strainer mesh being flexible helped.

Thank you again.

 

[Hunter Ad Bot]

And now a word from the sponsor...

Deck fill caps for most Hunter sailboats

Stainless, nylon, in all the shapes and sizes, replacement caps are in stock.
See the product

 

[John T1594]

I had the same set up on my 2000 H340. There was just enough room under the strainer to drop and tip the plastic bowl to get the mesh screen out. Yes, you will spill some water so just be prepared. To loosen the filter, I gently use a large lock-jaw pliers with a protective rag on the filter top and lugs. You can see in the photo, that I turn the plastic cap clockwise to loosen.

 

[Chew Oon]

Thank you John T 1594 for sharing.

 

[John T1594]

I forgot to mention that I usually put a little silicone lubricant on the threads before re-installing the plastic cap.

 

[Chew Oon]

I forgot to mention that I usually put a little silicone lubricant on the threads before re-installing the plastic cap.

Thanks for the tip. I was wondering about. Didn’t have any silicone lubricant so I used a little bit of Vaseline instead.