Impeller was probably on the way out but would still pee. Finally went completely out. If you boat long enough it's gonna happen. No big deal, it's a wear part and an easy job.

11/20/2011 5:59:42 PM

Yeah man...You should replace that impeller as part of your normal service. I do mine every two years. Most people I know who are out every weekend do it every year. It's a small price to pay considering the difficulty of getting a tow, or worse, having to run it hot because currents or winds are pushing you into a bad place. $15-$30 for an impeller or $texas when you overheat it. Pay for the piece of mind; no need to wait for it to fail.

[Edited on November 23, 2011 at 2:22 PM. Reason : l]

11/23/2011 2:11:24 PM

Have you done it on a 2 stroke outboard? It should just be the driveshaft, the pipe to carry the water to the head, and the shift cable? Anything else to check while I have it apart?

11/24/2011 8:07:12 PM

all you do is remove the bolts that hold the lower unit on and it'll slide right out with the vertical driveshaft. i've never done one where i had to fuck with hoses or shift cables. the shifting doesn't happen in the lower unit and the water is usually pumped through channels built into the housing from the lower unit to the powerhead, but idk your make/model. anyway, there will be 3 or 4 bolts holding the impeller housing around the vertical driveshaft. remove them and slide the housing off the shaft. swap out the impeller. i like to put just a little vaseline on the tips of the impeller blades for starting it up dry. scrape off the old gasket and put on the new one. put a little marine grease on the shaft around where the impeller goes and it'll also serve to hold the key in the keyway. slide the housing with the new impeller down and put the bolts back in. bolt the lower unit back up.

only other thing i'd check is make sure the housing doesn't have any excessive wear or grooves worn in it. i'd go ahead and change the lower unit oil while i was fucking with it. you can probably find a tutorial on youtube for your model or at least one similar.

[Edited on November 24, 2011 at 11:23 PM. Reason : you might have to spin the prop a little when you reinstall lower unit to get the splines aligned]

11/24/2011 11:22:07 PM

Finally got some time to pull the LU off. This is what I found:







Scoring on inside of housing = new kit, no?

Not quite convinced this would have been the reason for no flow though.


[Edited on December 3, 2011 at 12:32 PM. Reason : .]

12/3/2011 12:26:43 PM

it's normal to see some lines going around the housing, but if you run your finger over them and feel gouges, then i'd go ahead and replace it. hard to tell which it is in the pics.

12/3/2011 4:14:20 PM

It's odd, if you look at the first pic of the housing with the impeller if you look between the two bottom most fins you see what looks like lines and you can definitely feel them with your finger. The next space to the right in that pic and then in the one below you don't really see lines and you don't feel anything either. I guess when crap has come in it tends to always just gouge a little bit closest to the inlet to the pump and it always just ejects the trash before it goes all the way around or something.

12/3/2011 4:22:08 PM

i'm not really sure. it'll be cheaper than a tow (unless you have a membership) and probably cheaper than the fuel and time you waste if it goes out again. i'd replace it.

[Edited on December 3, 2011 at 4:26 PM. Reason : ask on a boating forum like http://www.thehulltruth.com]

12/3/2011 4:26:01 PM

Yeah, I had to get towed because of this. Would have been $457 without the insurance, which is $150/yr.

I'm planning on just replacing all of the pieces so I know what is in there.

12/3/2011 4:37:38 PM

i guess 95% of my fishing is done in locations where i can make it back to the ramp with the trolling motor

12/3/2011 4:48:22 PM

I guess I didn't mention when it overheated on me I killed it literally right at the MHC ramp. I was planning on letting it cool and then puttering over to the ramp and get a ride to the house to get the trailer. But when I cranked it up I had water and it immediately started cooling down so we tried to head back home. We got probably 1/3 of the way there when it stopped peeing so I'd have to get a tow either way.

12/3/2011 5:45:49 PM

Skack, did you get your neighbor to cover your fiberglass damage?

12/6/2011 4:42:56 PM

I don't have the parts in yet but it appears the bushing of the impeller had worn out enough such that the driveshaft was spinning inside it not moving the impeller. This explains why it worked fine sitting at the ramp for 10 minutes and for awhile underway. Why it had an indicator when I restarted it but why anything more than a slow troll would cause it to warm up (impeller slipping and not driving much water) and then why it eventually failed entirely as every time it would slip it was hollowing out the bushing even more.

12/6/2011 5:55:08 PM

^^ Not yet, but we talked about it around the time I made that post and made a gentleman's agreement to handle it over the winter. I didn't feel like messing with it until I brought it back to Raleigh and I wanted to keep riding it for the rest of the season.

Right now it's on the trailer in my backyard and I'm hoping to move it into the shop this weekend and start working on it. I believe the gel coat will wet sand and polish out, but if not I'll start searching for a shop to get it repaired at. He's definitely going to pay for new rub rails and rivets. I want to keep the costs down because he isn't doing so well financially, but I want it fixed right too (obviously). I don't mind doing a little wet sanding and polishing if that will take care of it because he is a good friend.

