370 Venture - both engines hydrolocked ?

[k9medic]

I put this in the general thread since there is more of a chance that it will be viewed.

A slipmate of mine has a brand new 370 Venture and on their first overnight outing they ran into a huge issue.

Reportedly while in reverse they took a solid wave from the back of the boat. This wave caused both engines to suck in water and hydrolock completely disabling the boat approximately 25nm offshore.

Has anyone every hear of this happening?

 

[dmorris800]

Ouch 40K of engine instant toast!

 

[Do Over]

Isn't that the boat that has outboards in their own little covered and protected compartments?

 

[dcpringle]

Did seatow come get them?

 

[islandhopper00]

I'll be interested to hear the outcome of this.

I've seen captains back down center consoles so hard the mercs were practically under water. I've backed my own walkaround till waves were coming over the hoods and spilling into the boat.
I wonder if the "covers " had something to do with it.

 

[islandhopper00]

Seems like I remember that Sea Ray modified the hoods to have hoses routed to the intakes that feed air from somewhere. I wonder if the wave filled that compartment and the mercs sucked water thru thoes hoses. Hmmmm.

 

[k9medic]

Seems like I remember that Sea Ray modified the hoods to have hoses routed to the intakes that feed air from somewhere. I wonder if the wave filled that compartment and the mercs sucked water thru thoes hoses. Hmmmm.

That's what I was thinking might have happened. Sea Tow came and got them to the tune of $1600. It's at the shop right now getting all kinds of interest from people.

The sad part is it has scared his wife into not wanting the boat since something so simple caused a total failure.

 

[mwph]

Reportedly while in reverse they took a solid wave from the back of the boat.

Any reason to believe something else might have happened?

 

[Henry Boyd]

I'll be interested to hear the outcome of this.

I've seen captains back down center consoles so hard the mercs were practically under water. I've backed my own walkaround till waves were coming over the hoods and spilling into the boat.
I wonder if the "covers " had something to do with it.

I've been tuna fishing on a friend's CC and have seen the same thing a number of times where the water was literally coming up over the cowlings into the boat.

I have to think the modified air pick may be the culprit.

Henry


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[islandhopper00]

Ritchie, you reading this. You might need to do some investigation on this subject.

 

[Pseudomind]

Could be a real problem. With a boat like that, you might be tempted to fish, and if backing down on the fish causes the engines to take in water......that's a problem right there.

Looking at the photos on the web, it must have been one hell of a wave....

What photos? Where?

 

[BillK2632]

Years ago, a fishing friend did basically the same thing with a old Johnson 150 on a Grady White. Backing down on a fish, he pulled the boat into neutral, still moving backwards a little, water somehow came back in through the exhaust. Engine stalled and that was all she wrote. He made it back in on the kicker. Anytime a boat is moving backwards or has enough wave action on the stern with the engine not running, it is possible for water to come back in through the exhaust. On inboards and IOs, the exhaust flappers and risers will (or should) prevent this. Same with an outboard, there should be enough rise in the exhaust to prevent it, but a low mounted engine, waves on the stern, it can happen. Same deal with generators and the lift type exhaust - there are warnings about overcranking the generator with no start - crank it enough without running and no exhaust pressure, the muffler fills up and waters flows back into an open exhaust valve. Cylinder full of water=hydrolocked engine. Be interesting to find out what happened here - I would bet the culprit is water flowing back up the exhaust, not going in through the intake.

 

[Richie89]

yeah, reading and ouch! fergeson is right, the air inlets are pretty high. must have been a big wave. i will be careful with mine.

 

[moparlvr4406]

yeah, reading and ouch! fergeson is right, the air inlets are pretty high. must have been a big wave. i will be careful with mine.

if they had them trimmed down..the lower they are he harder they would pull down in reverse with some throttle

 

[trit21]

All the guys I see with CC and outboards don't 'back down' on fish. The fisherman walks up the side to the front and a good captain will move forward towards the fish. The only boats I see backing down on fish are large sportfish when they are fighting a 500lb marlin. Even with 100lb wahoo we don't back down, keep lines tight and continue forward and wait for them to tire, reel them in and gaff. I don't think outboard motor are designed to back down at high rates of speed. Docking of course but not with seas at your stern. I am interested if we will ever hear what the problem was, cover producing increase pressure at the exhaust due to water filling the area and no where for the water pressure to escape?

 

[JimG]

Couldn't he have just pulled the spark plugs and crank the water out vs. Sea Tow?

 

[BillK2632]

Couldn't he have just pulled the spark plugs and crank the water out vs. Sea Tow?

Possibly, if he knew that was the issue. Problem is the engine stalls, you don't know why, then you try to re-start it. One or more cylinders have water in them, we all know water doesn't compress and in trying to start the engine something breaks (connecting rod, wrist pin etc). At that point your done - but to answer the original question, yes if you knew the engine had ingested water, you could pull the plugs, clear out the water and probably get it running. That's putting it in simple terms, but realize your off-shore, in waves, sitting stopped trying to work on an outboard motor. Also, the motor ingested salt water and depending on how much the oil is contaminated etc, etc., so possible damage from running it if you do get it going.

 

[Woody]

Looking at the boat on Searay.com, the engine air inlets are on the side of the boat, rather high. For water to enter there, the whole stern would have had to been under water.

I could see how that engine compartment might trap/hold water to surround the engine under certain conditions but the cowl or intake hose would still have to leak. If it's able to get in the side vents I'd be running that intake hose to a vented arch or something.

 

[islandhopper00]

All the guys I see with CC and outboards don't 'back down' on fish. The fisherman walks up the side to the front and a good captain will move forward towards the fish.

Ouch that hurts.
There is a method of putting the fish on the side of the boat and the drag of the water keeping the line tight and in a big "u" shape. Then you can stay in forward gear and chase the fish. But I never said I was a good captain....or fisherman either! lol

Before I cast blame or be too critical, I'll wait for the official answer to be found. I hope it's something simple or just easily overlooked. Good luck to the owner.

 

[mwph]

With the mention of how high the air intakes are, along with the mention of a failed air intake hose, I'm surprised that nobody has raised the "On both engines at the same time" argument. Although I've seen the boat & its engine set up several times, I certainly don't know enough about waves & their effects to speculate.