DSK wrote:
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

My boat has a Y valve to direct raw water suction to the bilge. It does
work as a bilge pump but was put there to rinse the raw water side of
the cooling system with fresh water. In extremis if the bilge pumps
couldn't keep up it is one more option.