[Edited on December 6, 2011 at 6:21 PM. Reason : s]

12/6/2011 6:18:18 PM

God damnit. Go to put the LU back on and the motor won't tilt/trim. Check the remote switch and it has power and continuity. I don't hear any clicking with it or the local switch. I would assume it's the relay?

12/18/2011 12:32:09 PM

Weird...I connected the ground wire from the block to the negative side of the battery and everything started working. Whodathunkit?

12/18/2011 3:19:28 PM

in my experience, 9 out of 10 electrical problems on a boat are a bad ground

12/18/2011 3:35:48 PM

Yeah, when i first dropped the battery back in and hooked up all the wires I found there I thought "something doesn't seem right here" but I didn't see the main ground wire and just didn't stop and think about what the hell I was seeing and doing. The main ground had looped around and was hiding behind the battery.

The good news is I now know how to quickly troubleshoot any tilt/trim issues.

12/18/2011 3:49:42 PM

Put the boat back in the water today. Impeller repair is good. Only about 4-5 trailers at the Morehead and Radio Island ramp when we went past.

1/8/2012 6:56:22 PM

i pulled mine back to goldsboro for the inshore fishing lull until springtime. trailer has a lot of rusty parts and will get a complete overhaul. new leaf springs, hubs, winch, winch strap, all new stainless u-bolts. also gonna yank the keel roller and put on forward bunks that will hopefully make it self-align better. also gotta adjust the guide poles. the boat will get a VHF and antenna, a new binnacle tilt/trim switch (down went out with me on the last trip out and had to do the down trimming from the switch on the engine), and a set of plugs. might put in a stereo too. already have some marine speakers laying around and the head units aren't too expensive.

[Edited on January 8, 2012 at 7:06 PM. Reason : dasf]

1/8/2012 7:05:55 PM

So do the fish just get less active when the water is cold or do they just leave the area altogether?

1/8/2012 7:48:54 PM

so far as speckled trout go, some are "local" fish and they stay all the time. others move around and are caught in other states. folks catch them all year, but jan-march is certainly the slowest time and it's just always really crappy fishing for me. if i do fish this time of year, it's for usually for stripers. it's a convenient time to get the boat in the shop for us.

i'll start shad fishing around goldsboro in late february/early march. usually can get some trout in april as the water warms up and right on through may. summer months are tough for trout fishing, but we'll pick some up as we target flounder and puppy drum. trout bite starts to heat up in october and oct-dec are great.

tl;dr: shoulder months are best for trout fishing, but they can be caught year round.

1/8/2012 7:56:16 PM

got a polaris jet ski yesterday

this should be fun.

currently not running.

1/12/2012 5:06:17 PM

Crazy read

http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/404268-i-survived-one-hell-ordeal-offshore-weekend.html

2/15/2012 10:29:14 PM

Damn.

2/15/2012 11:01:03 PM

just ordered all the shit needed to add brakes to my trailer. Now I just need a half-decent day to do the work.

2/16/2012 8:35:00 AM

Almost time for the water to warm up.

3/21/2012 11:24:21 PM

taking the boat back down this weekend

3/21/2012 11:29:52 PM

I put in at Morehead City a couple of weekends ago. Didn't catch a damn thing, but floating around the marshes and inlets made for a good Sunday afternoon. It seems like the fishing picks up when the water gets to the mid-60's and it was around 58 degrees that day.

3/21/2012 11:35:04 PM

a lot of specks being caught in the creeks right now

3/21/2012 11:49:29 PM

plans changed. no boating off this weekend

3/23/2012 1:02:03 PM

Heading to the lake tonight. Currently in possession of two boats. Planning to piece together the old one first and list it on Craigslist. Need to:
- Put batteries back in and make sure they're charged.
- Put the wakeboard tower back on.
- Put it in the water and check fluid levels. Engine oil, trans fluid, and vDrive fluid were changed in the fall, but have only been checked on the trailer; not in the water.
- Put the section of floor that covers the vDrive unit back in.
- Put the rear seat and all cushions back in.
- Do a little stereo work. Swapping an amp from the new boat to the old and vice versa as well as some small things.
- Put the wakeboard tower back on.

If I get a chance I'll redo the packing for the rudder on the old boat. It leaks a little more than it should, but not really a concern unless it was going to be sitting in the water for more than a week and the bilge pump failed.

Also on the agenda is getting some waterproofing spray for the new boat's cover. It isn't torn, but it's an older one that gets saturated and leaks. It also needs a vent installed. Every boat cover should have a vent or two IMO. The heat under the cover will evaporate wet carpets, but the water has nowhere to go without one. I've noticed that most new covers come with them, but they're a nice addition to older covers as well. Let's the moisture out so all you have is hot dry air in there.

