Muff-Flushing Bravo 3 Stern Drives with Front Gearcase Intake

[RittSea]

Flush muffs don't work if you also have a thru hull pickup Teed in. In that situation you need to use the toilet plunger flusher on the thru hull

Can you recommend one that works with a typical Sea Ray brass strainer?

 

[RittSea]

It sounds like you're saying that you have a thru-hull intake in the bottom of the boat, as well as the drive? That would have been a good piece of info to add in the beginning! YES, you must close the seacock in order to flush properly otherwise you just end up sucking air and possibly even damaging the impeller.

During normal operation, both the thru hull and the the drive are under water so all is good.

Yep. My last boat had a twin Alpha Stern drives with no thru hull intakes. So moving to B3s is a huge learning curve for me.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Yep. My last boat had a twin Alpha Stern drives with no thru hull intakes. So moving to B3s is a huge learning curve for me.

Just for reference/clarification, though... just because you have B3's, doesn't automatically mean you have a thru-hull intake - you could have that with an Alpha setup, too. The thru-hull is an "extra"... albeit a good extra to have.

Close the seacock and tape the nose - then use the muffs and it will work just fine.

 

[scoflaw]

Just for reference/clarification, though... just because you have B3's, doesn't automatically mean you have a thru-hull intake - you could have that with an Alpha setup, too. The thru-hull is an "extra"... albeit a good extra to have.

Close the seacock and tape the nose - then use the muffs and it will work just fine.

My 06 280 refused to suck water thru the drive. Toilet plunger to the rescue.

 

[Lazy Daze]

My 06 280 refused to suck water thru the drive. Toilet plunger to the rescue.

Strange - I wonder why? I've never had that issue before (and have even done it on a 280!). I have no doubt you were doing it correctly so I don't think it was user error - but that's an odd one. Oh well, it is what it is.

Ritt... you can make your own plunger or buy one pre-made - look for Fake A Lake. Another option is to open the strainer cap and just push the hose in there. You can get/make replacement caps that have hose fittings on them, too.

 

[89P270]

use the toilet plunger flusher on the thru hull

Ok, so this really means use a Fake-a-lake assembly like this one:

As I noted above, on my pachanga I had both Alpha outdrive pickups (with internal impellers) and through hull cooling added as extra (see photo below and attached). If you didnt use this fake-alake over the bottom thru hull pick up, the impeller on the serpentine system associated with the thru-hull pick up here would burn up and yes, no water to the engine because this thru hull allows water to "leak" from the outdrive flow before it gets to the engine. Regardless of whether you have Alpha or Bravo, if you dont have thru hull water pickups (on the bottom of the boat as noted below and as shown from the inside in the bilge in the attached photo from my former Rinker), you dont need this Fake-a-lake muff and will only need to use the muffs on the outdrive noted above. AND, the only way water WOULDN'T go through the engine is if you have 1/2 or full freshwater cooling. In which case, the water from the pickup on the outdrives would only circulate through the risers and out the exhaust. You havent noted above whether you have?

By the Way, the only way to use a fake-a-lake is if it sits on a trailer. The handle rests on the ground and the pole expands to press against the hull. I never liked them because they leak like mad and dont provide a great seal because rarely is the pickup installed on a flat bottom area bigger than that rubber bowl - Ie bottom strakes etc.

 

[RittSea]

Ok, so this really means use a Fake-a-lake assembly like this one:

As I noted above, on my pachanga I had both Alpha outdrive pickups (with internal impellers) and through hull cooling added as extra (see photo below and attached). If you didnt use this fake-alake over the bottom thru hull pick up, the impeller on the serpentine system associated with the thru-hull pick up here would burn up and yes, no water to the engine because this thru hull allows water to "leak" from the outdrive flow before it gets to the engine. Regardless of whether you have Alpha or Bravo, if you dont have thru hull water pickups (on the bottom of the boat as noted below and as shown from the inside in the bilge in the attached photo from my former Rinker), you dont need this Fake-a-lake muff and will only need to use the muffs on the outdrive noted above. AND, the only way water WOULDN'T go through the engine is if you have 1/2 or full freshwater cooling. In which case, the water from the pickup on the outdrives would only circulate through the risers and out the exhaust. You havent noted above whether you have?

