Anyone seen this type of sea-chest before?

[bridaus]

Actually to me the ugliest thing in that picture is the battery switch etc, in the bilge in the background. WTH is that all about?

Oh, if that was the worst sin. Or the only sin. This boat has lots of warts, but I got me a big ol' file and a batch of gumption/optimism/stupidity or whatever you want to call it.

If I have the time I might slow release (for fun) all the terrible hacks that have been done to her. Is there an award given out for this?

 

[bridaus]

Seems this might have turned into show me your seachest and I'll show you mine. You all have some great chests... ermm....

 

[greysailor]

Oh, if that was the worst sin. Or the only sin. This boat has lots of warts, but I got me a big ol' file and a batch of gumption/optimism/stupidity or whatever you want to call it.

If I have the time I might slow release (for fun) all the terrible hacks that have been done to her. Is there an award given out for this?

Call me crazy.....but I've always enjoyed working on my boats! She'll be ship shape before you know it, and you'll know every inch of her systems![emoji16]

 

[ben2go]

Left side of the picture, stainless.

Questions:

1. Can you take the top off normally, in other words just unbolt it and reach in and clean out gunk? I assume the waterline is below it (I'll verify of course)
2. Is there or should there be a strainer in there? If there isn't when I crack it, is that a problem (I'd think so, although I see a strainer inline in places.
3. Confirm that the plastic elbow at the bottom is a bad idea. I think it is, no valve and could break easily.
4. Is it OEM? Add on?
5. Is it a plus for the boat, or a liability?
6. I probably forgot a question, general opining encouraged.

This is the second time I have seen this type sea chest setup recently. I ran into it while looking at a boat last year. A mid 30's foot Carver, I think. The set up on that boat was vastly different. The sea chest was heavily supported against a bulkhead and set atop a brass or bronze seacock. It had a screen in it that was shaped kind of like a basket. The top was roughly 12 inches or so above the water line. It had an air fitting on top. I was lead to believe it was for relieving air pressure and also for blowing debris out of the sea chest and/or the seacock. It had several 3/4 and 1-inch valves connected to it. I never looked to see where all of them went. Most went to AC systems and the genset. The engines had their own seacocks.

 

[bridaus]

So I dove in. Took a line off generator to find the waterline level, found out the top of the sea-chest was easily about 6-8" above the water line. Top came off easily.

Here is a picture of the top taken off, upside down.

There was nothing else inside except some floaties. I cleaned it all. I suspect since there are strainers attached to this sea chest, that there was no strainer inside. Although there are holes in this tube which could imply a hook to some basket or something... In any case it's cleaned, back together. I might figure out an sacrificial metal situation at some point, but the service folks told me that stainless bonded to the boat should not have an issue, and it is bonded...

I always wonder what the motivation to add something like this is. It doesn't seem any more capable than a sea strainer except maybe isolating the floating trash to the top rather than sucking it into a strainer...

 

[CptnPete]

With 9 seacocks in different locations on my 40 footer, some with dedicated strainers, I can appreciate having a simpler solution, but I am trying to fully appreciate the value of a sea chest beyond a central location for some (but never all - e.g. head discharge) thru hulls and related seacocks or (less ideal) ball valves and assorted fittings. There will likely be longer hoses and maybe more fittings. And the same number of holes in the boat plus a larger one of the sea chest that I don't believe can be closed. So how is that better/safer I still wonder?

 

[sunchaser]

So I dove in. Took a line off generator to find the waterline level, found out the top of the sea-chest was easily about 6-8" above the water line. Top came off easily.

Here is a picture of the top taken off, upside down.

There was nothing else inside except some floaties. I cleaned it all. I suspect since there are strainers attached to this sea chest, that there was no strainer inside. Although there are holes in this tube which could imply a hook to some basket or something... In any case it's cleaned, back together. I might figure out an sacrificial metal situation at some point, but the service folks told me that stainless bonded to the boat should not have an issue, and it is bonded...

I always wonder what the motivation to add something like this is. It doesn't seem any more capable than a sea strainer except maybe isolating the floating trash to the top rather than sucking it into a strainer...

That is a very large cored hull penetration.

Is the hull penetration properly installed? Usually a large section of core is removed, well beyond the bolt hole pattern circumference. Then rebuilt with epoxy and maybe in this case mat. How this penetration should have been properly made is a lot like a stabilizer install it would seem, with a lesser backing plate. That job initially would be above my pay grade to do it right.

 

[bridaus]

I tapped around this penetration when she was out of the water, and nothing screamed poorly done. The boat was neglected, but certain things were done right. In the end, I can't say either way, I have a lot of work to do to get to the point where I'll truly know.