Are you doing a pre ride inspection?

[Guest_User]

Lately I`ve been reading problems upon problems with members boats.
people go out and run the boat, when something happens, they either crank the snot out of it or continue to run it if it does refire and do more damage. maybe the issue will mysteriously go away with continued use!

no one likes a failure to occur right in the beginning of the season and it is the busiest time of year for repair shops and part suppliers, so you`ll be waiting quite a while when maybe some issues could have been easily avoided...

Are you doing a pre ride inspection???

checking all hoses, clamps, oil lines and cables, verifying the blower and bilge pump is in working order???
all NAV lighting in working order?

you can be spot checked at any time by the AUX or USCG or local authority.

do you fire the boat up prior to launching? bc no one likes the guy who waits till he`s on the ramp or in the water and their is an issue with the boat possible ruining other boaters day!!!

is the boat on a battery tender?
do you climb under the boat and visually look into the tunnel at the condition of the impeller or impeller boot?
do you frequently spray lube the steering linkage, rear reverse bucket joints, and steering nozzle bushings/bolts???

is the battery cables in good health?
do you frequently check all the ground connections for loose bolts?

if you have electrical issues, broken/burnt/corroded wires or connections??? STOP until this is resolved!!!
You chance your life and others with an explosion if a spark occurs under the hatch.

as our boats age and fuel changes, have you gone thru all the fuel hoses and replaced all of them???

there is so much more to keeping after these jets boats over others. the list is long, but with due diligence a PRE ride inspection and a POST ride inspection a lot of issues can be controlled or taken care of ahead of a catastrophic failure with a little PM = preventative maintenance.

For you NEW to boats owners! get to know your boat, get intimate with it. it is not fun breaking down while having the family on board expecting to have a great time and the next thing your being towed in! there are precautions to take for being towed in as well...
I suggest anyone new research and have a owners manual, a shop manual and some common sense.

Not trying to be an AZZ, but there are always some who should not wrench on their vessel. please recongnize this and leave it to the pro`s. In this case get close with a shop and stick with them, longevity and loyalty does have it rewards in most cases.

many out there are willing to learn, many have a mechanical skill for an advantage over most, but the forums simply can`t repair everyone`s craft.

when seeking help on the forums be sure to always say what boat you have, year/model/size/engine. all that is important for others to help out.

Please wrench and ride responsibly and have an enjoyable summer!


the reason I remind others of this is that I witnessed an unkowning NEW jet boat owner who was told the boat was perfect. The new owner started up the boat on the ramp, left the bulkhead and about 25 feet out it quit. The NEW owner did not recognize the fuel and oil in the water all around him as he continued to crank over the engines with several back fires.
I came about this as we came into port/dock and saw all the gas/oil in the water...

then the NEW owner wanted to continue to self diagnose and crank the engines when I simply said STOP, and a few more words...

Please have common sense with boat ownership, if not I hear skate boarding is safer...lol...

 

[jhjesse]

Ahhh...I get it now.

 

[Guest_User]

Ahhh...I get it now.

:facepalm: :lols::leaving:

 

[jhjesse]

You are too much Andy!! :lol:

Great stuff! Needed to be said. Hopefully someone will read and save themselves a lot of needless trouble. :thumbsup:

 

[Guest_User]

You are too much Andy!! :lol:

Great stuff! Needed to be said. Hopefully someone will read and save themselves a lot of needless trouble. :thumbsup:

every once in a while you need to toss a grenade in the room!:lols:
I highly regard Doc Honda and appreciate his responses on the forum, but man he needs a break to! wish I knew 1/10th of what he does!:cheers:

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

They always want the same price for it as they paid, too, even though it won't run and the engine has been full of water for six months!

 

[Guest_User]

They always want the same price for it as they paid, too, even though it won't run and the engine has been full of water for six months!

hahah, I`ve seen enough shoe shine repairs in my time including auto foreign and domestic to, wow!...
spend the money, fix it right, or bail... the life you save may be mine...

 

[docster]

I notice when shopping, lots of jet boat owners are just new to boats and bought a cheap boat and thought buying a 5000 boat meant thats all you would ever put in it, thinking they maintain themselves or something. I waited and waited and was willing pay a bit more for one that was very well maintianed with all documentation...

 

[Dr Honda]

.......
I highly regard Doc Honda and appreciate his responses on the forum, but man he needs a break to! wish I knew 1/10th of what he does!:cheers:

He's an IDIOT !! (lol)


Thanks for the pat on the back. Glad to know I'm liked. :cheers:

 

[Guest_User]

He's an IDIOT !! (lol)


Thanks for the pat on the back. Glad to know I'm liked. :cheers:

a pat on the back is also referred to as an ATTA BOY! much better than an "oh sh-t" lol...

 

[howie099]

To be honest I really don't check everything before I go out on my boat either. I do think I have an advantage over a lot of boat owners is my boat sits in a climate controled Pole Building when its not is use which I think saves a lot of wear and tear from the elements.

Here is what I check before I go. Charge the batteries, check oil, open engine compartment and do quick visual inspection, and start it before I go to the docks. After boating I drain the bilge, wash sides if I have to, make sure nothing is hanging on the boat, start engines to clear water, and air out the engine compartment.

I usually check all the other stuff in the offseason to make sure it is up to par. I don't like to do any major maintance in boating season, but people that don't store their boat at their house usually don't have that advantage. They don't get there boat back until right before the season starts from the storage place and than they find they have issues.

