Out of the hole at altitude

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  • Shank85
    • Jun 2018
    • 6

    • California

    • ‘94 Sport Nautique

    Out of the hole at altitude

    Greetings,

    I bought a ‘94 Sport Nautique down at sea level, brought it up to 6,500 ft, and I’m looking for some tips to improve performance. When I go wide open, there’s about 4-5 seconds of hesitation, and it slowly gets up, planes out and still gets up to 40 mph. I’ve read about resizing my prop, re jetting the TBI, and I’m aware of the troublesome Pro Tec system, but just thought I’d reach out for some knowledgeable tips from all the experienced guys here on the forums. It runs well otherwise. Starts nicely, idles well, but there’s been a few occasions where it’ll crank and not fire. I advance the throttle just past putting it in gear and it’ll slowly catch and keep running.

    While Im on here I have a couple other issues that I’m trying to address. I’m keeping the boat in the water for the summer. Even after just two days of not being used there is significant amounts of water in the hull. (4-5 inches). I suspect it’s the drive shaft packing, possibly the rudder packing. My question is, can tightening the housing alone fix the issue or should I just plan on repacking it?

    The last thing is my steering is very stiff. I’m suspecting that the water in the hull over time has helped contribute to this, and I’ve actually already ordered a new cable, but was wondering if anyone has had success with just greasing cables back up and getting them back to full functionality or is that an up hill battle?

    Thanks,

    Tim
  • Infinity
    Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
    • Sep 2017
    • 730

    • Lake Norman - Denver, NC

    • 2014 SV244 w/ ZR409

    #2
    Prop change will help on low end power, it will decrease top speed of course...tho at that elevation it still wont run as good. re-jetting is likely the way to go tho I don't know much about the older engines.

    On water leaking...get a dry bilge and get down there with flashlight to look (just floating AND while someone else is driving in idle while you are looking down there), it is likely one of the 2 things you mentioned. You may be able to grease rudder and help it (this is a yearly maintenance item you should do)...while out of water, grip the rudder and try to wiggle it and see if there is play in it, should not be play. Shaft packing you may be able to adjust as well depending on how old it is...it should drip some while running, do not over tighten as that will burn it out. If you have to redo it....upgrade, there are much better systems out now.
    FYI...even when fixed if you will be leaving boat in water, I would make SURE that your auto bilge is in good condition and it would probably be smart to install a 2nd backup auto bilge. Its not that hard to do.

    Look at some threads on how to easily change the steering cable (tie onto old cable so you can fish it thru, etc)....I suspect greasing cables wont last long and its uphill battle, but this is a subject I dont know a lot about.

    Comment

    • xrichard
      Senior Member of PLANETNAUTIQUE
      • Aug 2008
      • 667

      • El Dorado Hills

      • 2023 G23

      #3
      I had a 95 Sport with a stiff steering cable. I agree w/Infinity: greasing won't last. Given you've already ordered the cable, you'll be much better off replacing it. The root cause in my case was water in the bilge covering the end of the cable periodically. That allowed water to enter the sheath and corrode the cable some. Replacing it was a real pain, but I didn't have any videos to help me. Hopefully there are some that will be helpful for you.
      Previous boats:
      2015 G23
      2008 SAN 210
      2002 XStar
      1995 Sport Nautique

      Comment

      • Zride
        • Dec 2017
        • 44

        • California


        #4
        could you post a pic of your 94 Sport. My old 94 was recently for sale in California and wondering if it could be my old boat..

        Comment

        • Zride
          • Dec 2017
          • 44

          • California


          #5
          on the driveline pack...open up the door to access. remove the safety wire and tighten the packing. It should drip about three drips every 10 seconds. Any more is too much, any less is not enough

          Comment

          • Zride
            • Dec 2017
            • 44

            • California


            #6
            also try greasing the rutter Zerk. You have to remove the back seat and floor board....reach in the back above the rutter and you will see a grease zerk… Grease it

            Comment

            • Shank85
              • Jun 2018
              • 6

              • California

              • ‘94 Sport Nautique

              #7
              Thanks for the helpful tips you guys! I’m looking forward to getting everything squared away and just being able to enjoy the boat for the summer. ZRide, I’m on the road for work right now and don’t have a pic with me, but it’s a teal and black scheme with a little over 900 hrs on it. Bought it from a guy in the Central Valley, near Tracy. If it sounds like it could be your old boat let me know, I’d love to pick your brain a bit.

              Comment

              • Zride
                • Dec 2017
                • 44

                • California


                #8
                Is this it?
                Attached Files

                Comment

                • Zride
                  • Dec 2017
                  • 44

                  • California


                  #9
                  I know the steering was always slightly stiff, even when I bought it second hand from Central Valley Marine with 399 hrs it had stiff steering. Therefore I had them replace the steering helm which made it better but still remained stiff out of a hard turn. greasing the zerk does help....maybe lubing the steering cable or just replacement would likely be very helpful. Furthermre I do know I had the shaft packing replaced before ii sold it. Check under the circle cover and if there are plenty of threads between the locking nuts then there is plenty of packing to adjust the drip into spec. 3 drips very ten seconds is factory spec.

                  Comment

                  • Zride
                    • Dec 2017
                    • 44

                    • California


                    #10
                    hollar at me through email and I would be happy to help anyway I can.. isaacharrosh@yahoo.com

                    Comment

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