did i suck something up??

[JC6275]

Yesterday afternoon we put the boat in our local river for the first time this year, there was a bit if debris floating around the ramp in the harbor where we launched, as I headed out to the main waterway I started to throttle up, the motors sounded odd. They were revving up but the boat was not accelerating like it does normally. I stopped and tried to take off again, same outcome. So I tried the reverse thing I have read about on here to clear the intakes and that seemed to work , so I'm wondering if this is what happens when you suck something up or is there a different thing that happens??

 

[007]

1. No thrust at all = forgot to put plugs in.
2. Diminished thrust, usually accompanied by vibration and some sort of loud noise = foriegn object in the impeller.

Sounds like you had #2!

 

[Zarrella]

I'm guessing its your plugs are not installed or....your reverse gate is not raising all of the way up.
I have had both of these situations occur to me

 

[itsdgm]

I 3rd the above information. Plugs or debris. Either way, check the plugs, if they're in, remove them and look for debris. Something as little as a toothpick sized piece of wood or a small piece of fishing line will cause the cavitation that you described.

 

[JC6275]

Thanks all, the plugs were in with EZ LOCKS, I'm guessing I ingested a piece of floating debris, and got rid of it with the reverse trick..

 

[itsdgm]

Thanks all, the plugs were in with EZ LOCKS, I'm guessing I ingested a piece of floating debris, and got rid of it with the reverse trick..

I didn't realize until I re-read your original post that you fixed it already. Sounds like the reverse maneuver did do the trick for you, that's good to hear.

 

[Magic]

I didn't realize until I re-read your original post that you fixed it already.

This forum has become so awesome that members fix their own problems even before anyone can answer them! Now THAT is efficiency!

 

[jcyamaharider]

Glad the problem is solved. Be cautious though, an unseated plug has the potential to put an enormous amount of water into the boat in a hurry so that is usually the first thing I check. While I have it out I always check down the tube for debris as well.

 

[JC6275]

@Magic it's funny you say that, as soon as I noticed the problem I had jetboaters.net posts running through my head, like a cranial rol-a-dex LOL, I actually retained some knowledge that I gained from this site, the reverse trick came to me and seemed to work...

 

[Julian]

@Magic it's funny you say that, as soon as I noticed the problem I had jetboaters.net posts running through my head, like a cranial rol-a-dex LOL, I actually retained some knowledge that I gained from this site, the reverse trick came to me and seemed to work...

Gotta love that reverse trick! Glad you cleared it easily and went about your boating! Another happy member!

 

[Magic]

@JC6275 If the education learned here can prevent even one day with your family that succeeds with a small interruption instead of a miserable day trying to figure things out, all the effort put in by @Bruce @Julian @txav8r @Glassman @Murf'n'surf @Cobra Jet Steering LLC and many others will be well worth the effort!

A lot of us have had to figure this stuff out for ourselves while in the middle of one of those "miserable boat back on the trailer trying to figure this mess out while the kids are screaming" days!

 

[JC6275]

@JC6275 If the education learned here can prevent even one day with your family that succeeds with a small interruption instead of a miserable day trying to figure things out, all the effort put in by @Bruce @Julian @txav8r @Glassman @Murf'n'surf @Cobra Jet Steering LLC and many others will be well worth the effort!

A lot of us have had to figure this stuff out for ourselves while in the middle of one of those "miserable boat back on the trailer trying to figure this mess out while the kids are screaming" days!

Everyone I have had an interaction with on this site has been fantastic, very helpful, knowledgeable, patient,and understanding. I am not new to boating but new to jet boating. I was not a part of the "other site" so I don't know what went on over there, but I can say in my opinion if the other site has lost the people, knowledge and experience that the admin,and contributers that that started this site has it has lost a wealth of great people, I am happy to be a member here and look forward to meeting as many of you as I can in the future.

 

[Julian]

For the most part this site is the same great group of helpful people (as the old place) but just with a renewed sense of purpose, and a reminder that sites like this are all about the ALMIGHT "M" - and that ain't Money, but Members and Memories. Sure we have vendors here, but that is a nice side benefit, not the primary purpose.

I've learned some amazing things from all our members! Things that without their guidance, support and encouragement I never would have attempted on my own!

It is good to remind ourselves on occasion why we do the things we do, and what is important.

 

[Volffas]

Every time that I have sucked something up that engine shakes really bad. Usually it's just a small piece of wood. I tried the reverse maneuver this past weekend without luck, but it was a fairly large stick that was just small enough to fit through the intake grates length wise.

Glad you figured it out so quick!

 

[Julian]

It is amazing how a tiny stick or weed etc can cause so much havoc with a jet pump!

 

[Volffas]

And I should say that as far as I can remember, every time I have sucked something up it has happened after starting the boat. I guess the wood just gets hung up on the grate and then when you start the engines it gets sucked up. I cannot recall sucking up anything while moving at speed across the water.

 

[JC6275]

And I should say that as far as I can remember, every time I have sucked something up it has happened after starting the boat. I guess the wood just gets hung up on the grate and then when you start the engines it gets sucked up. I cannot recall sucking up anything while moving at speed across the water.

I think that is what happened to me, there was some "river" debris collected at the edge of the water at the ramp, do I'm guessing me and other people putting in and taking out there had stirred it up and when I fired the engines something got either stuck in the grates or through them, we were just ifleing out of the harbour and noticed it when I was accelerating once out in open water, I did have a noticeable vibration but it didn't feel like the motor was going to jump out of the boat . LOL

 

[Glassman]

It is amazing how a tiny stick or weed etc can cause so much havoc with a jet pump!

haha, so true, so true.

One time, at...oh, wait...

One time a tiny chunk of wood got stuck on the tip of one of the blades. I kept feeling around, no grass, no weeds, couldn't feel a thing.

Start up and a hellacious vibration. Stop, check - nothing...

Repeat that scenario a couple of times and I'm almost ready to beach it and take a nap when I reached a little deeper and there it was, wedged onto the blade tightly.

About the size of the tip of my thumb!

 

[scokill]

haha, so true, so true.

One time, at...oh, wait...

One time a tiny chunk of wood got stuck on the tip of one of the blades. I kept feeling around, no grass, no weeds, couldn't feel a thing.

Start up and a hellacious vibration. Stop, check - nothing...

Repeat that scenario a couple of times and I'm almost ready to beach it and take a nap when I reached a little deeper and there it was, wedged onto the blade tightly.

About the size of the tip of my thumb!

I have done the exact same thing. Looked, and looked...perplexed, then found wedged and evidently it was going round and round with the impeller.

 

[JC6275]

haha, so true, so true.

One time, at...oh, wait...

One time a tiny chunk of wood got stuck on the tip of one of the blades. I kept feeling around, no grass, no weeds, couldn't feel a thing.

Start up and a hellacious vibration. Stop, check - nothing...

Repeat that scenario a couple of times and I'm almost ready to beach it and take a nap when I reached a little deeper and there it was, wedged onto the blade tightly.

About the size of the tip of my thumb!

We're you gonna say "at band camp"?? Or one time at "the go pro shortly short convention"