1WetBoat
Jetboaters Commander
- Messages
- 608
- Reaction score
- 596
- Points
- 197
- Location
- Tampa
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2021
- Boat Model
- AR
- Boat Length
- 25
Long story here so apologies for its length.
Ok, so i consider myself a rookie when it comes to operating my jetboat. My waverunner im a beast, but the boat, still learning.
Took it out last week during the week to try and practice launching/docking and to get the wife to practice backing up the trailer etc..
Ramp was pretty much empty so i prepped the boat and launched with no issues. Tied up I started the engines and was going over everything, while the wife parked the DD/Trailer. I noticed that the jetwash was kinda frothy but attributed it to the water at the ramp, didnt think much of it. Few mins later I get a port engine overheat alarm and i shut the engines off right away. Wait a minute and go to turn them on, starboard turns on fine, but port beeps with overheat, i look and pissers arent pissing water. I shut it all off again and open engine hatch. I could put my hand in the exhaust of the SB engine but could not touch the port engine. Thought that was really weird so I did some quick visual checks and couldnt find anything. Asked the wife to go get the trailer to pull it out, not gonna risk damaging an engine. Noticed when loading the boat on the trailer that the SB engine seemed to not have a lot of thrust when power loading.
Pull the boat out and drove to the staging area and checked the obvious, hoses, connections, pissers etc.. Thought a bug clogged one of the pissers but that wasn't it. Then went to the pump area and decided to remove the water pickup strainer in case something decided to build a nest. Nothing, clean as a whistle so that wasn't it either. Decided to open the clean out hatch and check if there was an obstruction that i sucked up while launching the boat.
BOOM..... that is when i realized I had left both cleanout plugs out laying on top of the panel. I stood there and just shook my head in disbelief that I went thru my checklist and thought I had covered the cleanout plugs.
Launched the boat again and started the SB engine and this time the jetwash was no longer "frothy". I then cranked the port engine and alarm was gone and all components cool to the touch and both pissers happily pissing cool water. So apparently with the plugs out, it doesn't build enough pressure to push the water for cooling.
Had a good day at one of the local islands, the Shore Spike worked flawlessly again keeping the boat tied up.
On the way back, the wind had picked up and there was a strong current at the ramp. That was a disaster also, could not for the life of me get the boat where I needed it to be to tie it up. I was using the current to push me into the dock but for some reason I could not keep it there. Was really embarrassing that I had so much issues. It wasn't a maneuvering problem either, the boat responded perfectly, it was operator error.
I was coming in at a 45 and as soon as i got the bow close I would throw it in reverse to get the stern close but the bow would creep away from the dock. I was keeping the wheel turned towards the dock just alternating between forward/reverse. Took me a while before I could line it up, pretty bad, need more practice when its empty again.
Hope you enjoy reading my long/winded story.
Ok, so i consider myself a rookie when it comes to operating my jetboat. My waverunner im a beast, but the boat, still learning.
Took it out last week during the week to try and practice launching/docking and to get the wife to practice backing up the trailer etc..
Ramp was pretty much empty so i prepped the boat and launched with no issues. Tied up I started the engines and was going over everything, while the wife parked the DD/Trailer. I noticed that the jetwash was kinda frothy but attributed it to the water at the ramp, didnt think much of it. Few mins later I get a port engine overheat alarm and i shut the engines off right away. Wait a minute and go to turn them on, starboard turns on fine, but port beeps with overheat, i look and pissers arent pissing water. I shut it all off again and open engine hatch. I could put my hand in the exhaust of the SB engine but could not touch the port engine. Thought that was really weird so I did some quick visual checks and couldnt find anything. Asked the wife to go get the trailer to pull it out, not gonna risk damaging an engine. Noticed when loading the boat on the trailer that the SB engine seemed to not have a lot of thrust when power loading.
Pull the boat out and drove to the staging area and checked the obvious, hoses, connections, pissers etc.. Thought a bug clogged one of the pissers but that wasn't it. Then went to the pump area and decided to remove the water pickup strainer in case something decided to build a nest. Nothing, clean as a whistle so that wasn't it either. Decided to open the clean out hatch and check if there was an obstruction that i sucked up while launching the boat.
BOOM..... that is when i realized I had left both cleanout plugs out laying on top of the panel. I stood there and just shook my head in disbelief that I went thru my checklist and thought I had covered the cleanout plugs.
Launched the boat again and started the SB engine and this time the jetwash was no longer "frothy". I then cranked the port engine and alarm was gone and all components cool to the touch and both pissers happily pissing cool water. So apparently with the plugs out, it doesn't build enough pressure to push the water for cooling.
Had a good day at one of the local islands, the Shore Spike worked flawlessly again keeping the boat tied up.
On the way back, the wind had picked up and there was a strong current at the ramp. That was a disaster also, could not for the life of me get the boat where I needed it to be to tie it up. I was using the current to push me into the dock but for some reason I could not keep it there. Was really embarrassing that I had so much issues. It wasn't a maneuvering problem either, the boat responded perfectly, it was operator error.
I was coming in at a 45 and as soon as i got the bow close I would throw it in reverse to get the stern close but the bow would creep away from the dock. I was keeping the wheel turned towards the dock just alternating between forward/reverse. Took me a while before I could line it up, pretty bad, need more practice when its empty again.
Hope you enjoy reading my long/winded story.