Also planning to measure the new boat's tower for a tower mounted bimini top. Not planning to run the new boat until the old one is sold though.

3/28/2012 3:41:20 PM

The lake is still about 2 weeks away from being where I want it temperature wise, so I'll see you in a couple.

3/29/2012 11:21:51 AM

Spotted this on the side of the road today for only $350. I really didn't give it any sort of inspection, so I'm not sure what it needs. It does have a 2011 registration sticker, so it has probably been running within the past couple of years at least. Tiller steer Mercury 25 that should be more than enough to get a boat like this going. I can send the seller's number if anyone is seriously interested. It would make a great creek/pond boat as long as the hull and engine is sound. I'm sure it'll be gone by the end of the weekend at this price.

It's at Lake Gaston...about 80 miles from downtown Raleigh. Mapquest "Henrico NC" if you want to check the distance. It's actually about 5-7 miles closer to Raleigh than Henrico.

I might be persuaded to give it a closer look if anyone is really serious about driving up here to pick it up.

[Edited on March 30, 2012 at 2:33 PM. Reason : l]

3/30/2012 2:19:11 PM

A couple more pics:

3/30/2012 4:36:50 PM

that's a cool layout. depending on the condition under the cowl, the engine alone is probably worth the asking price.

3/30/2012 10:29:10 PM

also

bought this today for boat pulling and such

3/30/2012 10:34:17 PM

Quote :

"that's a cool layout. depending on the condition under the cowl, the engine alone is probably worth the asking price."

Yeah, I really like that style on smaller boats. Makes it feel much bigger when you don't have a console in the middle of the boat to go around every time you move from the stern to the bow. If the engine can be made to run easily (carb clean, tune up, and fresh tank of gas) it's easily worth $350. The trailer is probably worth $350 too,so if the hull is good I think it's worth putting in a weekend of work and a little cash to get her running. It already has a trolling motor and a few other accessories.

Growing up my dad had a 16' Sears "Sea King" boat with a lever on one side to steer and the throttle/gear selector on the other side. The steering lever was a couple feet tall and you pushed it forward to turn right and pulled it back to turn left. I haven't seen many boats at all with that layout and I don't know what it's called, but it was pretty cool since it didn't take a lot of room. Back then Sears boats were ~2 year old Skeeter models, but Skeeter wasn't a very well known brand yet.

[Edited on March 31, 2012 at 12:56 PM. Reason : s]

3/31/2012 12:47:11 PM

i've always heard it called "stick steer"

i see it a lot on boats checking crab pots

[Edited on March 31, 2012 at 12:57 PM. Reason : vzd]

3/31/2012 12:55:11 PM

finally took the boat back down this weekend. the new forward bunks on the trailer made it load like a whole different boat. so much faster and easier. also really glad i went ahead and got a full size truck. towing it down was a lot more comfortable and i could actually tow it faster than 60 mph.

here it is before heading out:


caught a few small trout and finally managed this nice keeper:


[Edited on April 22, 2012 at 2:48 PM. Reason : avcs]

4/22/2012 2:48:31 PM

^ Nice catch. Where did you fish?

4/22/2012 5:46:30 PM

Bay River

4/22/2012 5:47:32 PM

GP1300R is getting another engine right now...not the big-bore, ported out monster I had planned to push it to 80-something mph...just a stock unit with my Riva parts bolted on. "Only" good for very low 70s, but $3000+ cheaper. Got a good deal and abandoned my plans for a Waverunner monstrosity.

4/22/2012 6:35:51 PM

only jet skis worth a fuck:

http://jetskibrian.com/#awp::

4/22/2012 7:00:27 PM

I'm having a hard time seeing the point. How is that even as good as a watercamaro for a fast vessel for fishing?

4/22/2012 7:12:29 PM

the idea isn't speed. it's fuel efficiency. the dude trolls offshore for a fraction of what it costs most folks.

4/22/2012 7:34:38 PM

I know it would be FAR and away more efficient than the hot 2-strokes I'm accustomed to, but I can't imagine that supercharged Sea-Doo would be much, if any better (and maybe not even as good) than a 15-17' boat powered by a modest 4-stroke outboard, which would also surely be a better fishing platform.

4/22/2012 8:05:14 PM

he claims 5-6 mpg at 35 mph. i actually think he's safer on that PWC than in a 17' boat offshore.

4/22/2012 8:11:59 PM

Yeah, it's hard to sink a jet ski, but I wouldn't want to be out in rough water or catch something big with it either.

4/22/2012 9:11:10 PM

there are videos out there of folks catching marlin off PWCs

[Edited on April 22, 2012 at 9:21 PM. Reason : or maybe it was sailfish. idk some kind of fucking billfish.]

[Edited on April 22, 2012 at 9:21 PM. Reason : sdjaidso;fj]

4/22/2012 9:20:35 PM