Shah Mat

How many different low water pick-up Bravo's are there? Where do they pick up from? I assume I have one because the oil filler is behind the prop.
BUT..... I have a nose cone that was epoxied on by the previous owner. I'ver never seen what the front of my lower unit looks like. The nose cone has about a 1/2" hole in the point for water intake. Where does it go from there. Does it have gills? Just one hole? Could there be pockets between the cone and the drive where crap can clog?
Every once in a blue moon I pick up some hydrilla, mud or something when I'm idling to a dock. The sea strainer is clean but the water flow looks restricted coming into the strainer. I'm guessing crap is getting into the nose cone hole and restricting the intake in the drive. I have jumped into the water and shoved a coat hanger up the hole but it doesn't seem to clean out whatever is stuck it there. It happened last weekend and I had to idle (to keep the temp below 180) home. A few days later when I had it on the trailer I took the hose off the strainer and back flushed toward the drive with a garden hose. Water came out fine and nothing strange blew out. Ran the motor on the hose for a while and all seemed well. Took it to the river for the 4th and everything was back to normal. Good flow into the strainer and 140 temp at all speeds. I'm guessing that whatever (mud or sea grass) gets in there dries out and "self cleanses." This happens about once a year...

ANY IDEAS?????