Lee Huddleston wrote:
I also meant to share with you another thing I have done to help in a
situation like you found yourself. I installed a Y valve in the
raw-water intake for the engine.

That's a really good idea, especially if you can mount the
Y-valve where it is easily accessible. The "inside" suction
should be mounted to a large & strong strainer.

.... One side of the Y goes to the normal
thru-hull. The other side of the Y is attached to a long,
wire-reinforced plastic hose. Most of the time the Y valve is set to
draw water from the thru-hull side. In case of an emergency I can
quickly and easily switch the Y valve to the other side and put the
hose into the bilge, thus using the engine as an extra bilge pump.


Not sure if I like the idea of the flex hose, why would you
ever want to put an engine raw water pump suction to a
movable hose?


The arrangement is also useful when it is time to winterize the
engine. I fill up a container with antifreeze, put the hose into the
container, switch the Y valve, and within seconds the raw-water system
is filled with antifreeze.


That's a bit drastic, you can pour it full of antifreeze
easily if you put a small plug or cock at a high point in
the piping... I use the plug that hold the zinc in one of
the heat exchangers.

Aside fromt that, one of the nice things about NC is you
really don't have to winterize if you don't want to.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King