By the Way, the only way to use a fake-a-lake is if it sits on a trailer. The handle rests on the ground and the pole expands to press against the hull. I never liked them because they leak like mad and dont provide a great seal because rarely is the pickup installed on a flat bottom area bigger than that rubber bowl - Ie bottom strakes etc.

View attachment 110591

I'm researching this model for thru-hull plungers. It reportedly clips onto the grate of the thru hull strainer. But I assume you have to have a strainer like the picture you posted so that you can clip onto it. The reviews are generally positive if the clip can fit through the strainer slot. Otherwise some folks have opted to "shave" the clip down so it can fit through the slot, or resort to using a plunger with the pole. If it can fit onto the strainer slot, the reviews are very positive because it reportedly provides a much better seal compared with the stick plungers.

Moeller 099085-00 Pro Series Inboard Motor Flusher , Black - Ez Hot Tubs

 

[Lazy Daze]

Ritt, don't overthink this one. I made one out of an ACTUAL plunger head, a leftover cockpit cover pole and a few cheap fittings from a hardware store. Works just fine. Point is - they probably all work just fine - it's not rocket science. Most negative reviews are because of user error

 

[89P270]

I actually like the look of that one. It appears to be much smaller area coverage so if there is a bottom strake close by the intake, may avoid bottom contact issues. Regarding the make it yourself, I am all about that Lazy but when the fake-a-lake (even at West marine) is only $36, I'd rather save the scrambling around for parts and pain, and just buy one. That one Ritt found is $32 so still relatively cheap.

 

[Lazy Daze]

I actually like the look of that one. It appears to be much smaller area coverage so if there is a bottom strake close by the intake, may avoid bottom contact issues. Regarding the make it yourself, I am all about that Lazy but when the fake-a-lake (even at West marine) is only $36, I'd rather save the scrambling around for parts and pain, and just buy one. That one Ritt found is $32 so still relatively cheap.

Sure - to each his own. I was only offering it as an option for Ritt - just giving him more info. I had all of the stuff laying around, save for a few dollars of fittings.

 

[89P270]

Nothing negative meant by me. I have done lots by way of your suggestion as its a good one for sure. Its just the older I get the less I want to fabricate and the more I want to google it. My cutoff for self made is around $100 and up. Like the PITA boat bottom painting I did. I may even be too old for that now too - It about killed me.

 

[Lazy Daze]

Like the PITA boat bottom painting I did. I may even be too old for that now too - It about killed me.

I have a younger brother and also a 17-year old son...

 

[Pirate Lady]

Nothing negative meant by me. I have done lots by way of your suggestion as its a good one for sure. Its just the older I get the less I want to fabricate and the more I want to google it. My cutoff for self made is around $100 and up. Like the PITA boat bottom painting I did. I may even be too old for that now too - It about killed me.

89, i use Woolsey ablative paint. Takes the wife and me 1/2 hour every spring to paint bottom. We only do the spots that have flaked off and are bare. Maybe you over doing it. I get 3 years out a 1 gallon can.

 

[89P270]

I did over do it for sure. Its a new boat to me and the bottom was fugley so I wanted a professional smooth redo. I went down to the epoxy undercoat and started fresh with 80 grit sand on Epoxy, then new epoxy, then new ablative. I almost went with Petit Black Widow rather than ablative because you can burnish that to a fine finish just like Gelcoat - Black widow is a performance bottom paint with teflon added for significantly less frictional force than what ablative has (I race RC boats so things like frictional force are things I consider that others likely wouldn't). But alas, that was a bridge too far and just stuck with the hum-drum Petit Hydrocoat ablative.

 

[RittSea]

I ended up installing the quick-connect flush kits, and it works great. Since I have to get into the engine hatch to close the seacocks, it made sense to install the flush connector after the strainer. I also built a short salt-away connector hose to fit the connection to make it easier to reach. So far so good. I appreciate all of the tips and suggestions from everyone.