Stopped by algae

[paul075]

Was cruising in the North Landing River here in Virginia yesterday on our way to Munden Point. On the way down I got an over temp warning on the port engine. Stopped and found it was not getting water so took the hose to the intake strainer loose, blew through it a got whatever was plugging it out and we were back on our way. Everything was good fit the rest of the day until the return trip when about a 1/4 mile from where we stopped on the way, both engines over heat. Same process as before but found water coming into the intakes. blew through the hose the other way to find them plugged. finally blew hard enough to dislodge what was ever in the engines. once I got it running again had my friend check the pee streams for water where he caught a glob of green algae coming out. We ran for about 2 mins before overheat again. This time I took out the thermostats out only to find them covered in the same goo. I just left them out and continued on. We repeated the blowing out the motors no less than three more times before it finally stopped cloging up as we got farther up the river. The funny thing is there was no sign of algae on the water surface, but the water in that river is very stagnant and we have had little rain lately. Just wanted to share this with everyone, never thought that algae could stop my boat. going to make a rig that will fit in the flush ports to put compressed air or co2 in there to blow out obstructions. wish I could have got a picture of the stuff in the thermostats but I was too much in a hurry to get the boat back running.

 

[lashburn1]

Crazy? That would happen to any boat or just a Yamaha??
We had a Small piece of Kelp (seaweed) cover our cooling intake on our 242LS....It did the Same thing...

 

[Julian]

This would be a problem for any boat with an open cooling system, but perhaps more of a problem for jets as they scoop water from the surface while IO and OBs draw from a few feet below the surface.

 

[Julian]

@paul075 were you doing a lot of no wake speed?

 

[brockhals]

This would be a problem for any boat with an open cooling system, but perhaps more of a problem for jets as they scoop water from the surface while IO and OBs draw from a few feet below the surface.

Ahhh...the benefits of a 42" draft

 

[paul075]

@paul075 were you doing a lot of no wake speed?

No every time it would over heat i was at over 7000 RPM and 30 miles an hour

 

[paul075]

Ahhh...the benefits of a 42" draft

Until you hit a submerged log like my neighbor did with his MerCruiser sterndrive in the same river/canal.

 

[brockhals]

Until you hit a submerged log like my neighbor did with his MerCruiser sterndrive in the same river/canal.

And that'd be the downside

 

[Julian]

No every time it would over heat i was at over 7000 RPM and 30 miles an hour

But had you been no waking it through floating algae?

 

[paul075]

But had you been no waking it through floating algae?

That is the weird thing, there was no visible signs of the stuff on the surface. The water looked like it always has. This waterway is part of the Inter-coastal waterway, between Great Bridge lock and the Currituck sound. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albemarle_and_Chesapeake_Canal) It is very highly traveled but no one else was having a problem but me.

 

[SCSTWG]

One of th lakes I boat on is very shallow and by early August is filled with algae and weeds. If this was my primary boating location I would not consider a Yamaha.