2008 AR230 Loose steering

[slacher]

Hello everyone,
I am new to this forum as we just purchased a new to us 2008 AR230. This is our 2nd boat (first being a 1991 Rinker) and our first jet boat. We are IN LOVE!
We picked up this boat over the past weekend after a 2 hour test drive with the previous owner.
We did the usual review of the boat going off of what I read in this forum over the last week and everything seemed to check out perfectly. The only concern we had is the steering. While driving it we noticed it felt loose and tended to pull to the left. The previous owner also recognized the loose steering so he installed new steering lines last season and thought that is why it is now pulling. This is not a huge concern for us but we are wanting to get it fixed for next season (we live in MN so our boating season is about to come to an end). Wondering if anyone else has had this issue, what did it take to get it fixed and a ball park on the cost?

Thank you!

 

[Scottintexas]

glad to have you on board,

with someone at the wheel and someone at the back of the boat, have someone hold the nozzles and turn the wheel to figure out if the slack is evident,
if so then look behind the wheel where the cables are attached, if the locking nuts are tight the cable can get free play,

be sure to look the link in my signature below for common issues with your model boat, especially the scupper valve,

.
.

 

[Scottintexas]

you can also put a straight edge or anything straight across the nozzle openings to make sure they are aligned,

is your pulling to the left at all speeds or just a certain range?

if your pulling to the left isn't the loose steering it would be worth while to pull the impeller shafts to make sure you have the correct impellers,
your model boat has two different pitches

 

[slacher]

It tends to pull to the left at higher speeds. We will try your tips and see what we come up with.

Thanks for the "know issues thread" that was something I read before we purchased and it really helped to me sure we were making the right decision. We did look at the scupper and it was the OEM but didn't look to be cracked or brittle. Do you think it's good practice to just replace with stainless steel anyway?

 

[Scottintexas]

Do you think it's good practice to just replace with stainless steel anyway?

Yes, it cheap insurance, for about $100. a few hours of labor you get to know your boat just a little bit better,
be sure to get some kind of cleanout plug lock also,

 

[slacher]

Awesome! We will make sure to do so before we get it back on the water next season.
One last, off the topic question... the original owner informed us to "blow out" each engine right after pulling it out of the water. Basically giving each one a couple good blasts to clear out any water before shutting them off... this is hard for us to digest since we came from a stern drive where running the engine out of the water for even a moment is a huge no no. Do you feel this is a necessary thing to do and it won't hurt the engines?

 

[Scottintexas]

running the engines for 10-15 seconds or even until you get an overheat warning (don't ask me how I know) doesn't cause immediate damage,

you're basically trying to clear water out of the water box and exhaust manifold, I would guess 9-10 members here do it,

some don't rev the engine to 8-10k with the thinking that many rpm without a load isn't good for the internals,

you can never get all the water out of the boxes as many have reported coming back months later and still get water coming out after start up in the driveway,

be sure to view the "how the cooling water flows" in the FAQ, it's a great piece of information to help you understand your boat,



.

 

[Weeb]

It’s fine with these boats. Most smaller I/O and outboards have a rubber impeller that pumps the water, so they heat up and get ruined if you run them without water. The jet pumps provide water on These boats. I also agree with @Scottintexas answer.

 

[slacher]

running the engines for 10-15 seconds or even until you get an overheat warning (don't ask me how I know) doesn't cause immediate damage,

you're basically trying to clear water out of the water box and exhaust manifold, I would guess 9-10 members here do it,

some don't rev the engine to 8-10k with the thinking that many rpm without a load isn't good for the internals,

you can never get all the water out of the boxes as many have reported coming back months later and still get water coming out after start up in the driveway,

be sure to view the "how the cooling water flows" in the FAQ, it's a great piece of information to help you understand your boat,



.

Appreciate all your advice Scott. Thank you!

 

[slacher]

It’s fine with these boats. Most smaller I/O and outboards have a rubber impeller that pumps the water, so they heat up and get ruined if you run them without water. The jet pumps provide water on these boats.

Good to know. This is all new to us and as we want to use this boat for years to come we want to make sure we maintain it properly and avoid any unnecessary damage.

 

[captainhook]

Definitely change the scupper, it’s not if, it’s when. They all fail and the damage can be expensive.

 

[slacher]

Definitely change the scupper, it’s not if, it’s when. They all fail and the damage can be expensive.

Any recommendation on what is a good replacement part?

 

[captainhook]

Any recommendation on what is a good replacement part?

This is the one I bought in 2014:

Attwood Thru-Transom Scupper, 1-1/2", Stainless Steel - Walmart.com

 

[slacher]

This is the one I bought in 2014:

Attwood Thru-Transom Scupper, 1-1/2", Stainless Steel - Walmart.com

Thank you

 

[swatski]

Good to know. This is all new to us and as we want to use this boat for years to come we want to make sure we maintain it properly and avoid any unnecessary damage.

No need to rev it up hard, just a couple of gentle blips of the throttles. Revving it hard with no load can do damage.
This is important to do before storing - to blow water out of cooling passages, especially before the winter. If on trailer it helps to raise the bow with trailer jack as much as possible to drain the water out.

--

 

[buckbuck]

I would also recommend you purchase EZ-Locks for the cleanout plugs. It is only a matter of time before you experience a blow out. These will prevent it.

 

[Gym]

Welcome to the forum @slacher. Great looking boat. All good advice from my forum buddies. I would just like to add a note. Whereas the previous owner replaced the steering cables it is highly probable he did not count the number of turns it took to remove the nuts from each, old, cable. Doing so would allow you to put the new cables back exactly as the old cables came out. This could very easily account for your steering issue. It is a very easy process to readjust these cables at the rear of the boat once you find which bucket, or maybe both, are misadjusted.

 

[zipper]

Hello everyone,
I am new to this forum as we just purchased a new to us 2008 AR230. This is our 2nd boat (first being a 1991 Rinker) and our first jet boat. We are IN LOVE!
We picked up this boat over the past weekend after a 2 hour test drive with the previous owner.
We did the usual review of the boat going off of what I read in this forum over the last week and everything seemed to check out perfectly. The only concern we had is the steering. While driving it we noticed it felt loose and tended to pull to the left. The previous owner also recognized the loose steering so he installed new steering lines last season and thought that is why it is now pulling. This is not a huge concern for us but we are wanting to get it fixed for next season (we live in MN so our boating season is about to come to an end). Wondering if anyone else has had this issue, what did it take to get it fixed and a ball park on the cost?

Thank you!

View attachment 101894

Nice boat, love the color. There are many of us here that are in the same boat. Scott gives good advise. If the cables are new, the play could be where the cables attach to the nozzle. There is a thread here somewhere where you can put bushings in to eliminate the play.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/adding-bushings-to-steering-deflector-nozzle-to-increase-precision-remove-slop.11094/

Good luck, a lot of knowledge on this forum with quick response time.

 

[slacher]

Wow! Appreciate all the great advice I've received so far. We are going to try some of what was offered to see if we can figure out the steering issue. I'll post back once we have.

 

[slacher]

I would also recommend you purchase EZ-Locks for the cleanout plugs. It is only a matter of time before you experience a blow out. These will prevent it.

Can you provide more detail on this? Not sure what to get or what to look for with those cleanout plugs. Are there signs that they might blow or does it just happen? When we were test driving it he showed us that he had put a small board and rope with it next to the plugs to help pull them out because they stick.