Engine question

[jward]

Jeff this topic may need to be in the maintenance section. If it is feel free to move it.

I was wondering about putting engines under a strain. I know these older boats are getting around 2500hrs before needing a rebuild, but what about the newer wakeboard boats that are now being put under a HEAVY load. Wakeboarding has really evolved the boats over the last 5 or so years and the ballast keeps adding up more and more. Does this kind of load "beat on" an engine to the point of doing harm or needing a rebuild sooner?
For example, I have an 04 210 that I am now running over 2k in ballast and as you know it takes a while to get on plain at high rpms. I am changing props soon so that shouldn't be an issue anymore. Which brings up another question. Does changing the pitch on the prop help to save the engine life in the long run?

Just curious. What are the thoughts of all you engine Dr's?

[jward]

RE: Engine question

Wow 134 views and noone has any thoughts about this subject

[DanielC]

RE: Engine question

OK, I will bite. I have a 1997 Ski Nautique with 2240 Hours on it. I am the unusual case. Most boats get 30 or 40 hours of use a year. Reality is, very few boat motors actually get enough hours to wear out.
I believe that letting a motor sit for a long time between uses is harder on them that using them frequently.
Going to a lower pitched propeller will reduce the load on the engine, but it will also increase the RPM. The changes in engine wear from one propeller to another would be pretty much a wash, until you go to an extreme one way or the other.
It is a bad idea to "Lug" an engine. This was more common when autos had manual transmissions, and people got lazy and did not down shift when they should.
Back to your boat. How hard is it to get moving, fully overloaded? Are you having to go to wide open throttle, and holding it there, while the boat strains to get moving to wake boarding speeds?

I think you are going to have to wait a few more years for high hour boats that have been heavily loaded all their life to really get an answer to this question.

[jward]

Re: RE: Engine question

I think you are going to have to wait a few more years for high hour boats that have been heavily loaded all their life to really get an answer to this question.[/quote]

Thats why I was asking the question. What do you guys think? Should it pose an issue or is it even enough to worry about.

As far as my boat. It does take a little while to get on plane but not too bad. I'm really not too concerned with my boat in general. This is why I bought my boat and that is how I'm going to use it regardless.

I just got to thinking about it one day while reading about how much weight people are running these days. For instance the Epic boats are running like 4K of stock ballast and have you seen how these pro's are sacking out their boats!

So is there a greater risk of sinking the boat one day or toasting the engine?

[johnboyy7]

RE: Re: RE: Engine question

how bad is it to wakesurf on our engines........... the motor being tilted. does this rob one side of oil?

[jward]

RE: Re: RE: Engine question

Good question. I used to ride motorcycles with a guy that could do really long wheelies, and he said sometimes he would notice the oil light would come on from the bike being at that angle for so long. I doubt your engine is even close to that kind of lean though. I guess all of these questions will be answered in time. I wonder about these club or wakeboard instructional boats. I'm sure they are putting crazy hrs on them with tons of ballast. Maybe someone around that scene will chime in.

Can you tell I'm not getting to wakeboard much these days. I hate winter. PN and WakeWorld is the only way I can get my fix. Ha

[maxpower220]

Putting you motor under a strain???? If you are a barefooter and run in the top of the RPM range, you are probably wear the motor more than any other type of activity. Most of the time, your boat is running between 1800-3000 rpm. What else runs at that RPM, oh yeah, your tow vehicle. If you motor is pinging, you could be straining the motor. Otherwise, most activities are running in the mid rpms, right where the motor was designed to run.
Your transmission may be under a lot more strain. I would worry about that much more than the motor.

[2gofaster]

RE: Re: Engine question

PCM is about the only manufacturer that puts the engine level in direct drives. Most other mfr's have their engines tilted at about 15 degrees. That's never been an issue in YEARS in that application. So it shouldn't be an issue in a V Drive app where the boat angle of attach is tilted back during wakeboarding or surfing either.

[ClemsonDave]

RE: Re: RE: Re: Engine question

Back on topic.....

Just curious, has anyone ever heard of a motor getting worn out? If so, what motor/hours? I had a friend with an old Ski Brendella that had over 3000 hrs and still ran strong.

I'd bet the transmission would wear out under heavy load before the motor.

[Hollywood]

RE: Re: RE: Re: Engine question

As long as you are propped right, I don't think a wakeboard boat's engine would wear out any quicker than a ski boat.

A friend of mine toasted his Velvet Drive after 1,000 hrs. of primarily wakeboarding (~500 lb fat seat). He also never changed the fluid though, so this probably isn't much help. New transmission and 300 hrs of mostly barefooting now and it still seems to pull strong.

[Mikeski]

Here's my opinion...

There is a huge difference between the wear and tear from a heavily loaded wakeboard boat and a typical ski boat. When I drive an Excalibur powered ski boat I rarely exceed half throttle except for very brief periods and the motor spins around 3-3.5k RPM most of the time. When I drive my wakeboard boat the throttle is pegged for probably 20% of the time or more and it runs 4k+ RPM whenever we are moving from one location to another. Based on my usage patterns I would expect my wakeboard boat motor to wear at 2-4X what a typical ski boat motor does. Assuming you can run an average ski boat for 2500 hours before considering a rebuild, I would expect you to see similar wear and tear at around 1200 hours in a wakeboard boat.

This is one of the reasons I am considering a high-powered replacement for my 330EX. I want to get a motor in my wakeboard boat that can push a taller prop and pull me up out of the water at half or 3/4 throttle. Seems like the Dart 406 cu.in. stroker motor will get me what I want. It takes north of 300ft lbs of torque to keep my loaded boat moving through the water on plane. There is just not enough powerband north of 300ft lbs available from the 330EX to keep me happy (nor the ZR6 for that matter). The 406 I am having built will have around 400ft lbs of torque in the same bandwidth as the 330EX has over 300ft lbs. One of the factors in my decision process was motor life. I assume that I will keep my boat for 10 years, and also assume that it will need one repower during this period based on my current usage patterns. With this in mind I decided to repower at the halfway point with a motor that will make my boating experience more enjoyable.