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Leaving boat in the water

M

moochy

Member
Hi guys,
Curious to know people's thoughts and experiences leaving their boats in the water for around 36 hours moored.

Provided the flushing of the engine is done when it comes out of the water is there anything else needed to be done apart from what it states in the user manuals?
 
just make sure crisso, hes an aussie also, have u met him ???, just make sure he dont take your beer while its in the water , actually no problem leavin em in the water, long as your bilge pumps are workin proper, ive had numerous boats, i used to leave in waqter 6 mos at a time, but that was fresh water, 3 - 4 days no problem, flush good and wash boat
 
You should be fine, just be sure your battery is up and your bilge pump is working. I leave my ski's in the water for extended periods all the time, I have a solar powered battery charger I use to keep the battery fully charged.

Like Griz said, just be sure cousin Criss isn't lurking around, he has been know to steal beer.

Oh, and Merry Christmas.

Lou
 
Not all seals and bilge pumps are the same.

The Seadoo owners manual suggest you do not store you boat/ski in the water overnight. The main reason is the "thru hull" seal. This is also why I say, not all are the same. So may leak more than others.

The bilge pump? That also depends. Anyone who has had these boats for any period of time, with the water activated sensor, then you all know how often they fail. Just in the forum alone, I know there have been several cases where the owner went to the dock in morning, to find it sunk. The water sensors are wired through the mpem, with a delay. When water reaches the sensor, it takes 10 seconds to turn on. When, water drops below the sensor, it'll cut off in 30 seconds. I do not trust that sensor set up. I have had to rework mine several times. I actually got a standard float switch, but connected to the system as the water sensor is, the float switch works with the same delay.

I'd say if you were going to leave it in the water for any period of time, know the leak-off of your mechanical seal (carbon seal). Then, instead of relying on the auto bilge system, put a standard bilge pump in, directly connected to your battery and float switch. This will eleminate the delay that is controlled by the mpem.
 
It's probably just dumb luck, but I have my bilge pumps set up like seadoosnipe suggested with the exception that the pumps I use have an auto sensing feature, they check for water every 30 seconds, that's why I have either a solar battery maintainer or a battery maintainer plugged into shore power. I also have a switch wired to run the pump manually, I've thought about a float switch but with a ski it's hard to find a place to put one.

Lou
 
If I do steal the beer,I always leave some empties behind so they can be filled with home brew.God!I do have some integrity.
 
crisso said:
If I do steal the beer,I always leave some empties behind so they can be filled with home brew.God!I do have some integrity.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I remember those good ole days, except when refilled with home brew, it was usually when I had to pee!.....LOL
 
SeaDooLou said:
It's probably just dumb luck, but I have my bilge pumps set up like seadoosnipe suggested with the exception that the pumps I use have an auto sensing feature, they check for water every 30 seconds, that's why I have either a solar battery maintainer or a battery maintainer plugged into shore power. I also have a switch wired to run the pump manually, I've thought about a float switch but with a ski it's hard to find a place to put one.

Lou
Click to expand...

You are so right about the tight spot. I had one heck of a time putting one in my 97 Challenger. I can put it behind the motor, but there it wouldn't be positioned right. Water would get up to the mag before it would kick on. I still have my original water sensor on it though. I just replaced the pump with a higher volume output. The older sensor is pretty cool, really simple technology. It's only two wires connected to metal screws about an inch apart. Because water conducts electricity, when it submerges the screws, it makes a connection via water conduction, turning on the pump...... pretty cool!

I like your set up for power. There is always more than one way to skin a cat. You seem to have all your bases covered. I inherited a drive on dock this summer from a friend I did some work for. I'm going to get it put in soon, so I can leave the ski on the water during the summer months. I've wanted one of these things for a while, but new, they are pretty high dollar....
 
seadoosnipe said:
I inherited a drive on dock this summer from a friend I did some work for. I'm going to get it put in soon, so I can leave the ski on the water during the summer months. I've wanted one of these things for a while, but new, they are pretty high dollar....
Click to expand...

That first time pulling onto the dock can be a little tricky getting the speed right. A friend has one on our lake. The first time I pulled up on it was like watching a cartoon. The first 3 tries I didn't have quite enough speed and didn't make it far enough onto the dock so slid back off into the water. The 4th try I had too much speed and thought for sure the ski was going to fly over the side of the dock and crash into his breakwall. I was glad noone was around watching :)
 
Jake,

I guess you didn't see Criss and I watching, we were laughing our a**es off. :lols::lols:

Lou
 
Thanks everyone for the replies. The boat will be a new challenger 180 so curious to know thoughts on this particular model if davo or anyone else has had any experience
 
I leave mine in the water overnight at my local marina if I've got an early start next day. Never a problem & I doubt over three days it would be either. Everytime I get it put in I inspect the bilge for water entering either via the two bungs or elsewhere by water level changes. Ensure you always test the pump each outing, & make sure the battery is up on charge. I've got a voltmeter on my c180 which is handy. Last tip, use saltaway or something else. The pump gets a rinse with it everytime I return from a day out. Best way to make sure it keeps working while cleaning the engine & boat down.
cheers
 
Thanks davo. Looks good. Looking at the engine flush I imagine this is a liquid concentrate? If so what's a good water to chemical ratio to use when flushing the engine and what's the most common way to mix?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You should get the mixing unit. They recommend this to apply the stuff. Fill little container with saltaway, screw it to mixer, attach to hose attach to boat, start boat, turn hose on, rev engine to 8000 3 times over two mins, turn hose off, rev engine again, turn engine off. Use remaining liquid to hose engine compartment & rest of boat & trailer. 3.8 lt should last a year if you use your boat lots. I think the mixing unit can only be initially bought with a small bottle though.
http://www.salt-away.com.au/pro3.asp
 
davo said:
I leave mine in the water overnight at my local marina if I've got an early start next day. Never a problem & I doubt over three days it would be either. Everytime I get it put in I inspect the bilge for water entering either via the two bungs or elsewhere by water level changes. Ensure you always test the pump each outing, & make sure the battery is up on charge. I've got a voltmeter on my c180 which is handy. Last tip, use saltaway or something else. The pump gets a rinse with it everytime I return from a day out. Best way to make sure it keeps working while cleaning the engine & boat down.
cheers
Click to expand...

