Springtime Headache

[Housers99]

So I bought my 99 Ski last July and spent the first month and a half figuring out, with the help of the guys at Mid Ohio, that I had a bad oil pressure switch that was causing the engine to cut out periodically. Season was over not too long after that and it was time to winterize. So I took her for one last spin to warm up the oil (and for a little fun) and as I was heading back to the dock I felt like I hit something. After that, the boat shook like a mother over 15 mph. So I figure I dinged the prop but I can't see a single mark on it. Have scheduled a check up with Mid Ohio and they don't seem surprised that I can't see it. I know they'll get me on the water asap so I suppose I'm just venting here, but anyone else run into anything similar? I figured if I couldn't see any prop damage I must have screwed myself and drilled the drive shaft. On the other hand, one of my ski buddies thinks it could even be as simple as worn out packing. Any thoughts?

[jasper]

Springtime Headache

You can ding a prop and not see the damage. I've done it.

[AbunDiga909]

RE: Springtime Headache

I've hit a couple of mother logs on the river/lake. It ain't to fun. First time I hit something, my mom was in the back of the boat and even she felt the boat move. We pulled the boat and the first fin needed to be replaced. It looked like an "L". Just my luck, my dad hit something similar next weekend. Some other dudes in a nearby boat said it was a 2x6, but we dind't see it. The log I hit was submerged too. It felt like a tree. Anyway, we pulld the boat after we hit what was the 2x6. This time we didn't see nearly as much damage that we felt. We thought we'd need a new fin or prop. But despite scartches way under the hull, and some minor knicks in the prop and fins (which may not have necissarily been from that incident), there was nothing wrong. Except we saw water gushing out of where the shaft goes into the boat. If I recall we got the boat with the Dripless Packing Gland. This didn't seem good. To this day the boat still leaks out from where the shaft goes into the boat, but never experienced anything strange while using the boat, so we left it alone. I still don't know if that was a good idea.

So about your mother falling off at 15 MPH, it may have just been one of those mother logs I hit. Just like mine, yours may have took a huge hit just in the keel of the boat in front of the fins or prop, and then deflected aside and missed your prob by inches. I'm assumed that happened to me the second time b/c when we take a flashlight and go under the boat on land, we can see some serious scraches. They were all buffed out, and they were all unnoticible w/o a flashlight, and way under the boat. You couldn't ever see them if you weren't looking for them.

Go under your boat w/ a flashlight and check for scratched on the hull. If you see a lot just to the left or right of the keel, it probably just deflected and missed your prop by inches.

[NautiqueJeff]

RE: Springtime Headache

Well, it's got to be either the prop, the shaft, the rudder, or the fins. I'm sure Mid-Ohio will figure it out quickly, and whatever it is should be a quick and easy fix.

[patoloco]

Similar symptoms as my boat a couple of years ago...did not feel a prop strike, but suddenly, anything at planing speed and above it felt like the boat was going to shake apart. I was running in wide, deep, and it looked like, debris-free water.

The shaking was so bad I assumed I would pull out the boat and see a totally destroyed prop. Not a single noticable ding (to my eyes)..but turns out something apparently hit it.

It was about ~$130 to reshape I think....then it ran like new.

[bradb]

Just an idea, but the first time that my boat went into limp mode, I thought I had hit somthing with the prop... Dove under and didn't see/feel anything...
I idled home, and pulled the boat out and checked again... Nothing...
Took the prop off and inspected it, etc. Put it back on and put the boat back in the water and it ran fine again!

Over the next year, it started to happen more frequently, and that is when I noticed that I could rev the boat up in neutral and the engine would shake like mad at anything over a certain (2100) rpm. Somthing was causing the boat to go into limp mode.

From there, I had some diagnosing to do, but at first I could have sworn it was the prop/driveshaft/etc.
B

[882001]

when i reinstaled my motor i guess i forgot to tighten the coupler where the shaft meets the tranny. i thought the boat was ruined, but with a little investigation i found the problem. with 8 people in the boat and two 500# fatsacks full i had to take thefloor and backseat out to get to the missing nuts bolts and washers,that were under the gas tank. its funny now but it sucked that day.

[Housers99]

Pulled the prop today and found a wrinkle on one of the blades. Tough to see because there is no obvious dent - probably because I hit a log or something that gave a litte, rather than a rock. I'll go get it re-shaped.

[AbunDiga909]

Nice. Good thing it was nibral and not SS, otherwise it would have been your shaft that gave.