Vacation boat maintenance - cracked water strainer cup

[ScarletArrow]

So I'm on a lake vacation with the boat and discovered the water strainer bowl is cracked and leaking.

 

Anyone ever have this problem?

 

I've called 6-8 dealers in a 2 hour radius looking for someone who carries this part and no one has it in stock.

 

A couple of the mechanics have suggested using 3M 5200 to seal the crack as a temporary fix.

 

Boat is running fine with no temp issues and I'm sure it's been this way for days/weeks without my knowledge.

 

I'm Ok with a "Deadliest Catch" style fix to get me through the next two days, but I also don't want to ruin the engine either.

 

Thoughts?

[dvskier]

Epoxy.

[Andre]

Yes,epoxy from both inside and outside.

Clean carefully before applying epoxy,even rough up the surface with sand paper or wire brush if available to you.

[jhughes]

Epoxy for sure. Rough up the surface a bit first.

[DavidN]

Duct tape will get you through your vacation.

Not uncommon for that part to crack.

I upgraded to the indmar strainer.

[ReallyGottaSki]

Consider get a polypro barb, connect the hoses, and just bypass it for the weekend

 

Bulk of boats run well for decades without a strainer, a week won't hurt it

 

 

[Kelvin]

Watch your temp gauge. Air in the system can cause it to run hotter. Enjoy the vacation otherwise.

[adkh2oskier]

Ditto watch the temp gauge. Had one crack on my 05 196. 5 miles away from my dock I am idling along and look at the temp showing 200, brought it up to about 2mph and the temp dropped right back to 160. Enough suction when powered up to mostly seal up leak. Got home grabbed the strainer and it broke off in my hand. For the short term I would go with bypassing it rather than trying epoxy and/or duct tape.

[storm34]

Bypass for the time being. It's clearly already brittle to some extent so don't borrow trouble. Fix when you get home.

[skier2788]

@ScarletArrow my advice from learning the hard way. When you go to fix this order the whole strainer not just the cup. Kept cracking them on my 02 196 finally got smart spent $10 more and got the whole thing

[skimtb]

Bypass for weekend unless the lake is a weedy mess.

[vtmecheng]

Don't put epoxy on the inside. I agree with others to rough up the outside of the cup and clean it nicely. Use the 3M 5200 or a high quality epoxy and let it sit overnight before running. Fix as soon as you can. If you can find the appropriate Belzona product then I highly recommend it for something like this. It will be usable quickly and hold for the trip. Keeping an eye on your temp goes without saying.

[BraceMaker]

Hull inlet and trans cooler both have screens. Unnecessary part.

[ScarletArrow]

Thanks guys for all your help. Cup has been epoxied and is curing. Might take one session on it in this evening or morning. Ordered a replacement from SKIDIM and should be here tomorrow for peace of mind.

[Rednucleus]

I would add duct tape or rescue tape over the epoxy for a little extra support

[LeonL]

@skier2788 what about the part that the cup screws on to can go bad to cause the cup to crack? I've been going through them at the rate of 1 every other year, sometimes I only get one season. Usually crack in the thread area. This spring when I got it out the first time there were multiple cracks starting at the bottom and going upwards.

[VTskier]

My strainer bowl cracked at the threads yesterday and fell completely off in my hand when checking the leak. I used a 5 minute epoxy found at any hardware store, let it sit for 2 hours, reinstalled and am back in business. Very simple fix, seems to be stronger than new.

[BraceMaker]

Do you feel the strainer is necessary? I pull my trans cooler hose a few times a summer but seldom much in it

[JAS]

Same thing happened to me on vacation one year. Went to ace hardware and bought common plumbing parts and short segment of hose to temporarily bypass. Easy fix and worked great

[ScarletArrow]

Just an update...

 

The crack went around ~75% of the circumference and was in part of the threads.

 

Bought some epoxy at a local ACE Hardware.

 

Painted the crack on the strainer with the epoxy using a thin piece of cardboard as a brush.

 

Flipped it upside (open end) down and set a heavy object on it to keep the crack closed.

 

Let it cure over night - back in business!

 

Drove the boat with no problems.

 

Emergency replacement part from www.skidim.com (who should be an advertiser here with so many DIY'ers) arrived today.

[skier2788]

@LeonL my original had a square oring and the new cups all come with a round oring. I am not 100% of the difference or why but I ordered two cups and both cracked within a month. Got frustrated ordered the whole thing and problem solved for the last three years.