Engine Submerged

[John D]

Hi everyone,

I purchased a 2016 Yamaha 242 last year. Yesterday I allowed a friend to borrow the boat. The impellers got jammed with twigs and he couldn't remove them. It took him about an hour and a half to get to the nearest marina, which was already closed. He moored the boat and returned the next morning with tools. Unfortunately a storm hit in the middle of the night. He had switched the batteries off and therefore the bilge pump was not working. The waves crashed over the back and by the time he returned the next morning the engine compartment was completely submerged along with the battery compartment. I will drop the boat off at the mechanic's tomorrow, but I am wondering what kind of damage I should be expecting from all this?

 

[captras]

OMG.....so sorry to hear about that. I would guess that it is all fixable, but wont be cheap....hope you called your insurance company. You definitely need to file the claim and not do anything, repair wise, till they get involved. You dont want to do a thing until you get a damage/repair estimate by the insurance company. And you said you would drop it off at a mechanics...I hope you meant a dealer.....

 

[veedubtek]

On one hand, I feel really bad and hope your insurance takes care of you.

On the other, I wish I had friends like you!

 

[Zonie]

That's awful. As caprtras said, definitely call your insurance company immediately. Other than the obvious of draining and flushing things out (hopefully it was fresh water) don't do any work to it.

 

[Julian]

@John D yikes....if that was salt water, you want it worked on IMMEDIATELY....the longer it sits...the worse the damage will be. Do not try and start it until all the spark plugs are out or you risk hydrolocking it which will cause much more damage. Time is critical....

 

[tdonoughue]

You are lucky it was not running when it got flooded, though. The engines are probably not hydrolocked. A non-running engine will not suck in the water. The key is to not do anything (like trying to start it with the plugs in) to make it hydrolocked. So, whatever you do, do not try to start it.

I agree with the insurance comments. Were I you, after getting the water out of the boat, I would be running to the auto parts store for several cans of WD-40 and spray down everything you can in the engine compartment. Unless it is salt water. Then I would first do Salt Away and then WD-40. Then get it to the trusted shop or dealer.

 

[swatski]

A good mechanic will know what to do, but as everyone said above - time is critical.
That really sucks.

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[Bruce]

@John D, was it salt water? Regardless the spark plugs need to be removed then the engines turned over with the lanyard removed until water stops coming out of the plug holes. Then the oil needs to be changed over and over again with run times between until the oil is no longer milky. If this is done quickly you are likely to be fine. If not, if it was salt water your boat is likely totaled.

 

[Andy S]

I would bet heavily that the engines are perfectly fine. Since your engines have a throttle body intake and it was closed due the engine being off, I don't know of any other way for water to get into the engine. I would still check the oil, pull the spark plugs, and turn over the engine to see if there is water. If not for a safety precaution, due an oil change and you should be good to go.

The 2007 SX230 that I previously had, before I bought the boat it was sunk for a couple of days before being recovered and repaired. From the amount of sand that I found throughout the stern of the boat, I strongly believe the at least one and probably both engines were under water. From what I was told by the marina that fixed the boat all they did to engines was verify there was no water in them. I had the boat for 6 years and put about 175 hours on it, with 4 trips to Bimini without a single engine issue.

Also, I have a good friend that recently had the same thing happen but his engine was a V8 with a carburetor. The water was above his air filter and after draining the water out of the boat, pulling the spark plugs, checking the oil, and turning over the engine he found zero water in the motor. He reinstalled the plugs, changed the oil, and the motor ran perfectly and still does.

Good luck and hope you have similar results.

 

[swatski]

I would bet heavily that the engines are perfectly fine. Since your engines have a throttle body intake and it was closed due the engine being off, I don't know of any other way for water to get into the engine. I would still check the oil, pull the spark plugs, and turn over the engine to see if there is water. If not for a safety precaution, due an oil change and you should be good to go.

The 2007 SX230 that I previously had, before I bought the boat it was sunk for a couple of days before being recovered and repaired. From the amount of sand that I found throughout the stern of the boat, I strongly believe the at least one and probably both engines were under water. From what I was told by the marina that fixed the boat all they did to engines was verify there was no water in them. I had the boat for 6 years and put about 175 hours on it, with 4 trips to Bimini without a single engine issue.

Also, I have a good friend that recently had the same thing happen but his engine was a V8 with a carburetor. The water was above his air filter and after draining the water out of the boat, pulling the spark plugs, checking the oil, and turning over the engine he found zero water in the motor. He reinstalled the plugs, changed the oil, and the motor ran perfectly and still does.

Good luck and hope you have similar results.

I agree about the engines, very unlikely hydrolocked, but I would worry about ECUs and so on. Not to mention, those E-series boats have their brains in the stern lockers and bat compartment.

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[Floyd]

I thought the bilge pump was supposed to be connected to the battery power all the time?

 

[Neutron]

If the water got high enough it still will go inside the engine you just need to remove plugs get all existing water out then run it. Water can also end up in lower end of crankcase through the breather system as well.

 

[Bennie]

but I am wondering what kind of damage I should be expecting from all this?

A big fat check from your friend... and then a new friend.

Nothing gets to me more than a lack of respect for other people and other people's property.

Hope your "friend" is at least covering all of your deductibles.

 

[Julian]

I thought the bilge pump was supposed to be connected to the battery power all the time?

Nope...if you shut off the batteries with the disconnect switches, you do just that. Some people will wire their bilge around the disconnects...just depends on how you want it to work. With backpressure bilge pumps, if you don't have a way to disconnect them, then they will drain your battery.

BOATING RULE #1 - boat in the water-bilge pump on! (and confirm that it is!)

 

[captras]

A big fat check from your friend... and then a new friend.

Nothing gets to me more than a lack of respect for other people and other people's property.

Hope your "friend" is at least covering all of your deductibles.

I have some very good friends with boats....BUT....I would NEVER borrow their boat, nor would I EVER lend them mine! It just makes for scenarios that cant end well, and can end friendships!

 

[SAGERFLY]

I agree, nobody will ever borrow my truck, boat, or cargo trailer. Too many bad experiences already. I'll gladly take my truck and help out, but no borrowing without me.

 

[Coheeba]

Don't use WD40..IMHO. WD is flammable/petroleum based. CRC or Corrosion X is safe on electronics and is the best thing for your boat.

 

[Shuck Water]

Wow....that sucks. Forget friends, I won't even let my father take my boat out without my supervision!!! Good luck on the repairs.

 

[tdonoughue]

@Coheeba may be right that another non-flammable product would be better, but my main point was to put a water displacer on it...

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Sounds like the cause of flooding was damage to the shafts entry through the hull. If my suspicion is true, you'll find out when the boat gets on the hard. It's possible a tow line or dock line got sucked in and wound so tight that the fiberglass breaks around the shaft.

Maybe I misread something to make that assumption false but that my guess.