Good News + A Caution

[Canuckjetboater]

First the "good news" - here's a follow-up on a previous thread. After comments about "leaky" YJBs I was paranoid! Our new 2020 SX195 has been in the water for three weeks. So, before we went out today I used a strong led light to look in every area of the bilge, engine compartment and under swim platform hull cavity. Absolutely no water present and there have been a couple of serious rain storms. Took the boat out for a few hours. Anchored in a sandy cove in about 4 feet of water. Donned a shorty wet suit and using my scuba mask and dive light inspected the hull and metal underwater components. Hull pretty clean - but scrubbed it cleaner. Metal components showed zero signs of galvanic activity. Back at the dock I inspected again for water intrusion and found no (knock on wood) signs of it at all. *****But (here's the caution) I did notice a lot of fiberglass dust, fiberglass chips and metal shavings in the compartment under the swim platform......and I mean a LOT. This is not good to see as engines can suck-in fiberglass dust and it is deadly to them. I DID vacuum my engine compartment and all cockpit storage areas before using the boat but did NOT think of the hull cavity under the swim platforms. Shame on me!!!!! That will be my next task. So - respectful suggestion for any new Yamaha jet boat purchasers - get a shop vac and vacuum out all of the cavities before using your new boat. Not vacuuming out fiberglass dust and debris is common to many boat builders, even high end ones. In Crusiers fiberglass dust can not only harm engines but destroy expensive catalytic converters. Vacuum, vacuum, vacuum! ***** Oh yes, another respectful suggestion. When we bought our 2018 Waverunner SVHO I found two loose ring clamps - AFTER - the dealer had done their PDI!!!!! So, my next task will be to get a small ratchet wrench and some various-sized nut drivers and check every clamp in the boat. No more assuming that PDI is anything much other than a wallet-drainer! Cheers, MT

 

[seanmclean]

Sadly finding junk in the bilge is standard practice for all new yamahas, and usually contributes to early leaks as it messes up the plug seal. Definitely good advice to clean that area out thoroughly. I wouldn't worry about the motors ingesting fiberglass dust, it's a long way to travel and that's what the filters are for.

 

[212s]

First the "good news" - Absolutely no water present

YAY!

. *****But (here's the caution) I did notice a lot of fiberglass dust, fiberglass chips and metal shavings in the compartment

That's par for the course...after we brought the boat home, she needed a gently wipe down and some TLC to get her shiny and bright. Got my Rejex shipment and will "wax" her up as soon as we can. For now 1 to 4 vinegar / water mix in a spray bottle keeps her shiny.

To help clean out the shavings, we unscrewed the transom plug and put some water through the hull to flush out the junk at the bottom. Did a few quick flushes and started to run clean. Then I put a couple gallons of water in the hull and boated for the weekend to swish it around the hull, then pulled the plug again. A bunch of steel and fibreglass shavings came out this time. She seems pretty clean down there now.

PS - make sure you rinse the drain plug hole well to make sure no shavings are in the threads and none will cut the rubber gasket. Also a shot of silicone lubricant spray once or twice a month will keep the plug from sticking.

PPS - silicone lubricant spray the rubber seals of the cleanout plugs too so they never get stuck.

 

[Canuckjetboater]

Sadly finding junk in the bilge is standard practice for all new yamahas, and usually contributes to early leaks as it messes up the plug seal. Definitely good advice to clean that area out thoroughly. I wouldn't worry about the motors ingesting fiberglass dust, it's a long way to travel and that's what the filters are for.

@seanmclean ......yes, production remnants are not uncommon in all boats. I was surprised to find the volume of chunks of fiberglass and metal filings that were long and curly - the kind you get from a drill bit when you drill through a metal plate. I will try to remember to take some pictures to post here. I read a lengthy and very detailed report of fiberglass production "dust" intrusion into marine engines, a few years ago, that concluded it would shorten the life of the motor by 20% and destroy the catalytic converters. When I looked into the engine bay of my new 2014 $350K cruiser I found piles of fiberglass dust where someone in the factory had used a grinder to level off the big main hatch for the engine bay. Sitting in that bay were two very expensive, high performance 502 Catalytic Mercruiser Magnums, my 5KW generator as well as a host of other expensive equipment. I was truly shocked. My 2020 Yamaha SX195 has a supercharger that sucks air like an elephant. It would be entirely possible for it to ingest the debris I found in the under swim platform cavity as that cavity is not sealed. I'm not willing to take the chance so I'll be hauling the shop vac to the slip! Cheers MT

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

Ya, factory and dealer missed the fact both bolts in one motor mount were only hand tight, I wasn’t a happy person when I heard the rattle of the bolts and found them sitting under the bilge pump.

my yard sprinkler got a bunch of water in the hull through the anchor locker drain, pushed a bunch of shavings out through the plug.

 

[S1LV3R4D0]

This is but a fraction of what i pulled outta mine last year. I flushed the crap out of it afterwards and then changed out my plugs to SS ones.

 

[zipper]

Definetly vacuum/flush all the debris out. If it floats, it could get into the strainer on the bilge pump or if sinks could foul the bilge drain plug. The air intake "thru hulls" hole for the engine(s) is behind the seatback cushion on the swim platform and is separated from the area below the swim platform where the dust and debris is.

 

[Gunner]

Dont feel bad I had vacuumed out under the clean out tray before its maiden voyage. Had a couple screws, shavings, piece of a zip tie and an inspection sheet. Boat now has 93 hours on it and every now and then something new appears. Yesterday after a couple hours in 2 to 4 seas I got home and found about a 3" hose clamp piece. Looks like the cutoff piece as all my clamps are still intact. Amazing where this stuff can hide on a 19' boat .