Monday, May 11, 2015

Troubles with raw water strainer

Your raw water strainer is an essential and easily ignore part of your engine systems. I don't think I've ever done a post on it over all these years because there is really nothing to say. Unless you break it, like I did! Of course you have to drain and clean them once in a while, and many a boater has encountered engine problems due to a blocked strainer that deprived their cooling system of water. But aside from that, there are no moving parts, and should not be any trouble.

Unless, like me, you manage to snap the little plastic drain plug off in the hole. Yes. I had removed the plug to drain the water, and when tightening the little bugger back in the handle snapped off from the shaft, leaving the threaded shaft in the hole. Damn it. Luckily it allowed only a small dribble of a leak so we were able to continue our trip last time out. I put some tape over it and it wasn't a problem.

New plug ready to install
But nothing bugs me more than knowing I have a leak or problem like this. I can't let it go in my mind, nor should I! So I ordered the new plug from Groco, which looks like an improved and stronger design, and when we went back this time I installed it.

However, as many of you know, it is not easy to get a screw out of something if it has no head. I went ahead and drilled a small hole through the center of the plastic in order to give me something to purchase. I did not have an easy out on the boat, or I would have used it. Instead, I took a small flat screwdriver and managed to get enough purchase to reverse the broken piece back out of the hole. Really, the only thing that allowed this to work is that it is a plastic screw in a plastic hole. If it had been metal or corroded metal, I would have had to get an easy out.

Put it all back together with new Orings and she should be good for another 10 years. One note, the screws that bolt the plastic tank to the bronze top on mine were rusted. I cleaned them off and coated them with ACF 50 this time and wish I had done that before. They were a little tough to remove.

Clark Island a new favorite

As we explore our new local waters around Anacortes we are delighted to come across new favorite places. Cypress Island is quite magnificent, and I've chosen not to write much about it as it remains the wildest of the islands. This time we decided to explore yet another new place I had passed by with the boys on our Sucia a few weeks ago.

Clark Island beach on east side
I had never even heard of Clark Island, which lies just east of Orcas. It is clearly a local haunt for people from Bellingham or Lummi. We fought the ebb for a long way getting there on Saturday and enjoyed the lovely views along the way. The east side of Guemes is quite beautiful, and of course Vendovi and Lummi are rugged gems. Eventually, you end up at Clark Island. With neutral current it is about a 3 hour trip.

There is a bight on the east side that has mooring balls and a few places to anchor. We dropped anchor in about 40' of water and enjoyed a fantastic few days of exploring this great place. The beach on the east side was filled with people camping who had kayaked over from Lummi or in one case, rowed a giant skin frame canoe over as one large group. This group was young, with kids, and has been doing this trip for 14 years on this weekend, I'm told. The skin frame vessel fits 15 or so people, and is apparently quite stout.