well we splashed her - day from hell

Tawcat - water is used to cool and lube your shaft seals. When your engine is not running, there is no water flow to the seals.

So, during your two hour tow, your shafts were spinning in the seals with no cooling or lubrication from water flow. Whenever you tow an inboard boat with dripless seals you should lock your shafts to prevent them from freewheeling. A pipewrench locked on a shaft and lodged against the bildge will prevent them from spinning.

BTW - most marine gear makers also recommend locking the shafts because your transmission gets no oil pressure without running your engines.
 
Last edited:
IMO, the impellar is made from cheap a$$ rubber due to the fact that you're pulling in fresh water, with all sorts of debris, and something has to wear out. I'd rather have a cheap a$$ piece of rubber wear out than an expensive a$$ component (in my case, outdrive). just my .02.

let me hear it if I'm wrong.

Gregg
 
ghuskin - i totally agree with you. i'd much rather spend a few hundred for new impellers than big big $$$$$ for a major component!
 
BTW, I'm glad your repair bill wasn't too bad.

new boats are a learning curve. going from outboards to I/O, I/O to inboards, stuff changes. Who new? besides Gary?

Gregg
 
aquadancer said:
Tawcat - water is used to cool and lube your shaft seals. When your engine is not running, there is no water flow to the seals.

So, during your two hour tow, your shafts were spinning in the seals with no cooling or lubrication from water flow. Whenever you tow an inboard boat with dripless seals you should lock your shafts to prevent them from freewheeling. A pipewrench locked on a shaft and lodged against the bildge will prevent them from spinning.

BTW - most marine gear makers also recommend locking the shafts because your transmission gets no oil pressure without running your engines.
Click to expand...

Absolutely- remember this advice.
There's a 500 Dancer at the yard I use right now because the owner forgot to lock the shaft during a tow- burned up the seal and the boat took on water. Not pretty...
 
Lots of learning going on, but Tawcat, you have to be tired of eating crow by now. I say let's give him a break and move on to new threads for education purposes so it doesn't look like he is the only one that made a mistake this year. I feel really terrible for any potential damage, and I know what it's like to be highlighted for mistakes, over, and over, and over again. I don't like it. I don't imagine anyone else does either. Just making a friendly suggestion.
 
Learning is good! I am not trying to make Tawcat relive his mistake, just trying to help with the next steps - I know he must feel terrible. My point is that, in addition to replacing impellers, he should at least inspect few other parts:

shaft seals - run the boat (after installing new impellers and with seacocks open) at idle speed for 30-45 minutes, if seals don't leak and gears don't make unusual noises, he's dodged that bullet.

exhaust components - doesn't sound like he ran the boat long enough to cause damage, but it would be prudent to at least check out the hoses. Corrugated rubber exhaust hoses are not designed for dry exhaust gas (over 1000 deg).
 
Last edited:
Aquadancer - everyone is helping. I'm just trying to re-direct to a new thread out of mercy.
 
hey guys, first off let me say no offense has been taken by me. could all of this been avoided, you bet! we could have waited til warm weather and taken the chance of losing the deal we got on the boat. and who knew mother nature was going to throw arkansas a curve ball!!!! damn weather people, almost like doctors, its all a practice!!!!

but hey, if all that we suffered is a few impellers, than yes, we did dodge a bullet.

i may be new to this forum, due to the fact we just became sea ray owners, but have been using forums for quite a few years and let me tell you, every now and again you eat a little bit of crow, but the knowledge that crow provides is invaluable!!!

i really appreciate everyone that responded with their advice, feedback and things to look for in the future. best bud has an '04 320 and we really always liked his boat. i told him the other day, that i didn't realize how much we liked his boat 'til we spent the weekend on ours. the 320 is a winner.

thanks guys and if the moderator wants to freeze this thread, freeze away!!!!! hell the impellers were frozen!!!
 
We are getting an Arctic blast in Iowa....and it is for real! I hope it doesn't go too far south!
 
I have refrained from comment because I didn't want to appear to "pile on", but there is a possible consequence to this accident that hasn't been mentioned yet....

I'm not sure on an '05 or on 6.2L engines, but Mercruiser typically uses a paper gasket between the riser and manifold. At least the riser and probably both parts are sea water cooled. Without cooling water flowing, those gaskets will cook, burn and get brittle. If they leak, water will enter the combustion chamber and engine and the resuting repair can be horribly expensive......like removing the heads for a valve job or worse, an engine rebuild if the engines hydrolock and you try to start them.

My advice is to spend a little more money right now and have your mechanic replace those gaskets pretty soon.

Boating is full of fun and of learning curves. Every step up brings with it challenges. Some may poke fun at you for a mistake, but in truth, we've all done this or something very much like it. The guys poking fun just haven't admitted their stupid tax yet.

Gary, thanks for your restraint in not riling Wesley and causing this thread to close until I could mention the riser gaskets.
 
Wesley is suffering from Bronchitis and slight Pnemonia, so he has been moderating with light hand lately, but I think after our discussion a couple weeks ago about how it is fine to crank a motor every now and then while on the hard, everyone was probably learning something from this thread. It also looks like the poster was getting the information he was looking for and was taking the punches in stride. No one was attacking...no reason to freeze thread...back to bed. Moderator out. Thanks for the plug Gary :thumbsup:

Tawcat - thanks for being a great sport and not being afraid to ask the questions, you may prevent someone else from making the same mistake, which at the end of the day is the point of this board. Good luck with everything.:thumbsup:

Wesley
 
you guys are great!!!! being an infantry soldier for 24 years, now retired from that fun, has taught me to take things in stride. for those that take offense and pick up their bat and ball and run home, never learn the game, so sometimes you have to gut it out to see what the end brings. lots learned by me from this thread, had i quit early on, i'd still be stupid, well i still am stupid, but i won't go into that!!!!!
 
I've been in the military for 23 years, in fighter squadrons most of the time. We are taught to have very thick skin at a very early age. There's nothing I hate more than taking a load of S#*& from my bro's, then having to walk on eggshells in every other aspect of my life. I'm aware of how it feels, and I hate to see it spread on too heavily to others. Maybe I'm just too aware. If I'm not real careful, I come across as abrasive when I'm just being honest. Soooo, I guess I've taken my extra caution and tried to apply it to you guys. Nevermind - Fight's on! (TIC).
 
Tawcat, I'm glad things are looking up for you and damages are light. They are for me too it turns out, well at least at the pocketbook.

Yes there is much to be learned on this Site. As systems that are unfamiliar to us at the beginning become more routine and commonplace, that learning curve can become steep. I will host a Crow BBQ if I can learn about things I haven't experienced yet, on systems my boat has and I haven't mastered. I will also pass along the ketchup to those making a Crow sandwich if I offer advice that helps them avoid the headaches and anxiety of the Admiral hearing an alarm on the boat. :smt021

I appreiciate the seasoned advice and perspective here and listen with Ross Perot ears.
 
Tawcat,
I can only imagine how you guys felt. Looks like things are turning around for you and I really hope it stays that way where impellers is the only price to pay. We just moved up from a single I/O and I know exactly how you feel about the learnign curve, b/c I'm going through the same with inboards.

320 is a great boat. When all hickups are over and a new boating season begins you'll forget all the troubles while enjoing your new boat.

Good luck,
Alex.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,241
Messages
1,429,091
Members
61,119
Latest member
KenBoat
Back
Top