A new member with a new project : 2008 Yamaha AR230

[kamaro]

Have you tried tapping around the perimeter of the plug with a wooden 1x2, for example?

Yes I have tried that, I tried hitting it with a rubber mallet around the perimeter. Now my important question is, if I buy a brand new plug, would it be OK to drill out the old one and then take out in many pieces?

 

[WREKS]

@kamaro With the plug unlocked, you may be able to slide a thin flat blade up and down along its perimeter to loosen it a bit. I used a tool as in the 3rd photo. There is a groove at the bottom of the cylindrical cleanout where the rubber seal seats. That may be most problematic. Trying to rock it back and forth might help.
Cleanout plug

 

[Scottintexas]

New plugs are very expensive and sometimes hard to find, make sure you have new ones on hand before destroying the old ones,

Did you try tapping from the bottom side while the floor jack was pulling from top?


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[tdonoughue]

I would agree. Drilling them out should be your last resort. Last price I saw on them was like $250 a plug.

Have you tried Debond? If they are in fact glued in, this may dissolve the glue: https://smile.amazon.com/DeBond-MF12-Marine-Formula-Aerosol/dp/B07CSYP3LH

At least it would make it weak enough that your other methods should work.

 

[kamaro]

I have decided to just leave them in for the time being and just enjoy the boat. It will be used in salt water and I don't think we have anything here that might be swallowed in (ocean water only, so plants, thick see weeds .. etc). and when the season is over (around May) I will get myself a pair of new plug assemblies and will drill out the old ones.

My next mission now is to install a second 1500 GPH bilge pump just to be safe, and maybe in next week I will take it out to the ocean for the 1st mayden voyage, wish me luck!

 

[WREKS]

@kamaro Pour a little salt remover in the clean outs before you go out. Combined with engine and pump vibration, maybe the plugs will loosen up.

 

[Beachbummer]

Be sure to assemble the plugs back and confirm they are in the locked position. The pump creates a lot of pressure, and if the plugs are not locked in, they might loosen up (yay!) and then blow and fly off (not cool.)

Best of Luck!

 

[kamaro]

Yesterday I made my 1st voyage with the AR230, how excited I was! .. In general, all went well. Here are my findings on it :

1- I have noticed that the boat has very low power on any RPM less than 6000 rpm, so if I was at 5000 rpm, I would feel the boat is pulling a heavy load!, but once I pass the 6000 rpm it picks up speed fast, is that normal for this type/size of a jet boat? .. I never been on a jet boat larger than my 17 ft Seadoo Speedster, so I can't really judge.

2- The low speed maneuverability is horrible!, I had to move back and forth 5 or 6 times before I was able to slide it on the trailer! .. so would the thrust victors fis fix this problem?

3- The controls were giving a really hard time keeping them on position!, I had to keep them steady with my right hand the whole time cruising!, is I believe there is a way to tighten them up, right?

4- when I brought the boat up the ramp, there was about a 2 gallons of water came off the drain, although when I was on the water, I tried to check the engine compartment ever few minutes with no signs of water, it seems all the water was collected in the rear bilge area.

5- I have noticed there was some water inside the clean out plugs wells.

6- after about 1 hour of 25 mph cruising, I can safely tough the exhausts and the engine block, so they were nice and cool, but when they are idling, I can only see some dripping of small amount of water coming from the side ports, is that normal? .. I forgot to check on them while on high rpm, stupid me!

These were my notes so far, so it would be great to hear what do you guys think?

Thanks a million guys for all the help and guidance that I got from this great forum community, without it, I could never bring that boat back to water.

Finally, here is a small video clip to watch :

 

[HangOutdoors]

I can help out with most of your questions.

1- Yes as they wind up I RPM's they pick up speed quickly. Check your impellers for nicks and also see if there is anything wrapped around them. Also you may want to check the sealant around housing.

2- You will get used to it after a bit. I use Cobra Jet Fins and they help out tremendously.

3- Yes there is a way, I have come across it on the forums here, a more experienced member could chime in.

