sea strainer
 

ok so im superchargering my boat, i am running the drive to cool my motor like the stock set up, and a low water thru hull pickup for my intercooler. my question is should i run a sea strainer for my intercooler? i mean i dont have a strainer for my drive and that cools the whole motor for god sake lol. I only boat at lake havasu and never had a problem, the only thing i would be worried about is reeds. So i was wondering if i could tig weld a little mesh screen on the pick up and be fine. let me know, input is appreiated thanks

Conquest 30, I also run blower motors with the same water setups as you. I boat on the Lower Colorado, as well as the lakes and such. I do not run strainers for the intercoolers. basically, the main problem in this area is sand, and the strainers don't stop sand. After I boat, I simply backflush the intercoolers, but very little ever comes out. Remember, since they are thru hull, they are not sucking up junk when you are beaching and such. It's only being pressurized after you are moving.


Darrell.

thanks for the input. and your not running a strainer on the drive pick up?

anybody else have any knowledge?

Sand should flow through the intercooler. A strainer is to protect it from item that will get stuck - leaves, sticks, seaweed etc...

I always ran one and actually have a very nice one for sale.

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...-out-shop.html

In a perfect world I would have one on each . with that said you are not likely to get anything in the cooler with it plumbed like that. The engine side is sucking all the time the boat is running. I found the stock bravo lowers were not bad for picking stuff up (weeds & sh!t) but the emco lowers are like vacum cleaners they will suck up every thing !!!! After spending two and a half day's picking weeds out of the cooling system (oil cooler, fuel cooler, water pump ) I will not own a boat with out them . Pretty cheap insurance for what they cost. Been there done that !!!!!!!! Just my .02 Jeff :drink::drink:

While there are a number of thoughts here on this subject. The fact is sand doesn't flow through a intercooler very well at all. Fact of the matter is the intercoolers passage ways are much like a radiator and there are hundreds of area's for the intercoolers to trap sand and debris. The worst part is they just don't backflush and the ability to unclog the element is nearly impossible. Not until just a few years back as the popularity of intercooling soared did this become so prevalent. Ask any leading engine builder and they will agree that most intercoolers fail due to being packed full of debris long before they ever wear out from corrosion. We build what i believe to be the very best intercooler sand strainer on the market. This unit features a easy to inspect clear lexan housing with a stainless steel high flow element as well as a simple single knob access for servicing. The unit also features a pressure port that a hobbs switch or gauge can monitor from the dash. The ultimate feature is the bypass design though even in the event you neglect to pay attention and you pack the unit full of sand there is a integrated pressure bypass that will allow water to continue to flow to the intercooler thus limiting the damage of torching the intercooler element.

http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/625-4622.jpghttp://i261.photobucket.com/albums/i...e/625-4620.jpg