04 47 Fountain low water pick up
12-03-2011, 01:47 PM
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04 47 Fountain low water pick up
I have a 04 47 Fountain that I am thinking about putting nose cones on. Has anyone ever omitted the LWP and just used the side water inlet? Boat runs 90ish and water pressure is around 55psi on center motor. I know to much pressure, I am working on that. I have taken out exhaust bungs & plugged half of the side water inlets. That being said if I put nose cones on & omitted the LWP maybe that would help my water pressure issue & would also be easier to install nose cone with out LWP.
1)Will my motors get enough water from side water inlets only?
2)Has anyone seen any improvement after adding nose cones on a Fountain hull?
1)Will my motors get enough water from side water inlets only?
2)Has anyone seen any improvement after adding nose cones on a Fountain hull?
12-05-2011, 07:54 AM
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You would think.....
I was just thinking that if I put on nose cones on & didn't use LWP if it would run more efficient & also helped with my high water pressure issue, well.... that would be like killing 2 birds with one stone
12-05-2011, 03:38 PM
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There is a reason so many boats go with intakes on the hull, instead of on the outdrive. A big reason is to be able to control water pressure and flow better. Adjusting them is important to adjust water pressure and flow.
The water passages through the drives and transom shield are very small with several tight turns. This means its easy for corrosion or simply junk in the water to alter water flow and/or pressure. By having a simple pipe, fed into a water strainer, its a lot less dangerous.
I had my drives altered slightly by Teague so the water from the LWP is just used to spray the top of the drive for cooling. I have the Teague offshore pickups feed into the Teague water strainers. Really improved the situation!
I would NOT go for the Teague strainers if I was to do it again. The run-of-the-mill Perko or Groco brass strainers, or shurflo plastic strainers, are far, far more practical because they are easy to see into, and because its easy to open them, clear them, and close them up. The better strainers have a clear element you can see through, instead of just having the top of the filter basket you look down into: its dark when mounted in the boat!
If you go with proper marine raw water strainers, be sure to mount the strainers so you can open them when in the water. Also, you MUST have a seacock you can close so even if its really rough and rolly, you can open them up to clear them. That was the screw up on mine, they are far underwater and without seacocks, so I can only open them on the trailer, hence not too useful when I suck up seaweed.
And, of course my boat can sink if the strainer leaks.
Remember that if your boat sinks, your insurance almost certainly will NOT cover you. Your insurance company will require you to be responsible, and that means you are on the hook to ensure the boat is properly maintained and equipped. No seacocks? Not properly equipped. Leaky strainer? Not properly maintained.
The water passages through the drives and transom shield are very small with several tight turns. This means its easy for corrosion or simply junk in the water to alter water flow and/or pressure. By having a simple pipe, fed into a water strainer, its a lot less dangerous.
I had my drives altered slightly by Teague so the water from the LWP is just used to spray the top of the drive for cooling. I have the Teague offshore pickups feed into the Teague water strainers. Really improved the situation!
I would NOT go for the Teague strainers if I was to do it again. The run-of-the-mill Perko or Groco brass strainers, or shurflo plastic strainers, are far, far more practical because they are easy to see into, and because its easy to open them, clear them, and close them up. The better strainers have a clear element you can see through, instead of just having the top of the filter basket you look down into: its dark when mounted in the boat!
If you go with proper marine raw water strainers, be sure to mount the strainers so you can open them when in the water. Also, you MUST have a seacock you can close so even if its really rough and rolly, you can open them up to clear them. That was the screw up on mine, they are far underwater and without seacocks, so I can only open them on the trailer, hence not too useful when I suck up seaweed.
And, of course my boat can sink if the strainer leaks.
Remember that if your boat sinks, your insurance almost certainly will NOT cover you. Your insurance company will require you to be responsible, and that means you are on the hook to ensure the boat is properly maintained and equipped. No seacocks? Not properly equipped. Leaky strainer? Not properly maintained.
