Captainess needs HELP

[She-Doo0215]

Hi - I bought a 2002 Utopia 185 last year and what was supposed to be EASIER for me to take care of than an I/O has proved everything but that. I have had problems with debris getting in the intake grate (a girl can fix that) but now my boat is in the shop again and they are telling me the computer board is shot and it is an EXPENSIVE fix. I'm in Lake Wylie SC and am debating whether or not to fix it or sell it to someone as is just to get the loan paid off and start over. Not many people have these types of boats and the mechanics around here don't like working on them. Any suggestions here? Thank you!

 

[RockwallRick]

Boating is an expensive hobby! Good luck whatever you decide to do!

 

[JeremyD615]

Sorry you’re having so much trouble with it. The Utopia is a Mercury powered boat, so you’re more likely to get good answers in that section of the forum. It’s a bit of an oddball setup compared to the rest of the Sea Doo line, so not many of the guys that frequent the two stroke section are going to be real familiar with them...

 

[Dr Honda]

I moved the thread for you.

This season, I've heard of a few shops saying the ECU has given out... but they aren't really that fragile. What has gone wrong?

You are right that shops don't like working on these... but it's basically a Mercury outboard engine. The parts are all interchangeable. Speaking of that... exactly what engine do you have? I'm assuming a Gen1 240EFI.

As far as the junk getting into the impeller... that is a mixed bag. You can get stuff wrapped around a prop... and worse... you can wack a prop on something solid, and end the day pretty fast.

 

[She-Doo0215]

I moved the thread for you.

This season, I've heard of a few shops saying the ECU has given out... but they aren't really that fragile. What has gone wrong?

As far as the junk getting into the impeller... that is a mixed bag. You can get stuff wrapped around a prop... and worse... you can wack a prop on something solid, and end the day pretty fast.

Thank you! I'll let you know - doing the research now and the intake grate on this boat is pretty sturdy but the bars are about an inch apart and Lake Wylie has been full of debris. The crap is just getting through and twice has seized the prop. Damaged a wear sleeve a bit but still ran ok, until this happened. I'm learning as I go....

 

[She-Doo0215]

Thank you! I'll let you know - doing the research now and the intake grate on this boat is pretty sturdy but the bars are about an inch apart and Lake Wylie has been full of debris. The crap is just getting through and twice has seized the prop. Damaged a wear sleeve a bit but still ran ok, until this happened. I'm learning as I go....

 

[JeremyD615]

Yeah, grate design is a give-and-take kind of thing. Any grate that were to give good debris protection would be bad for performance because it creates an obstruction in the pump intake. On the other side, a grate design that is good for performance is going to leave plenty of room for debris to get through. Over time, you learn to spot floating debris in advance and avoid places with vegetation, but unfortunately there are going to be times when it’s unavoidable...

 

[Tim75]

Thank you! I'll let you know - doing the research now and the intake grate on this boat is pretty sturdy but the bars are about an inch apart and Lake Wylie has been full of debris. The crap is just getting through and twice has seized the prop. Damaged a wear sleeve a bit but still ran ok, until this happened. I'm learning as I go....

The good news here is that the ECU seldom fails. The electronics in/on these engine are pretty robust. However, there are many other things that can go wrong. Just like they can on an I/O. The Merc jet drive system is even simpler than an I/O. I/Os have 2 sets of gears and universal joints. The jet has one gear set that is always meshed (no clash when shifting). Floating vegetation is the bane of ALL jet drive watercraft. It seldom does damage. Seized the prop? Please explain. Perhaps it just clogged the intake? This could be a problem in that it can reduce the flow of cooling water.

Most service shops won't work on our boats. The very reason for this forum.