Issues with weeds?

[anmut]

If you have to go through them, do it at speed, otherwise avoid them.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

most of the jet boats where you are use Berkley pumps or other similar jet drives that operate on a automotive engine, and they have big pumps and big intake grates but Yamaha uses the same engines and pumps that the jet skies use, also the weed problem usually is near shore so once you recognize the areas with weeds you can deal with them Your model can use my reverse move to clear weeds without needing to open the clean out plugs .

 

[johnkim]

most of the jet boats where you are use Berkley pumps or other similar jet drives that operate on a automotive engine, and they have big pumps and big intake grates but Yamaha uses the same engines and pumps that the jet skies use, also the weed problem usually is near shore so once you recognize the areas with weeds you can deal with them Your model can use my reverse move to clear weeds without needing to open the clean out plugs .

Thanks. Can I assume Yamaha jet boat will have no issue if there are jet skis on the lake?

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

You know what they say about assume however you could get some good advice from the people who have and use them, I always say do your research, A little of that can save you a lot of time, trouble and money. Who knows there may even be a facebook group for that area.

 

[SB78]

Hi Elliot,

I'm at Rice Lake, Ontario. Canada. I'm not sure what type weeds they're.

I really like the AR series by Yamaha. There is nothing comparable in term of look and space at this price point for sterndrive...

I don't anticipate using the boat much if I buy it. Perhaps one weekend per month during summer months (june - august).

I would not recommend a jet boat on Rice Lake...the weeds on the lake are horrible and dense. I would stick to an outboard.

 

[Brizingr]

I am interested in the Yamaha 252 FSH Sport for Biscayne Bay, Florida sandbars and off shore fishing / reef diving.
I am looking at the Yamaha FSH since it’s seems to be a fishing and also a family capable boat. I had been looking at dual consoles like the Hurricane 2690 or Sea Ray OB in that size.
However I think I prefer the center console layout as long as it has comfy seating for the family.
I have a slip with a lift, so the boat would be parked out of the water.

Is a Yamaha jet boat a good idea for this area or will I be dealing with a lot of clogged impellers?
Weeds, trash, …

 

[212s]

Got my first jetboat last year and no real issues - going slow sucks them up but going faster just chops them up like salad and spits them out the back.

This past summer late in the season when the weeds were at their worst, I was floating with the engines idling and had a heat warning. Seems the suction was pulling large clumps of weeds over the intake grates and blocking water flow through the intakes. Once I shut down and got the intakes cleared and cleared the warning, I had no issues cruising over the weeds and no further issues the rest of the year. Now if I'm in heavy weed areas, I just make sure I'm using No Wake Mode with the revs a little higher (1600 or 2000 RPM) to chew up the weeds or speed up and cruise over the weeds. So with about 150 hours over two seasons, I only had one instance of weeds clogging the intakes and causing a problem. I had many more issues with the prop getting weeds wrapped around the shaft causing cavitation and lack of thrust than I have with the jetboat...go figure.

I always pull the cleanout plugs at the end of each day, and I usually have to pull a few stringy weeds out that are wrapped around the impeller shafts from mid to late summer, but nothing of consequence.

 

[Brizingr]

Got my first jetboat last year and no real issues - going slow sucks them up but going faster just chops them up like salad and spits them out the back.

This past summer late in the season when the weeds were at their worst, I was floating with the engines idling and had a heat warning. Seems the suction was pulling large clumps of weeds over the intake grates and blocking water flow through the intakes. Once I shut down and got the intakes cleared and cleared the warning, I had no issues cruising over the weeds and no further issues the rest of the year. Now if I'm in heavy weed areas, I just make sure I'm using No Wake Mode with the revs a little higher (1600 or 2000 RPM) to chew up the weeds or speed up and cruise over the weeds. So with about 150 hours over two seasons, I only had one instance of weeds clogging the intakes and causing a problem. I had many more issues with the prop getting weeds wrapped around the shaft causing cavitation and lack of thrust than I have with the jetboat...go figure.

I always pull the cleanout plugs at the end of each day, and I usually have to pull a few stringy weeds out that are wrapped around the impeller shafts from mid to late summer, but nothing of consequence.

where are you located / use your boat?

 

[johhnyboat]

My first year with a jet boat. I went all season without any weed issues until last weekend. Long story, but I was in a no wake zone in a creek that I had never been in and noticed the weeds were dense. Immediately turned around and then starboard engine clogged. I tried the reverse trick but it did not work. So pulled the cleanout plugs, pulled out a small dog worth of weeds, put the plugs back in and was on my way.
My point is, it's not a big deal. I previously had several stern drive boats and if you got anything clogged in the intakes, it is not a simple procedure to remove. So, I don't think it a determining factor in purchasing a Yamaha Jet Boat. If you are ONLY in weeds, then get an outboard.

 

[212s]

where are you located / use your boat?

We trailer to various locations, but this happened in a shallow bay up here in Canada. Someone with experience in Biscayne Bay should be able to advise better.