 

[Guest_User]

To be honest I really don't check everything before I go out on my boat either. I do think I have an advantage over a lot of boat owners is my boat sits in a climate controled Pole Building when its not is use which I think saves a lot of wear and tear from the elements.

Here is what I check before I go. Charge the batteries, check oil, open engine compartment and do quick visual inspection, and start it before I go to the docks. After boating I drain the bilge, wash sides if I have to, make sure nothing is hanging on the boat, start engines to clear water, and air out the engine compartment.

I usually check all the other stuff in the offseason to make sure it is up to par. I don't like to do any major maintance in boating season, but people that don't store their boat at their house usually don't have that advantage. They don't get there boat back until right before the season starts from the storage place and than they find they have issues.

true most seasoned boaters do a visual inspection as you mentioned and all this becomes the normal routine with every ride.

not saying clamps and intricate checking needs to be done everytime, but at the very minimum at the beginning of the season and a time or 2 during the season.

I`ve always made it a habit to rinse out the tunnel/impeller/steering nozzle area etc when doing the washdown...

The new boat owners should absolutely go aver their craft themselves to become familiar or have a shop check it out for them.

and there is always something that needs attention in the off season...

Good job Howie!:thumbsup:

most know if you have a planned ride or vacation, get the boat done in advance.

 

[Guest_User]

reminder, if you are going to do your own wrenching, don`t rely on the forum alone. Get yourself a shop service manual! the illustrations alone speak volumes...lol...

 

[rjcress]

reminder, if you are going to do your own wrenching, don`t rely on the forum alone. Get yourself a shop service manual! the illustrations alone speak volumes...lol...

Good thread, Andy.

Also, I sometimes find that the parts manual illustrations show things not illustrated in the FSM.

 

[1800chall_tim]

ya, you nailed it right on the head with this tread andy!!!!! if you want an enjoyable day on the water w/ no headaches cover your bases. i do a thorough inspection after every ride as well as before the ride, if something has come loose or broke during a ride catch it asap, not at the dock the day of you're next ride!!! also, if i think my boat will sit more than 4-5 days b4 i ride again i will pull the plugs and fog the cylinders a little bit. after a good weekend of boating i clean the entire boat inside and out and always flush the engines on the hose for 1-2 minutes each. HAPPY BOATING, TIM

 

[Guest_User]

ya, you nailed it right on the head with this tread andy!!!!! if you want an enjoyable day on the water w/ no headaches cover your bases. i do a thorough inspection after every ride as well as before the ride, if something has come loose or broke during a ride catch it asap, not at the dock the day of you're next ride!!! also, if i think my boat will sit more than 4-5 days b4 i ride again i will pull the plugs and fog the cylinders a little bit. after a good weekend of boating i clean the entire boat inside and out and always flush the engines on the hose for 1-2 minutes each. HAPPY BOATING, TIM

hey Tim!
yup same here, if I know the boat is going to sit for a while, I`ll pull the plugs and shoot some storage oil in them and turn the motor over with a long 3/8 wooden dowel and spray into each cylinder and install the spark plugs.
I don`t flush the exhaust out bc I run in fresh water/brackish waters, just as I`m loading onto the trailer, and soon as I get up the ramp a little to incline the boat I`ll fire up each engine and just give it a blip pf throttle to expel and water in the exhaust pipes.
When washing down at home, I`ll climb under the boat and look into each grate/shoe and look things over, I`ll also run the hose thru the pump exit nozzle or shoe area to rinse anything off. The boat gets thoroughly washed after every ride...and anything that needs attention get done before the next outing...!

Happy Boating brotha!:cheers:

 

[1800chall_tim]

3/8 wooden dowel???? is that to reach starter button while bent over back seat with fogging spray in hand ? hahaha, i've used my big toe to press the starter button while bent over the back seat watching the compression tester!!! TIM

 

[Guest_User]

3/8 wooden dowel???? is that to reach starter button while bent over back seat with fogging spray in hand ? hahaha, i've used my big toe to press the starter button while bent over the back seat watching the compression tester!!! TIM

hahahah no, no big toe here, hahahahaha

I`ve used the 3/8`s wooden dowel method for years with the 2 strokes. I was removing the plugs for a plug change, so instead of spinning the engines over with the starter I simply push the pistons down their bores with the 3/8 dowel. spray liberally, then move onto the next. I spray down into the transfer ports and then rotate the engine with the dowel. Been doing this on the yamaha tripples for a long time...

Our PTO/shaft cover is not that simple to remove for immediate access to turn the crank bc the coil/solenoid box is mounted on that stainless cover... so no need to remove any of that for a simple spray/lube job...

The newer throttle bodies for seapoo have a fogging port into the housing to make it a helluva lot easier to spray when the engines are running.

I have thought about a similar system drilling and installing tubes/hose into the metal part of the FA. That hole in the plastic airbox cover doesn`t do shyt but create a huge mess of oil and you waste a lot of fogging spray that way.
I also figured I was better protected for the carb internals using premix...

 

[Guest_User]

BUMP! for a reminder.

 

[Guest_User]

almost a year later and still the same issues most of you are having with your boats...

1 get a manual
2 learn how to work on your boat
3 don`t open the hatch and give it to someone who knows these machines
4 step away from the tools
5 sell the boat

your call...