Our raw water engine intake does have a hull mounted strainer plate over the seacock. That doesn't seem to stop it anymore than the head(which has no strainer on the hull). But the heads have always cleared themselves and our raw water strainer catches all the eel grass. That has a 1" hose, if not larger. That problem is remembering to check the strainer while sailing down that way. I never seem to need to open it at all up here, so I forget to look.