Solution to sticks getting sucked in

[Tarik Hodzic]

Hello all,

I have a 2004 Sugar Sand Mirage 1800 and have a really annoying problem. Sticks keep getting sucked into the grate and I always have to get out of the water to unclog it. I have spend days trying to find a solution to this problem but can't find one. I can't install a stomp grate because it is a fiberglass boat. I can't find any aftermarket grates with more prongs so that there is less space for the sticks to get in. Does anyone have any ideas? You guys really are my last hope before I set my boat on fire

 

[Chillypilot]

https://jetboaters.net/threads/unclogging-an-intake-grate.1022/
Sounds like this gentleman has a similar issue.

 

[Tarik Hodzic]

I replied to that thread and sent him a message. He said he upgraded his to a 12 tong grate which resolved the issue but I can't find a 12 tong one for my boat.

 

[Bilmon]

Welcome aboard, nice too see another Mirage,there are a couple of us floating around on here. Merc part # for the stainless grate is 854810T1 Goggle and you can find them from a lot of places including from Mercury [ think I got mine from Crowley Marine] gonna set ya back about 250 but worth it . Nothing larger than a pea can get in and it doesn't affect performance, it will plug with grass easy though

 

[itsdgm]

That's a tough one @Tarik Hodzic because anything placed in front of the intake has to be sturdy enough not to break off and get ingested, yet small enough not to disrupt the flow of water which results in cavitation. Keep in mind that our pumps are like vacume cleaners and are capable of sucking anything into the pumps. For instance, my wife threw a few water bottles into the boat for me and the kids. One bounced off the windshield and back overboard. She said to continue on with the kids and she would pick it up later. Well, when I throttled up the boat started cavitating immediately. Thankfully I have clean out ports on my Yamaha because the entire water bottle had been sucked up past the intake grate and into the pump. Somehow it must've flattened down and squeezed through.

I'm not at all sure what kind of pump system you have, so I wouldn't be able to offer much specific advice. But hopefully somebody else here will have a better solution. Keep us posted on what you try and the results.

 

[Tarik Hodzic]

Welcome aboard, nice too see another Mirage,there are a couple of us floating around on here. Merc part # for the stainless grate is 854810T1 Goggle and you can find them from a lot of places including from Mercury [ think I got mine from Crowley Marine] gonna set ya back about 250 but worth it . Nothing larger than a pea can get in and it doesn't affect performance, it will plug with grass easy though

Hey thanks!

Will this screw right in or do I need to alter it in some way? How do you deal with grass? I am using mine in the Pittsburgh waters and vegetation really isn't an issue. It's more sticks. Every couple outings I would get something stuck.

 

[Bilmon]

Straight screw on replacement. I don't deal with weeds much as I'm on rivers 100% of the time. Only clogged it bad one time that I can remember in 13 seasons

 

[Gym]

@Tarik Hodzic do the sticks get wedged in the intake or impeller or do they mostly rattle around and cause cavitation? Anything that is loose or if you get grass or weeds you can try this procedure to clear your pumps. https://jetboaters.net/threads/easy...ut-of-your-jet-pump-without-pulling-plugs.16/ This procedure is pretty generic to jet boats and can be a quick solution when done correctly.

 

[Ronnie]

Agree with getting a grate with more times. I had a seadoo with a merc sport jet and replaced the stock surge grate with a merc fixed grate from bam or bams marine in Florida. There were three available as I recall. One had 5 or 7 times and the another 11 or 13 times and came in stainless or non stainless steel. Well worth the money at $200ish . It would still get clogged every once in a while but nothing ever got though to foul the impeller, other than the occasional rope when my wife was driving. I must have had the 5 or 7 tine grate because the other one had much smaller spaces between the tines, not enough to let a tow rope pass through.