Flushing both engines at the same time

[cwoav8r]

I made this adapter a while back so I can flush both engines at the same time and save a little time. I have pretty good water pressure and I flush much longer than recommended... never had an overheat issue. If I do have a pressure issue I can still use this setup and just switch from one side to the other without getting out of the boat (read lazy)... the exception of course is having to get out for another beer




Now that I am in dry storage, I hook it up before I leave the boat to make it easier for the dock hands to flush (and make sure they remember to do it.) I had to give them a lesson on flushing jetboats when I first moved it there because they were apparently not familiar with them.

Had a new dock hand cleaning my boat this past Sunday and I am lucky I forgot something in the boat. When I went back to get it, he had just hooked up the hose and started the engines... I watched for a few seconds and he did not make a move to turn on the valves.

After I showed him that they had to be turned on and, to make sure that the water was turned off before shutting the engines off all was good. I did however make the decision to leave the valves open after hooking it up to avoid this from happening again. I'll take a little salt water back in the floor to make sure that my engines get flushed, and the last thing they do is rinse the inside down anyway.

Home Depot has all the goodies to make this contraption...

 

[Boat Crazy]

Obviously, you have more confidence in the dock hands than I ever would. I could Never trust them to do it correctly and would worry from the time I left till the time I returned worrying whether water got in the engine or not. I would never flush both engines at a time in the event an engine shut off and I did not catch it in time. That said, you did a nice clean job making a duel water flush.

 

[Wayloncle]

I made the same contraption but I don't have enough water flow to do both at one time. It makes it easier to switch engines though!

 

[cwoav8r]

@Boat Crazy ... thank you. At my marina there is a nice little outdoor restaurant / bar with a view of where they clean the boats. In the beginning, I did catch them not flushing the boat a few times because I left the flush hose in the storage area where my battery switch is. I thought surely when they pulled up the seat to turn off the battery they would see it and the overhead light bulb would go off... not. I spoke with the Dock Master about it and all was corrected very quickly.

When I cleaned the boat at the house, never had a problem with an engine shutting off... always stayed in the boat while they are flushing. (except to run for another beer) Reading this back I feel like I need to say... Hello, my name is Ed, and I'm a jetboater

The biggest down side to the whole dry storage thing is the clean out plugs. They were apparently aware of the "clean out plugs blowing out" problem and do not want that liability... they will not touch them in any of the jetboats. I combat this by pulling them as I board the boat and spray them down with silicone and reset. Doing this has proven to work well over the last three years, but I keep a dock line and my long table leg handy just in case I need some help getting one out.

 

[spaz1868]

Home Depot has all the goodies to make this contraption...

What did you use for the piece that connects to the port on the boat? Do you have a picture of that end?

 

[Gym]

I agree 100% with @Boat Crazy. One goof up or one hung over dock hand could cost you a blown engine. Do you think they will step up and admit it if that happens? I applaud your ingenuity in devising your dual hook up but that's another thing I wouldn't do to save a few minutes. We've had way too many members shut engines down before shutting the water off and a couple who had their engine stop unexpectedly. To flush both engines at once only compounds this issue. When I haul the boat at the end of the day I've had many friends offer to help me flush and clean up. I ALWAYS tell them to head for the hot tub and I'll see them there when I'm done. I just don't trust anybody with that chore.

 

[cwoav8r]

What did you use for the piece that connects to the port on the boat? Do you have a picture of that end?

I just bought another flush adapter... the adapters screw off and added brass male fittings to screw the adapters on.

 

[cwoav8r]

I agree 100% with @Boat Crazy. One goof up or one hung over dock hand could cost you a blown engine. Do you think they will step up and admit it if that happens? I applaud your ingenuity in devising your dual hook up but that's another thing I wouldn't do to save a few minutes. We've had way too many members shut engines down before shutting the water off and a couple who had their engine stop unexpectedly. To flush both engines at once only compounds this issue. When I haul the boat at the end of the day I've had many friends offer to help me flush and clean up. I ALWAYS tell them to head for the hot tub and I'll see them there when I'm done. I just don't trust anybody with that chore.

@Gym , I did stress about this in the beginning, but my Dock Master is a really great guy... any time I have any concern, he is very responsive and the issue is corrected quickly. I have also built a rapport with the dock hands (via tips) that results in them going the extra mile to take care of me. One of them is a close friend of my son, and he reports any issues he sees to me personally.

There is a ton of water pressure at the marina, and 95% of the time we stay for a late meal so I can watch them flush and clean the boat. They now have over a dozen jet boats (random thought... I need to put a #JB.net sticker on the wall at the bar) and are much better at caring for them.

