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I have the Perko 493-8 sea strainers with 1.5" hose that currently have rubber gaskets. I want to replace the gaskets in them, but am only able to find cork gaskets locally. Do you guys have an opinion on the cork vs. rubber gaskets for a sea strainer. It seems to me that a rubber gasket might last longer??

JR

I have cork on my 1988 Bertram33 FBC, engine and gen sea-strainers and they are original, if that tells you anything.

My experience with cork versus rubber gaskets on my engines' Perko raw water strainers is that the rubber type do last longer as they are more tolerant when the strainers are cleaned as they hold up better than cork when the strainer assembly is taken apart.

The cork gaskets usually disintegrate when the strainer is dis-assembled, coating them very liberally with 100% clear silicone on both sides helps me install them and keeps them together better if the strainers are dis-assembled for routine cleaning - but, more often than not, they usually have to be replaced with new if and when the strainers are dis-assembled.

So..........cork for infrequent maintenance, rubber for more frequent!

Thanks, that's pretty much what I thought. I figured that cork would not hold up as well as rubber.

There is rubber then there is the plastic crap sold in China these days. They cheapen the products by not including the plasticizers and stabilizers.

In my limited experience dealing with China they will do exactly what you tell them to do, no less and certainly not any more. If these came from China the US purchaser was either sloppy and didn't specify clearly what they wanted or was being cheap and went for the least expensive option.