Bravoitis soultion advice

Mercury2005

In an effort to fix the Bravoitis issue I have a plan that I need discussion/advice/recommendations for.
I realize I could remove the drive, replace the intake water hose, fittings and related parts but that is labor intensive with no guarantee it will fix the problem, plus getting to the fitting on the inside of the transom plate is nearly impossible.

My 27 FV has a generator with a thru hull water inlet/seacock which is 1" i.d. hose size.

If I were to replace that thru hull with a 1/1/2" and corresponding seacock, then run a tee fitting one side reduced to 1 1/4" to feed the engine and the other side reduced to 1" to feed the gen.

My question is, will this setup provide enough water intake for both the engine and gen assuming bioth are running at the same time?

The only other option is installing a separate thru hull just for the engine.

Looking at the seawater pump, the inlet hose size is 1 1/4" O.D. with an I.D. of 1", where the output side is 1 1/2" O.D. with 1 1/4" I.D. And from what I read the hose size from the drive is less than 1", about 5/8". 

Seems odd that Mercury would not size everything the same size, ow well.

Thanks to all in advance

Handymans342

I believe the water intake thru the drive is there to cool as well

LaRea

Are you saying that you aren't getting enough cooling water from the outdrive because of corrosion in the thru-transom fitting? 

I agree with @Alswagg - fix the problem.  Replace the hose and fitting.  If you rig something from the genny intake, you're inviting pain and heartache.  

skennelly

You guys have seriously never heard the term Brovoitus?

TonyG13

skennelly said:

You guys have seriously never heard the term Brovoitus?

Nope. Does it mean you're afraid something will go wrong with your Bravo?

skennelly

That would be bravophobia.  I should know because I have it.  Lol

The unofficial definition of Bravoitus

"The crushing of the forward end of the water hose and retainer of the belle housing to transom plate water hose, which will restrict water flow into the sea pump"

LaRea

Mercury2005 said:

Looking at the seawater pump, the inlet hose size is 1 1/4" O.D. with an I.D. of 1", where the output side is 1 1/2" O.D. with 1 1/4" I.D. And from what I read the hose size from the drive is less than 1", about 5/8". 

Seems odd that Mercury would not size everything the same size, ow well.

The pump has a bigger outlet hose so you can't accidentally attach it to the pump inlet.

FYI, Merc fixed the flow restriction problem by redesigning the thru-transom fitting.  If/when you eventually need to replace your boat's transom assembly, the new transom assembly will include the redesigned fitting.  

Your boat's an '06 ... is your transom assembly leaking sea water into the bilge?  Do you have corrosion on the steering pin, and excess play in the steering?  

skennelly

@Alswagg - the internet is responsible for most bullsheet these days lol

davidbrooks

So when i ended up having to replace both Transom Assemblies two years back i discovered that the water intake hose and fitting at the TA was pretty bad.  It didnt look as if it had ever been changed.  In talking to a mechanic he told me that a lot of mechanics will just skip it becasue of how much of a PIA it is.  Mine were corroded to the point where there was an opening about the size of a bic pen.  In trying to take off the interior fitting on one TA i snapped off a bolt.  So the only warning is to be careful.  There isnt a clear way to drill out those bolts without  removing the engine.  As mentioned above the new TA's have definitely fixed this.  I 

Mercury2005

Aslwagg, To remove the drive, replace all the necessary hoses, fittings, buying a tool to install hose fittings, etc., plus trying to remove the fitting from the inside of the transom plate is not worth the labor and cost of parts when I can install a dedicated thru hull, which I plan to do.
Handymans342, water only goes thru the lower gearcase for only about a foot then into a rubber hose. Since the lower gearcase is in the water it's already being cooled.
LaRea, Thanks for the insight on the hose size, makes sense. No leaking at the transom plate but do have a little play in the steering. Will check on steering pin corrosion.
I did go ahead and temporarily re-route the water intake hose from the generator directly to the seawater pump and it did resolve my problem. My water pressure is where it is suppose to be and engine temp is now normal.
I plan to install a dedicated thru hull just for engine and bypass the thru-transom feed.
Davidbrooks, Exactly why I am not 'doing it the right way'. When I looked at removing that inner fitting, I would have to remove part of the power steering assy just to get at the fitting and like you said, no guarantee it would come off easy.
If I ever do decide to pull the drive I will plumb up a system to use that water as a drive shower.
Thanks to all who responded, what a great group of Rinker owners.

LaRea

Before you decide, do a thorough inspection of that transom assembly. 

It's 15 years old.  Based on what we've seen here on the forum in recent years, it probably doesn't have much time left.  If there's any water coming in from the steering pin, that's a certified death spiral.  Here's my transom assembly when I replaced it after 14 years of service in a well-maintained fresh-water boat.

Mercury2005

LaRae, man that is nasty.  Mine still has black paint on it.  Our boat is also well maintained, plus we keep it on a lift which helps.
Alswagg, I'll keep you and the group posted with pics when the installation is complete.

YYZRC

Why did the horizons get the thru hull as well?

LaRea

My '03 had dual pickups, and I never understood why.  As I said above -- more strainers to clean and winterize, more stuff in the way, more potential points of failure. 

Not to mention, it was always a struggle getting the pumps primed after launching the boat.  Never had that problem on my current boat (without dual pickups).  

Formulaben

LaRea said:

Your boat's an '06 ... is your transom assembly leaking sea water into the bilge?  Do you have corrosion on the steering pin, and excess play in the steering?  

I too have a new-to-me 2006.  Yes, I'm leaking some water, and yes I have excess play.  Not sure about the corrosion, but my plan was to look into a new pin and bellows, etc this fall/winter.

What am I in for that I don't know about, @LaRea ?

LaRea

@Formulaben how long do you plan to keep the boat?  And is the transom assembly in otherwise good condition?  Some folks have done pin replacements, and some just replace the  entire transom assembly.  Either way, it's not a cheap repair.

Formulaben

Well, I just got it so unfortunately one of those is definitely going to happen.