I got denied entry to a lake. How do I keep my sterndrive dry???

Morgueman

New Member
Oct 2, 2013
47
San Diego, CA
Boat Info
2005 SunDeck 240
2006 Lincoln Navigator
Engines
Mercruiser 6.2L 320hp
I have a 2005 SeaRay 240 SunDeck...

Some of the SoCal lakes prohibit private boat entry if they find one drop (literally) of water on the hull, trailer, or sterndrive -- and I find it virtually impossible to keep the sterndrive dry.

My typical routine is to take the boat out of the water somewhere (sometimes in saltwater). When I get home, about an hour later, I put the sterndrive in the down-position and I use the garden hose to spray everything (hull, trailer, sterndrive) down. Then I put the hose on the sterndrive "earmuffs" and I run the engine until it gets to about 150 degrees. I then shut the engine off, detach the "ear muffs," and then I turn the engine on/off for 1-2 seconds. I then leave the sterndrive in the down position.

When I go to use the boat 2-3 weeks later, I can always shake some water from the sterndrive (from the holes that the "earmuffs" go over). So how do I prevent water from remaining in there?

Thank you,
Morgueman (Eric)
 
What? SO you cannot put launch a wet boat into a wet lake? That doesn't make sense?
 
What? SO you cannot put launch a wet boat into a wet lake? That doesn't make sense?

That's correct...They're afraid of the "Quagga Mussel" infecting their lake, like other lakes have been. That's why the boat must be dry.
 
I understand the thought process behind the rule, but this sounds rather excessive. What if it rained on your way to the lake? Wouldn't the drive be wet?

I would take this to someone higher up than who is at the lake. They're just following orders. There needs to be some common sense in following that rule.

What drive do you have? Bravo III?
 
I understand the thought process behind the rule, but this sounds rather excessive. What if it rained on your way to the lake? Wouldn't the drive be wet?

I would take this to someone higher up than who is at the lake. They're just following orders. There needs to be some common sense in following that rule.

What drive do you have? Bravo III?

Yes, I have the Bravo III...And this rule is at most of the Southern CA lakes (not just one...)
 
Even if the drive and hull are dry you can still have water in the cooling system. They must not know much about boats.
 
Might be worth looking into an airgun with a portable tank for that last cleanup. Just a thought.
 
What Jason mentioned is about the only way to eliminate the dripping water. What's happening is a siphoning effect - the water that is retained in the engine is being siphoned out -- very slowly because of the design of the Bravo sea water pump (the dripping water is originating from the engine, not the drive). Alpha drives do not exhibit this effect to the same extent. After you flush it, drain the water from the engine. If you don't have the single point drain, just access the lowest drain you can - you don't need to do all of them.
 
For those who do not know, North Texas Lakes have a similar rule. It relates to Zebra Mussels. I have not had an issue yet since Texans have more common sense than Californians! HaHa.
 
What would happen if you were to give the drive a shot of RV anti-freeze when you were finishing the flushing? Any residual liquid would be anti-freeze that could be smelled.

As an FYI Maine has similar regulations with respect to growth on boat hulls and trailers for launching in fresh water.

Henry
 
MN has the same rules, you can't even have your drain plug in while trailering from place to place. They are not quite that anal though, biggest thing is absolutely no weeds on boat or trailer or if its' been sitting in water, buildup needs to be cleaned off. We have both zebra mussels and milfoil.
 
Another thing you might want to try is turning the engine over for a few seconds AFTER shut down. It might evacuate enough of the water to eliminate the siphoning effect. To do this, flip the "kill switch" off and then crank the engine. About 5 seconds should be enough and that short amount of time will not damage the impeller in any way.
 
Have you tried removing the blue raw water system drain plugs that are on the engine? That will drain most of the remaining water in to the bilge.

Sounds like great advice...Where can I find this these drain plugs (or as Dennis mentioned, the lowest one)? Anyone have a picture?
 
More than likely, you have at least a 3-point drain and maybe the 1-point. If there's a blue-handled valve at the top, port-side of the engine, just open that and you're good. If not, look straight down the front of the engine (again, port-side) for an orange, rubber tube. Directly above it is a blue plug. Unscrew that one. You have good access to the engine in your boat so this should be pretty easy. You shouldn't have any problems finding these once you have the engine in front of you.
 

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