Transmission problems? too much water in bilge ?

[wakezone-thueringen]

i had a problem today when pulling a friend. we were just 2 in the boat. ballast full and when the bow was most out of the water (starting and then when hitting waves and rollers) the engine went faster and it sounded as if a clutch was slipping and then gripped again..

we couldnt see the problem as in normal riding 24mph it was all good..

when we got back to the dock realized that the bilge was full with water above the pump which was broken too..

could this have been the problem? could too much water in the bilge couse the transmission to "slip" whenever the bow is up and the water runs back??

any idea? thnx

[NicksNautique's]

Ok,
had a problem like that last year too with one of my boats too. I think the first thing you need to do is isolate where the water is coming from, are the bilge pumps working ok? or is the ingress of water too much for them to handle, if so then there may be loose conections for the water circulation in your boat.
Another option you have is to check the packing gland which seals the drive shaft through the hull.
Should you have lots and lots of water in the hull it is possible for it to seep into your transmission turning the oil a strawberry milkshake colour instead of the clear red fluid. Do some checking and get back to me here. The milkshake fluid will cause a slippage of your clutch/transmission that your experiencing.
Hope this helps you a bit.

Nick.

[gilbertnautique]

Did you ever figure cause of the slippage as I had a similar issue yesterday at the lake