I live on the river with a dock at my house. When I launch in the summer months, I leave mine in for a few days at a time. No more than 5 days because by then, algae and barannacles begin to grow. This is bad news unless you use an anti-fouling paint. Also, the marine growth is attaching itself to the inside of your pump and housing, along with the inlet of your open loop cooling system. So, if in salt water, make sure you remove and clean the hull at least once a week.

I did only state that Seadoo recommends we don't leave the boats/skis in the water. I didn't say I actually followed that advice. Like Davo has shouted out, sounds like some really solid advice. BTW Davo, good looking boat!
 
Hello all, coming back in several times now I've seen jet ski's rev their engine when back on their trailer to get rid of water before driving off. Is this something I should be doing too with my jet boat? At the moment I am just driving it home then doing my flush procedure.

davo said:
You should get the mixing unit. They recommend this to apply the stuff. Fill little container with saltaway, screw it to mixer, attach to hose attach to boat, start boat, turn hose on, rev engine to 8000 3 times over two mins, turn hose off, rev engine again, turn engine off. Use remaining liquid to hose engine compartment & rest of boat & trailer. 3.8 lt should last a year if you use your boat lots. I think the mixing unit can only be initially bought with a small bottle though.
http://www.salt-away.com.au/pro3.asp
Click to expand...
 
This is regarded as one of the best things to do with your boat..however...If you use your boat on fresh water, give it a good rev soon after its on the trailer. This will flush water out & hot exhaust out to reduce the likelihood of water vapour backing into the cylinders & other components. The heat will evaporate the water too. It will also clear the intercooler & other components. Doing it when the boat/ski is wet will reduce wear & tear as the components are still wet/lubricated. If you drive it home & immediately flush it, wet the boat intake/impeller & then do the flush procedure. Once the water is off I give mine a good rev before pulling the dess out. Does the same thing. If you won't flush the boat straight away give it a rev once out of the water to clear the remaining water out.
This is the way I understand it anyway.
Hope this helps
 
Hi all, is my bilge pump on dependant the switch on the dash only and wired direct to the battery bypassing the on/off selector?
 
Lou & SDSnipe,
I never bothered with a bilge pump since my GTX is almost always on a hoist. but my "new" 99 GSX came with a BP (Rule 500).
It doesn't have a switch up front so I assume it's fully automatic. Does it run all the time if the engine in running or just when it senses water. I took it off to clean it and boy, the screen was really "gummed" up with oily gunk & garbage, IIDK if water could ever get through to the sensor.... :)

Lou, Can you explain in detail what you did to yours to "bypass" and to add a switch up front.
Also what brand/size of Solar battery maintainer do you use?
 
Hi Tim,

None of my ski's had a pump installed, I added bilge pumps to my 96GTI and my 96GSX. The pump I used is self sensing and checks for water about every 30 seconds so I wanted to be able to turn off this circuit so not to over tax the battery.

I looked up the wiring diagram for your ski and if you want to disable the bilge circuit is cut the brown wire going to the bilge pump and install a switch. If your pump uses a float you probably don't need the switch.

This is the solar maintainer that I use.

http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-5001...64&sr=8-2&keywords=boat+solar+battery+charger

Lou
 
Just purchased a 2010 Wake 210 and live at the New Jersey shore where I plan to store the boat on a lift, once I can get the lift installed. Right now, the boat is in the water (and I've had it in the water a couple days at a time in the past with no problem). Assuming I take it out once a week by trailer and clean the bottom and ensure its not fouled, are there really any issues in keeping it in the water while the lift gets put in later ? Any preventive measures - like checking that the bilge runs, putting the bilge on a solar cell or back up battery/trickle charger, etc. ?

Thanks!
 
2010 Sea Doo Incorporates Sacrifical Anoides

Thanks for the help everyone. I just took the Wake 210 out after having it sit for 3 days in my boat slip and no problems, although I agree corrosion could be a long term issue, so I found this from Sea Doo (RE: their 2010 boats):

"All Sea-Doo sport boats are true marine products, designed to withstand harsh saltwater conditions with features like the Sea-Doo exclusive Closed-Loop Cooling System., stainless steel fasteners, e-coating and galvanic protection with sacrificial anodes, plus maintenance-free jet pump and engine valve train as standard equipment."

So, it looks like they have the sacrificial anodes suggested - but will they be zinc or magnesium as standard and what is e-coating and this galvanic protection feature ?

I'm probably wrong/weak here, but the boat runs so fast I find it hard to believe anything would stay affixed to the bottom after running every few days at top speeds. The dealer said to keep it out of the water because it would gunk up on the intakes and or the bottom would get attached with crap. What are your opinions?

Thanks again!

crisso said:
Salt water.Corrosion is the big issue.You NEED to have sacrificial anodes put on.
Click to expand...
 
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