Bad luck continues..ran aground

[waterlooboater]

Well...the bad luck continues On Sunday I took the boat out on the lake we regularly visit. Sign at the front warning of low water level, no problem. However, they didn't hand out a hazard map or mark the hazards with buoys...so I relied on the depth gauge and my knowledge of the lake.

Sadly, that didn't work in my favour. On our way in, I took a wide berth around a sandbar and hit a very small piece of it (1 in a million chance probably).

Engine immediately shut off. Checked the cleanout area, nothing..got towed in and looked underneath, nothing obvious.

So, I know I need to get underneath and take the impeller cover off. Is there anything else I should be checking in this scenario? Any fuses etc?

Thank so much for all your help this season, it's a been a steep learning curve for sure!

 

[biffdotorg]

You shut the engine off, or it shut off by itself? If you look into the jet pump and see nothing for blockage, fire it up.

If it shut off by itself, it may have just shook the kill switch on the cleanout door.

 

[waterlooboater]

The engine shut itself off. It won't start. If you turn the key all you hear is something trying to turn then stopping, like the impeller can't turn.

I'll check the cleanout door switch, but since the engine tries to start when turning the key, I assume that switch is fine?

 

[biffdotorg]

Yes, then you are on the right track, you may have a small rock or pebble jammed between the impeller and sleeve. Time to get the long screwdrivers and pry it out, or pull the impeller and pump components. Good luck,

 

[anmut]

I'd pull your spark plugs out and see if it'll crank over without compression.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Once you have resolved this issue, which is mostly like a bunch of crap stuffed into the impeller housing.. get a Humminbird Solix MFD and get the lake master chart for your area, the Lake Master charts are the bench mark for lake bottom contours and hazards. You set the water offset or lake level before you head out, this will keep you out of trouble going forward.

This is an example of how I set mine up on my recent trip to WI. Lake Poygan is shallow.. the red is 3’ or less, the yellow is 3’ to 7’ and the green is 7’ to 12’, blue is deeper than 12’.




This one is out on Lake Michigan with the same settings..

 

[waterlooboater]

Sadly there are no charts for the lake (reservoir) we frequently use. They gave out a hazard map a few weeks ago, but no updated map this weekend and they never use buoys to mark hazards.

I'll pull the impeller housing off tomorrow and see what I find!

Thanks again everyone!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Sadly there are no charts for the lake (reservoir) we frequently use. They gave out a hazard map a few weeks ago, but no updated map this weekend and they never use buoys to mark hazards.

I'll pull the impeller housing off tomorrow and see what I find!

Thanks again everyone!

Really? Have you checked the list??

 

[waterlooboater]

Yes, I checked their list for Ontario, and Conestoga Lake isn't listed.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

So Ontario and Conestoga are your lakes?

 

[waterlooboater]

No, Ontario is the province and the lake in question is Conestoga Lake. According to their list here - https://johnsonoutdoors.widen.net/content/tw2z1h1jrl/pdf/chart-list-ontario-v1.pdf

Conestoga Lake is not listed.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Most likely the impeller has something jammed in it that you can not see but locked up the impeller remove the end of the pump that the forcing cone and nozzle are mounted on to access the impeller section and you will probably find a rock or a shell in there

 

[parkgt214]

The I-Boating app includes Conestoga Lake in their Canada map. It is free to download and try for one area and then $25.00 to keep with all of Canada. I run it on my Iphone and Ipad. It cannot be beat for the price and will probably do all you need if you are not in need of an expensive fish finder. Conestogo Lake Fishing Map | Nautical Charts App

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

The I-Boating app includes Conestoga Lake in their Canada map. It is free to download and try for one area and then $25.00 to keep with all of Canada. I run it on my Iphone and Ipad. It cannot be beat for the price and will probably do all you need if you are not in need of an expensive fish finder. Conestogo Lake Fishing Map | Nautical Charts App

Does that map plot your position on the lake in real time? Can you set the water offset?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

No, Ontario is the province and the lake in question is Conestoga Lake. According to their list here - https://johnsonoutdoors.widen.net/content/tw2z1h1jrl/pdf/chart-list-ontario-v1.pdf

Conestoga Lake is not listed.

I’m surprised….
Sorry you’ve got dramas hopefully it’s an easy fix.

 

[biffdotorg]

Does that map plot your position on the lake in real time? Can you set the water offset?

If you click on the link, it tells you all the features, but a quick answer is yes and yes. Pretty cool app for sure.

 

[parkgt214]

Does that map plot your position on the lake in real time? Can you set the water offset?

Yes, Yes!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Yes, Yes!

Thanks for that… I messed around with it a little bit. Finally found where to set the water offset. I have those same charts for some of the big Missouri River lakes so I can see structure and such from my table here in the house. I could probably dig in a bit more and set the shading of various water depths around structures that are approaching the “thins that could ruin your day”.

I still would feel pretty exposed navigating waters without having at least down imagining to see what the bottom is doing underneath me. The lake master charts also have a lot of navigational hazards marked..

 

[waterlooboater]

Alright! Operation Clear the impeller was a success! Two pics and one more question...the impeller is hitting the housing at one spot and just ever so slightly. You can hear it when the engine runs. Can I leave it and leave it as is next season? (my season is done) or do I need to replace the impeller?

If replacement is the ideal choice, are there upgraded impellers available?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Are sure it’s hitting the wear ring? Sometimes the impellers ring. It the impeller has dings in it so much to where it’s hitting you need to pull the pump, and impeller off the shaft and at least clean it up with a mill file. Take just enough off to get .014” between the impeller and the wear ring.