"N1EE" wrote in message
om...
Good report, but not enough detail. 8 points.

Any pictures? The eel grass would have been
interesting to see.

Tomorrow, maybe - I did save the largest clump.


What sort of props do you have?

Volvo two blade folding


What do you recommend for raw water strainers?


There's no cheap way because you need full flow. I'm thinking Groco 750's.
Defender is $75 - WasteMarine is $99. I always wondered why they weren't
standard on the boat, but I guess they think the saildrive feed acts as a
strainer. All in all, it wasn't a lot of debris for 5 years, but it did get
inconveniently far into the system.

What is with the carbon in the exhaust elbows?

One engine has a severe bend in the hose between the elbow and the muffler -
about one foot radius. I'm thinking this causes enough back pressure to carbon
up the elbow. This is the forth time I've pulled it, but the buildup wasn't
that severe. The first time it was 80% clogged, so I figure its worth doing
every year or so. This is the second time for the other engine - its buildup
isn't to bad.

Like a lot of jobs, the first time is hard and stressful - then it gets quick
and easy. Four bolts releases it from the block, so the only hassle is the big
exhaust hose.

Is this the first time you have serviced it?

I've done all this before, except for the heat exchanger core. I wish I had
done that several years ago.

How did you find this problems?

A mechanic at Ashley Marina in Charleston, SC was fixing an oil leak (warranty
work - a bad gasket in the original setup) and didn't like the way it reved up.
When he realized we also used that engine for battery charging, he decided it
was worth looking at the elbow. His advice was to reroute the exhaust (which I
haven't done), rev higher when possible, and pull the elbow every 300 hours.


How often does this item need service?

See above. I'm thinking in a year or two I'll just replace the elbows.



Are you coming up to Long Island Sound this year?

We're hoping to get to Maine this Summer. Also, it's likely we'll go to the
Vineyard and maybe Nantucket. Further South than Newport or Cutyhunk is
unlikely. When are you getting out out of the Sound?.

-jeff