Newish Sea Ray 185 Sport won't run at full power?!

[bwill]

Hi all,

I'm new to boating and the forum! Maybe you guys can help.

Took the boat out today and the engine felt sluggish and wouldn't go over 25 mph at full throttle (maxing out at 4000 rpms). At first, the speedometer didn't work either. Put the boat in reverse to try to rid the intake of any debris, and was able to get the speedometer working again, but the engine was still sluggish.

We're keeping the boat in brackish water for the summer and haven't pulled it out yet since putting it in the water in April. Any ideas what could be causing the engine/speedometer troubles? Could their be a clog in the intake? We ran into some shallow water last time we took it out and then docked it shortly after and left it for two weeks.

 

[Scottbenson]

Since your speedo intake port is clogged and you stated that the boat has been stored in brackish water, my first guess it that the condition of your boat bottom, drive and prop are all goobered up (Technical term) with crud. If that were the case, your boat bottom would be so rough that it is creating excessive drag in the water and that is why you can't get up to full speed of above 4,000 RPM. This would be real easy to check, get in the water and feel the underside of your boat if it feels like a slimy version of a hairy gorilla's back, you need to get the boat bottom, drive and prop cleaned.

 

[bwill]

Ok, thanks for the input! Can that kind of buildup happen after being in the water for only a little over a month? We're taking it out of the water next weekend to try to clean it up a bit.

I'm guessing antifouling paint would help for this problem?

 

[rktktpaul]

Yes you can get a significant amount of build up in one month, but I can't believe that it would that much as to shave off 20 mph on your top end speed.

I had a similar issue where I had a loss in top end speed and rpm. It turned out that I had a flat battery cell that would not take a charge. I bought a new battery and the problem was solved. I would have your dealer check to see if the battery is defective.

 

[bwill]

Update: we power washed the bottom (buildup was pretty significant!) and all seemed well after taking a long test ride. Speed and planing were normal and the speedometer was working. Now have the boat in the shop for bottom paint!