1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Major System Test — Air Conditioners

One of the problems I had when I launched the boat in June of 2023 was a very slight leak from the original Chris Craft genset strainer/seacock I attempted to reuse. I decided to upgrade to a modern seacock, Forespar marelon (reinforced plastic), and Vetus strainer. When we transited from Deale, MD to our current home port, I kept the Forespar seacock closed but had a hose connected directly from the valve hose barb to the pump inlet just in case the valve, which is well below the waterline, was accidentally opened. Once at our home port, installing the Vetus strainer was the last step in commissioning the air conditioners.

The OEM Chris Craft strainer hose barb was just above the valve

I didn’t realize it at the time, but the  top of the Chris Craft strainer was well below the waterline. So, if I had to remove the top to clean the screen, even if I closed the valve, water in the hose, pump, manifold, and supply hoses would overflow the strainer when I removed the top. I’ll try a different approach with the new Vetus strainer.

Reconfiguring the pump inlet orientation for the Vetus strainer

I marked off the waterline on the 1″ round tube salon floor support

I welded a mounting plate to the floor support tube at the waterline

The waterline will be halfway up the Vetus strainer

With the system shut off, raw water will naturally settle to the waterline. I’ll be able to remove the cap and clean the strainer without water overflowing into the bilge.

That 90° bend in the short inlet hose puts more strain on the seacock than I like

So I replaced the straight Marelon hose barb at the valve with a 90° one.

I’ve had very good results using caulk to seal Marelon seacock threads

Seacocks use straight pipe threads, not self-sealing tapered ones

So thread sealant is absolutely necessary

Nice!

Zero stress connections

I was all giddy when I opened the seacock. Raw water came up to the waterline on the strainer, then filled the hose to the pump, just as I’d hoped. This was in mid-July, 2023, and it was 90° in the salon. The thermostats were set to 78°F. One by one, I slid the thermostat switches from OFF to COOL.

The raw water pump came on! Cold air started blowing from each of the AC units! Within 20 minutes, the V-berth AC unit shut off, having reached the set temp! The aft stateroom shut off after 20 minutes, and the salon hit 78° after 30 minutes! The AC unit and raw water pump shut off!

Success!!!

I should also mention that having the raw water exit below the waterline via the OEM toilet outlet standpipes makes it very quiet.

So that’s a major system that’s pretty much done. Booyah.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Aft Deck Window Moldings

1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Installing GROCO Hull Strainers

I’ve got a lot more things done on the boat than I’ve posted to this blog, so I’ll try to get caught up and post more.

One of the major must-do items on my pre-launch punch list was to weld in the new main engine raw water intakes. I’ve got 2″ Buck Algonquin 70RWS200 stainless steel strainers in the engine room, but I want scoop strainers on the bottom. GROCO ASC-AL hull strainers are what I went with. I considered welding them to the bottom, which is how Chris Craft did it. But welding them on means there are spots on the hull that have no barrier coat or bottom paint. The boat does have an impressed current cathodic protection system (CAPAC) installed, but I’d rather not have bare aluminum exposed to salt water. Fortunately, Groco makes these so they can be installed with screws, too.

Groco ASC-AL hull strainers

I coated the scoops inside and out with Barr Rust 235 epoxy barrier coat, then topped that with the Pettit VIVID I had left over from repainting the bottom.

Drilling and tapping holes in the hull

Well…that sucks

A brand new tap snapped off clean just a few turns into the hole.

30 minutes later, I got the broken tap out of the hole

Vix hinge bit perfectly centers the drill in the holes

All the holes are drilled

I’m using 316 stainless screws, so each hole got a dollop of Tef-Gel

Next, I taped off the area…

…and applied Sikka 291 LOT caulk

Good squeeze out

I like the fact that I can pull the pin and open the little access hatch on the back of the scoop. That makes it easy to keep the inside of the standpipe clean.

Repeat the process on the opposite side

Done

That’s a wrap for my below-the-waterline punch list.

Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Swim Platform Rub Rail