How I clear the pump of sea grass (river salad)

[Ronnie]

The title pretty much covers it. I don't have to pull a plug very often but when I do this is how and why I do it. Here are some hints, tips.

1. If possible anchor in a no wake zone.
2. If you are going to pull one plug, pull them both. I failed to do this and ended up doing the other side less than a minute after I cleared the first pump but after I had pulled the anchor.
3. You don't have to get every blade of grass but it helps. Sometimes a small chunk of debris will get stuck floating in front of the impeller and cause cavitation until is removed.
4. If the rubber seals on your plugs are deteriorating / bloating, spend the $40 per side to refurbish them. If you think you are screwed because you can't get a plug out. How do you think you will feel when you are miles from the dock and can't get a plug or both of them back in?

 

[Julian]

I gather that the reverse clean out trick does work for that grass?

 

[Ronnie]

I gather that the reverse clean out trick does work for that grass?

Not when there is that much grass in the pump/through the intake grate already.

 

[txav8r]

I have discovered that it is totally contingent on what "type" of grass you have gotten into, as to whether the "reverse move" works or not. Also, if your still in the grass, it doesn't work well, nor does doing it by hand, as you just build up more grass. Even if it doesn't work perfect, doing the reverse move saves me time and effort first, then I can clear it by hand if needed. Most of what the reverse move does, is get the crap hanging on the grate out of the way of the intake...that stuff causes as much or more cavitation as what actually gets to the impeller. But this too is one of those things that is just different boat to boat, lake to lake, and season to season. It is hard to compare what works well for one guy to what conditions another guy has to deal with.

 

[Ronnie]

The reverse move has never worked well for me. I'm probably just doing it wrong but it's also a little counter intuitive for me in that to do the reverse move you have to rev up the engines which can suck more of the debris past the Intake grate and into the pump.

Most of what I pulled out was through the grate already and some of it past the impeller blades, just got to close to the vegetation for too long. All told I think it took less than 5 mins to get back underway and it didn't cause me or anyone on board any undue stress, so it's all good.

 

[Glassman]

Thanks @Ronnie , great video.

When we venture down river to Lake Havasu we sometimes have to pass through football field size areas of very fine grass in thick growth. It's right at the mouth of the Colorado at the top of the lake. Sometimes it's so bad we just stop and take a break, swim, eat....while I clear the jets.
Once it was packed in so tight it was solid under the plug! Had to hack away with a serrated knife to grab chunk after chunk of grass.

 

[Ronnie]

I here you @Glassman , unfortunately all too well but we are better for having the experience. No sudden panic attacks is a good thing, especially while boating buy I can't recall ever stopping for a swim / snack break while I cleared the pump(s), great idea. Although I'm glad to have cleanout plugs, sometimes (like when strands of grass that are several feet long are coming out of the steering nozzle) I just have to get in to clear the salad. So I put on a life vest and go swimming.

The big benefit of the cleanout ports too me is that I can cut a rope out from the deck instead of in/under the water or while it is on the trailer. On my euroline (speedster like) and Seadoo jet boats I've had fouled tow line kill entire boating days, the only way to clear it was on a trailer unless you have scuba gear. I wonder if chapparals enclosed impeller shaft will prevent problems like that? Would it have helped with the weeds I went through? Are any of the other new entrants to the jet boating market working on a "better mouse trap"?

It still blows me away to hear that other yamaha jet boaters have never had to clear debris through their cleanout ports. I'm jealous of those guys.

 

[txav8r]

It still blows me away to hear that other yamaha jet boaters have never had to clear debris through their cleanout ports. I'm jealous of those guys.

This is probably a perfect example of how we don't all have the same conditions. I rarely have grass or debris for that matter. @Jebinok was laughing at me last weekend because I came all the way from the cabin, with a dock line trailing in the water behind me. Then when idling beside them, before he laughed and called me a rookie, he yelled for me to cut the engine! We all have those moments...even veterans! Thanks Jeb!

 

[KXCam22]

When I do the reverse clean out trick I do a reverse rockford turn (remember the TV show Rockford files), going forward then spin around backwards so that your forward momentum turns into backward momentum, thus no reverse reving of the motor. Plus its cool since no other boat can do it. Except I mostly get sticks which don't always come out. My last outing our river/lake looked like a civil war naval battlefield with big rafts of wood and logs congregated together. Cam.

ps my wife just hates it when I do it in her car.