 

[David Martin]

I might be the only guy that would disagree with the use of a reverse method or even a forward burst for that matter, unless you are in open water with lots of room to maneuver and I would never use reverse for any clog.(now) I ran through a debris, some kind of weed like a long(8")bean pod coming off the mangroves.....I felt the forward thrust drop in half and my temp gauge starting rising ....so I thought do the reverse method I have read about out hear, so I reversed and gave it a quick blip of the throttle.

What happened next got my attention rather quick as I was bringing the throttles back up to neutral to forward the reverse gates were jammed in reverse so the throttles would not move into neutral. Those pods were stuck in reverse gate jamming the throttles and gates into reverse that will raise the hair on the back of you neck up quickly.

I shut of the keys quickly as I was in reverse heading towards the mangroves I did a soft landing into the groves and had my wife hold onto the groves so we would not drift....after clearing(ton's of pods) through the ports I had to hang off the back and clean the reverse gates they were jammed with lots of the bean shoot in every small opening not allowing the gates to move into neutral. WON"T EVER REVERSE BURST THE GATED FULL OF CRAP AGAIN.

JMO........ its not safe to clear jets in this manor. In forward with a fully open gate a quick burst might be ok(at lease the gates are not in the way going forward) as long as you are in an area that has an open area that a collision not in the cards (maybe ok), but my advise is clear the jets through the ports by hand(much safer)

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

First go back and re read the reverse move because you did not use it and it only clears weeds not long mangrove seeds or other long items just weeds from the intake grate by drifting backward with the reverse gate open and the ENGINE OFF! Jet boats do not have reverse rotation like props so revving the boat with the controls in reverse would only create a bigger problem. And if the temperature was rising you had a big issue and the reverse move is not meant for that sort of issue. I Have been using it for 20 years and if I have that sort of clog in the pump I would not even consider it. In order to get those mangrove pods above your reverse buckets and lock them up you must have backed directly into them and they piled up on the buckets and in order to end up in the mangroves themselves you must have been backing directly toward them. for the reverse move to be used you first need to be in clean water with no boats, people or trees in your way. you get the boat going in reverse and then shut down the engines and place the controls in forward with the engine or engines off, this puts water through the nozzle as the boat drifts backward and washes out weeds from the intake grate, not mangrove pods or plastic bags or fishing nets just weeds that were causing cavitation and you want to clear them quickly and easily , also you should avoid the weeds etc at all costs because driving through them is asking for problems and avoid idling in shallow water with sea grass and mangroves all around you as the pump is a big vacuum cleaner plus reverse in shallow water is asking for lots of trash in your pump because in shallow water it kicks up the bottom and puts the trash in your pump.

 

[tdonoughue]

@David Martin raises a good point, but I would suggest that it could be expanded a bit:

In all situations where you are clogged or where things otherwise do not go right. Stop. Make sure what you are going to do is safe. Think for a second or two. Look all the way around. Are there swimmers, other craft, docks, ducks, weeds... What if it doesn't work, goes wrong, gets stuck... Give it a thought. Then act.

There is no magic solution that is perfect for every occasion. But if you give it a stop and a think, you have much better odds of making a better decision than if you just automatically jump to solution X or solution Y. I'm not saying I'm perfect in doing that either, but we should all try.

Please be safe.

 

[johhnyboat]

I might be the only guy that would disagree with the use of a reverse method or even a forward burst for that matter, unless you are in open water with lots of room to maneuver and I would never use reverse for any clog.(now) I ran through a debris, some kind of weed like a long(8")bean pod coming off the mangroves.....I felt the forward thrust drop in half and my temp gauge starting rising ....so I thought do the reverse method I have read about out hear, so I reversed and gave it a quick blip of the throttle.

What happened next got my attention rather quick as I was bringing the throttles back up to neutral to forward the reverse gates were jammed in reverse so the throttles would not move into neutral. Those pods were stuck in reverse gate jamming the throttles and gates into reverse that will raise the hair on the back of you neck up quickly.

I shut of the keys quickly as I was in reverse heading towards the mangroves I did a soft landing into the groves and had my wife hold onto the groves so we would not drift....after clearing(ton's of pods) through the ports I had to hang off the back and clean the reverse gates they were jammed with lots of the bean shoot in every small opening not allowing the gates to move into neutral. WON"T EVER REVERSE BURST THE GATED FULL OF CRAP AGAIN.

JMO........ its not safe to clear jets in this manor. In forward with a fully open gate a quick burst might be ok(at lease the gates are not in the way going forward) as long as you are in an area that has an open area that a collision not in the cards (maybe ok), but my advise is clear the jets through the ports by hand(much safer)

I think you are missing the part where you pull the safety cord to turn the engines off.

 

[212s]

Yeah when I had a blocked intake I cut the engines and tossed the anchor over to keep me from drifting while I cleared the weeds. Got ready by running the blower, pulled the anchor up, fired up the engines and took off.