Dry storage in my case was a necessary evil because my trailer and storage facility failed me at about the same time. So far I have had no issues... I also get the boat placed on a work rack twice a month with water and electricity if I need to work on the boat. And... non ethanol fuel is the cheapest in the County.

I agree there is a risk involved, but so far I have been very pleased with the care of my boat... When I had the conversation early on with the Dock Master and the administration about flushing the boat properly, I was assured that any failure that could be attributed to not flushing the engines properly would be covered. I guess I will have to wait for that to happen and go from there...

 

[Gym]

Sounds like you're in good hands @cwoav8r.

 

[redthumper9]

I made the same thing last year when I had my SX210....one of the engines set off the warning light and was beginning to overheat. Luckily I was in the boat at the time. Never used it again. One engine at the time for me now.

 

[KXCam22]

I flush both engines at once. I have enough water pressure. If I close the tow valves I can get a strong stream of water out the pee holes (one engine) or a dribble out both with two engines. No prostrate jokes please. Cam.

 

[Speedling]

Just run it in a lake? Lol
I run my boat on the hose maybe once a year. Good idea about the y for the hoses though. If I ran on the hose I would probably do this as well.
Run salt away through both at same time as well?

 

[Gym]

The small Salt Away mixer is only 4 ounces. The larger one is 6 ounces. You may want to get the larger one so you don't have to shut down BOTH engines to refill the container. Here is a link to the large mixer.

http://www.saltawayproducts.com/MixerPage.htm

 

[Tom Duignan]

I flush both engines at once. I have enough water pressure. If I close the tow valves I can get a strong stream of water out the pee holes (one engine) or a dribble out both with two engines. No prostrate jokes please. Cam.

Just read your reply thank you, could you tell what are the tow valves you mentioned?

Thank You,
Tom

 

[Gym]

Just read your reply thank you, could you tell what are the tow valves you mentioned?

Thank You,
Tom

The tow valves mentioned @Tom Duignan are aftermarket valves installed to shut off the normal flow of cooling water to the engines. This serves a few purposes. 1) If you loose an engine while on the water the manufacturer advises not to proceed, or be towed faster than no wake speed to prevent water ingestion into the non running engine. The tow valve allows you the ability to run or be towed as fast as you would like. 2) The tow valve, when closed, forces more flushing water up into the engine for a more thorough flush. 3) If you operate in salt water the tow valve, when closed, allows you to flush with fresh water while sitting in salt water. I have used this 3rd step for 7 seasons now.

 

[Tom Duignan]

The tow valves mentioned @Tom Duignan are aftermarket valves installed to shut off the normal flow of cooling water to the engines. This serves a few purposes. 1) If you loose an engine while on the water the manufacturer advises not to proceed, or be towed faster than no wake speed to prevent water ingestion into the non running engine. The tow valve allows you the ability to run or be towed as fast as you would like. 2) The tow valve, when closed, forces more flushing water up into the engine for a more thorough flush. 3) If you operate in salt water the tow valve, when closed, allows you to flush with fresh water while sitting in salt water. I have used this 3rd step for 7 seasons now.

 

[Tom Duignan]

Wow, Never heard of them! Thank You so much for that information and clearly explained. My daughter keeps her boat in salt water and this will be a big help to her in all situations.
Thank You,
Tom

 

[Gym]

You're welcome @Tom Duignan. There is plenty of information on this in the FAQ section. As always you are welcome to ask more detailed questions as to how to install these. Not mentioned in my explanation is that you can also use flat jawed clamps to temporarily clamp off the cooling lines. I would suggest this might be an easier route for fresh water boaters.

 

[Tom Duignan]

You're welcome @Tom Duignan. There is plenty of information on this in the FAQ section. As always you are welcome to ask more detailed questions as to how to install these. Not mentioned in my explanation is that you can also use flat jawed clamps to temporarily clamp off the cooling lines. I would suggest this might be an easier route for fresh water boaters.

Thank You again but unfortunately my daughter leaves her 2o10 Sx210 in salt water on Long Island. I looked at the hoses today after reading your suggestion and it looks like a real task to get to those hoses before the "Y" connection and install the "tow valves" however, I'm going to do it because it makes sense.
Thank You again for the reply,
Tom

 

[Gym]

Thank You again but unfortunately my daughter leaves her 2o10 Sx210 in salt water on Long Island. I looked at the hoses today after reading your suggestion and it looks like a real task to get to those hoses before the "Y" connection and install the "tow valves" however, I'm going to do it because it makes sense.
Thank You again for the reply,
Tom

I agree @Tom Duignan. That location is difficult plus if you need to operate a valve you need to reach way back between two hot engines. That's why I put mine under the cleanout tray. After removing the tray the installation is much easier. When finished the access to the valves is through the access port. Also, while in there check ALL of your hose clamps. They do break over time.