Sea Strainer Maintenance

[MilesD]

Hello Trawler Forum community. Thank you for all of the help you've provided as I've read through old posts, trying to learn as much as I can about maintaining our new (to us) '78 CHB 34 with the Ford Lehman 120.

I cleaned and took a closer-than-usual look at my engine raw water intake and sea strainer today, and I have a few concerns. I was hoping some knowledgeable folks could look at the attached pictures and let me know:

1. Make/Model so I can order a new gasket
2. Is there supposed to be a gasket of some kind under or around the wing nut and washer on top of or just below the glass? I only have the large gasket that fits the outer diameter under the the glass.
3. Would the corrosion concern you? It seems solid and safe, and we always close the seacock when away from the boat. Just clean? Or should we replace?

I tried to follow the picture posting guide but probably still messed it up. My apologies if they're not oriented correctly.

Thanks,
Miles

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. I don’t recognize that strainer so I can’t help.

 

[Moonfish]

Welcome aboard! We have twin FL120s with the original sea strainers (they look a little different than yours). I’ve often thought that were I to replace them I’d go with Forespar Marelon sea strainers. No corrosion worries, easy to clean, and I like the ability to visually check how the strainer is doing.

This video does a nice job of explaining:

https://youtu.be/apSYxav4xY0?si=jO_k-ctTCeuieK46

 

[koliver]

Your sea strainer is identical to the two on my boat.
I have now owned this boat for almost 30 years. In that time the corroded appearance of my sea strainers has progressed from looking similar to yours to....still looking similar to yours. In that same time I have had the top off to clean and re-seat the gaskets once, in the first year of ownership. It hasn't needed any attention whatsoever since then.
I don't recall whether there is a gasket on the wing nut, though I suspect there is. If so, it should need only light pressure, once sealed, plus no more than 1/4 turn.
If you have an intake screen that prevents eelgrass from being ingested, as I do, you will need only to keep an eye on the strainer, not to do anything else. If your intake allows bigger stuff to enter, you will be opening your strainer to deal with it.

 

[Bmarler]

I haven’t seen those strainers before either, but they seem pretty simple. I would think they’d need a gasket or o ring on the wing nut, and a perimeter gasket. You can make your own out of rubber sheet.
The corrosion looks normal for a bronze raw water fitting. I wouldn’t put this high on the list for replacement unless there’s nothing else to do.

 

[MilesD]

Thanks for the responses, everyone! I'll work on getting new gaskets/o-rings for now and otherwise leave it alone. Those Forespar strainers look nice though if we ever need an upgrade. Lots of other little things to do on the boat for now though, so I'm glad this looks normal.