www.iFourWinns.com

here's my problem: the creek we keep our boat on is very weedy. the thru-hulls get clogged to the point that water is restricted, the engine temps rise and an alarm goes off.
the fix is to get out in the lake ( had to limp out today on the port engine only - temp on starboard was going too high) stop the engines, jump in and pull the weeds off the thru-hull intake grates. my wife and i take turns. needless to say, this is a huge pain in the ass!
will be cleaning the strainers tomorrow (3rd time in 2 weeks) as a lot of the weeds get sucked thru and end up there.
Have not noticed anybody else having this problem.
talked to a couple of guys in the marina - one theory we've come up with is that due to location of thru-hulls - about a foot in from the chine - they are more susceptible to clogging than the thru hulls that are positioned closer to the hull centerline.
working on modifying my cleaning brush so it has U-shaped attachment that will allow me to brush off weeds. called my dealer asked about a backflush device. he was unaware of any.
anybody have any thoughts/ideas/suggestions?

_________________
2006 348 Vista
"some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield"

Never heard of such a problem. Man, you must be boating in some nasty stuff to have that many weeds. I wish I could help more. Let us know what your solution is. It sounds like they need to spray the creek to get rid of some of the vegetation.

_________________
One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

well, it obviously is bad but what i don't understand is that no one else apparently has this problem. ther are probably 250 boats in nearby marinas. it just doesn't make any sense that i'm the only one affected. that's why i think it has something to do with the boat. will keep you advised. sent an email to the dealer; he said he would talk to the factory warranty rep.

_________________
2006 348 Vista
"some days you're the bug and some days you're the windshield"

How shallow is the water you're going in? That would be the only thing I'd imagine would make a difference between you and other boaters. If you're going in shallower locations that is. And how fast are you going through the weedier sections? I've no idea what would work better, fast or slow. Slow would seem like it'd be more prone to sucking up gunk. But fast would be pulling water faster and harder through the intakes.

It might be worth rigging up a boat hook pole with a brush of some kind? I found a nice tapered cylindrical shaped brush at a local hardware store. It's been great for cleaning the bilge. What's nice about it is the center of the brush is wire and can be bent. If you're rigging up a pole then a similar brush might help by being bent such that it better cleans the through-hull (not scrapes the hull more than necessary).

Once you get it right a piece of tape on the handle might help guide you to just how far the pole has to go into the water to get to the right spot.

As for a backflush, I'm not sure just where you'd rig it up. There's really not a lot of room at the engine through-hulls in the 348. But even if there was room, where would you be getting the water to flush it with? I'd be worried about contaminating the fresh water system trying to use that. And I'd be worried about popping hoses if there was some sort of cross-over from the other engine. I'm sure it "could" be done but I've never seen such a setup.

Do the intakes for the AC and the genset also get clogged? They're very close to the centerline keel of the 348. But I'm guessing they're not getting clogged because you don't have them running when you're going through the weeds. Not that I'd recommend it but that would establish whether the through-hull location is the problem or not.

I'm tempted to use the Henny Youngman diagnosis...

Patient: Doc, it sucks up weeds when I go there.
Doctor: Don't go there.

_________________
-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista