My boat sucks!

[bgood188]

Yes my boat sucks ropes. Last night I sucked up my first and sure not my last rope.

This site and people made my response a non event. My buddy a prop boater was with us and he was impressed knowing I just got my boat.

Saw the rope get sucked in. And my actions that followed was all learned on this site

1) kill engines
2) drop anchor. We will be a while
3) grab a beer
4) grab tool box
5) pull serrated knife out
6) open clean out hatch and go to work

Took about 40 min. We sucked up about 40 ft of rope. We then switched from kneeboarding ( no rope) to tubing. Still was a great night

If I had not been on this site as new boat owner I would have made a number of bad choices like "I got two engines let's go back to dock at full throttle" I would most likely not have had the right tools.

Thanks for the continual education by all.

 

[Julian]

Hopefully I'm not going to suck up another (only sucked up one 11 years ago), but if I do I'm going to try the remove the spark plugs and pull it back out method as long as it doesn't feel stuck up against the intake tunnel.

Glad you had a good knife and had no issues!

My first time I had a knife, but was so PO'd I ended up cutting myself as well as the rope! GRRR

 

[jonw9]

After our one encounter on our first boat, my wife became the "Rope Handler" so I never had to pay it any mind. Whenever we started, stopped, or turned around she would be right there telling whomever to "WATCH THE ROPE!"

 

[ar240owner]

I am dreading the day when that happens to me !!! Knock on wood I haven't experienced that yet !!!! Reminder to self , I need to get a good blade on my boat !!!

 

[4x15mph]

Just put a serrated knife in my "boat bin". The boat bin is a garbage can where I stage things that need to go on the boat on the next outing.

Thanks for reminding us that this can happen to any of us

 

[GiddYupJoe]

@bgood188 is that a child sized wakeboard in the back of your truck? It just looks real small. If so what type and lenght is it? I will be in the market for a very small wakeboard for next season.

 

[Glassman]

I hate when that happens...

Only because my scenario doesn't go like that. I'm too stupid to cut the line.
I have to pull it out, all of it, intact. Otherwise it'll ruin my day.
I know there must be a name for that. Oh yeah, stupid.

 

[Mike]

Happened to me on our second time out... it was pretty bad and on a windy day bring the boat back to the ramp. From that day on some one is ALWAYS on rope alert! Im glad yours wasn't as bad as my first experience!! lol

 

[jcyamaharider]

I have sucked up one rope when I was getting ready to pull 2 tubes with the XR. Since then " Knock on Wood" I haven't sucked another one up. The wife and I are very rope conscious now.

 

[bgood188]

@GiddYupJoe will be in the market for a very small wakeboard for next season.

@GiddYupJoe it is a kids wakeboard airhead bonehead ( fitting name for a kids board). 124cm is the size. Pic below
[ATTACH=full]7661[/ATTACH]

 

[GiddYupJoe]

@bgood188 awesome. Thanks for the insight. Looks like xmas shopping may stawrt early this year. How old is your rider on this board?

 

[bgood188]

@bgood188 awesome. Thanks for the insight. Looks like xmas shopping may stawrt early this year. How old is your rider on this board?

13 yr old girl. She would rather tube than board though.

 

[txav8r]

Like @Julian , if I ever have to remove another rope, I may try taking the pressure off the engine by removing the spark plugs and see if I can pull the rope out intact. It isn't really about saving the rope, but about time and exposure. Sometimes, being dead in the water where you happen to be, is exposure to a busy traffic area and less time the better! But the hard part about getting it out without cutting, is all about leverage. You have to be able to pull HARD to turn the motor/shaft/impeller with a rope wound around it. It may take a great deal of leverage. So if your on shore, you may be able to get that kind of leverage on dry ground, laying under the boat on the trailer, feet against the axle, and pulling to unwind the rope from the shaft. But in the water, a rope that has been pulled in through the intake...not sure how easy it will be to unwind from above through the clean out tube.

 

[Julian]

Would be really cool to be able to slowly reverse the starter motor so you could power unwind it!

 

[txav8r]

Would be really cool to be able to slowly reverse the starter motor so you could power unwind it!

Yes, while it would be great to have a transmission, and all that would allow, like neutral, a better reverse...it adds a very vulnerable component that adds, weight, cost, complexity, and a bunch of maintenance.

 

[davel501]

There might be something here. If you have the plugs out and the right service tool you could rotate the engine backwards by hand. I am not sure it would be cheaper or take less time though unless you suck up ropes a lot. I learned about the rope hazard on jet skis by reading about them sucking up ropes and cracking the tunnels then sinking tail first. So far, I am in the yet to suck up a rope club but the boys are getting older and starting to take on more responsibility so there will be lessons learned anew.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

You can turn the shaft from inside the engine compartment with a pipe wrench. I really don't think you can spin the shaft by pulling on the rope. You might be better off pulling the pump (bring your mask and snorkel) and try to slide the shaft out of the ropes hold.

To me the knife is the winner.

 

[rickd01]

being a seasoned "rope sucker upper" I have to agree with @Murf'n'surf , unless ofcourse you are superman