4- Could be normal, water sloshing over the swim platform collects in there. You can seal around the hatch on the swim platform.

5- Plugs will fill up to the top that is normal.

6- dribbles at idle. Make sure you check when moving at speed to make sure you have a steady stream.

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[Scottintexas]

be sure to check out the "known issues" thread in my signature below, also the FAQ section has lot's of good info concerning your questions,

1- Do you notice any vibration? if you slam the throttles forward do you immediately accelerate ?

2- practice or buy some sort of steering fin, cobra or thrust vetcor

3- Yes, look in the FAQ for "dropping throttle fix" and don't worry if their not in sync,

4- . yes, most of us carry water around that never shows up in the engine compartment, if you look through the manhole covers by the cleanout plugs you can see where the water collects, it's not a bad idea to add an extra bilge pump and high water alarm, just as a safety precaution,

5- don't worry about this, it's common

6- I don't know about touching the exhaust or engine block, The indicator lines on the side of the boat are only "dummy" lights to show the system working, you need pressure to make them work, also in our FAQ is a "how the cooling water flows in the MR1" it's a great video that you really need to watch

Thanks for the video !


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[WREKS]

@kamaro Congrats! Sounds and looks good! Are you able to remove the cleanout plugs?

 

[WREKS]

@kamaro Be sure to flush the salt water out of the engines!

 

[tdonoughue]

You have excellent answers from others above. I will add:

2 - It is likely you are oversteering. The low speed maneuvering is delayed, basically. Don't turn the wheel so much to correct, and when you see the boat start to come back, immediately bring back the wheel. It is something you will get used to and not even think about the 3 or 4th time out. Others have suggested the fins. They can help. However, I usually recommend that you learn to steer the boat first. I did not have fins until about my 3rd season. They do help with the tracking at low speed and give you some steerage when you don't have the jets going. So they are a plus. But they are no substitute for learning how your boat moves and steers. Knowing that will make you a far better pilot (with or without fins).

 

[ZGhost]

Be sure to assemble the plugs back and confirm they are in the locked position. The pump creates a lot of pressure, and if the plugs are not locked in, they might loosen up (yay!) and then blow and fly off (not cool.)

Best of Luck!

Hold on ...... isn’t this one way to take them out???

edit: of course if done in a controlled manner and with all safety precautions in place.

 

[kamaro]

Latest update :

I decided to invest on the Thurst Vectors from Jet Boat Pilot, so I placed the order on last Thursday, and I was amazed that UPS delivered it to my door today, now thats what you call fast shipping! (considering my location). Yesterday I had the 2nd dose of the Pfizer Covid19 vaccine, so the doctor asked me to take one day off to rest at home (because of the side effects), so of course I listened to his advice and spent the whole day working on the boat! .. First I installed the Thrust Vectors, installation went smoothly, it didn't come with any instructions, except they ask to see the installation video on youtube, I did and all went very well. about 1.5 hours from start to finish.

Then I have decided to move the 2nd bilge pump with the water sensor to the real bilge area under the clean out ports tray, first I fabricated a mount for the pump and the sensor from some scrab aluminum I had in the shop :

I used a couple of SS self tapping screws to fix it inside the bilge :

I have used a 800 gph Rule pump that I happen to have around, do you think this is enough for a boat of this size? would it be able to keep up in case for example I left the plug off? ... and also I need to know what do you guys use as an anchor for this size of a boat? .. a friend gave me a 10 lbs anchor and I'm not sure it is enough for me.

 

[tdonoughue]

That size should be good for a 22'-24' boat, generally. Now, were I going far offshore or something, I might want more. But you are certainly right there and probably fine on that front.

Nice little assembly you constructed there. Never seen self-tapping screws used in fiberglass. They seem to have worked ok...

As to your anchor--it depends on the style of anchor. 10 lbs just tells you the weight of the anchor. Need to know its design to see if that is enough holding power. Do you know what type it is (or can you post a pic)?