Help !!! !!!

[Armymedic427]

I am a new boat owner and bought my first boat the other day. I bought a 1991 VIP 183 Fish & Ski with a 3.0 inboard. I took it out today for the first time and it ran great. About 20 into driving it I checked under the back deck and seen a good amount of water under the engine. After we figured out that the drain plug was not put in we were on our way back to the ramp. By the time we got to the ramp we had to wait to get to the dock, to drop off my driver to get the truck, the boat died. I had the bilge pump on but that was not getting the water out fast enough. We were unable to get the motor started again. After getting the boat out and up the ramp we noticed that the ski storage in the floor was full of water. We still can not get the motor to start. I am currently using a fan to attempt to dry out the motor. Is there anything else that I need to do or have I ruined the motor? Please HELP.

Thanks

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Help !!! !!!

Bilge pumps: rule of thumb
bilge pump capacity (GPH) should be equal or greater than the biggest thru hull,transducer, drain plug, or any other hole thru the hull.
Forgot the drain plug: cut your
cloths
life jacket
girl friends tampon
sock
or anything else on the boat and go overboard to plug the hole.

how high did the water get?

 

[jopes]

Re: Help !!! !!!

pull the dipstick and see if you sucked water into the oil.

depending how high the water got inside, you may have water in the fuel, in the engine... pull the plugs and look at them, pop off the cap and check that it is dry.

more info is needed on how much water got in.

 

[Armymedic427]

Re: Help !!! !!!

I think that it may have got up the the starter because today all it would do is click when turning the key. but when we tapped the back of the starter it tried to trun over. I dont know if the starter can get water in it or if the starter is just bad. If water did get in it will it be ok to just let it dry out or will i have have to be worried about rust inside the starter and just replace it now. I am taking the batteries to get load tested in the morning to make sure that they are ok, before i go any further.
Thank you for all the help.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Help !!! !!!

I dont know if the starter can get water in it or if the starter is just bad. If water did get in it will it be ok to just let it dry out or will i have have to be worried about rust inside the starter and just replace it now. I am taking the batteries to get load tested in the morning to make sure that they are ok, before i go any further.

Ayuh,... If the starter went swimmin',... Ya need a New 1...

Take it off, 'n the water, 'n rust will run outa it...

 

[Bt Doctur]

Re: Help !!! !!!

Might also consider pulling the drive. Water may have entered it if the water level was quite high

 

[Ancloter]

Re: Help !!! !!!

Ehh, so you got a dunked engine. First off the drain plug thing is one of those scenarios you work out mentally before going out on the water. As mentioned above use anything to plug the hole. Be totally prepared to dive overboard and "plug the hole daddy" should it happen again. A tampon may not have sufficient diameter but the thinking is certainly on track.

A quick repair may suffice.
1) recharge the battery (with a battery charger)
2) Use CRC penetrating oil and spray down the starter.
3) Briefly remove the lower unit oil drain plug to see if any water entered the outdrive. It's unlikely but a good check.

Lastly, what is your fuel tank arraingement? If it's under-deck there will be a risk of fuel contamination and the fuel will need to be purged of the water.

Starters are very hardy so you hopefully won't have to replace it, just let it dry out. The solenoid is likely wet. You probably have to remove the starter to remove the solenoid cover to drain it out and spray it.

If you're rich go ahead and start replacing parts since you don't care about money. Otherwise dry it out, spray it down and recharge the battery.

 

[81 Checkmate]

Re: Help !!! !!!

Sorry to hear that. A Newbie mistake, my son did the same thing but he did not get to far before he relized it. He did the man overboard and pluged the hole. Good you took a look at the motor compartment.
Saved that whale !!!
I would be sure to check your motor oil before any attemps to start it. Could be that there is water in the oil and thats why it's hard to turn over. Its way overfull.

Good luck!

 

[livetohunt123]

Re: Help !!! !!!

That's why I like to have my plug on the inside of the boat. I also have a spare in my toolbox.

 

[greenz]

Re: Help !!! !!!

I'll never trust a wet starter again. My dad, brothers and a few other guys went up to Erie for a weekend of fishing. Found out the bellows were shot when we came back to the dock in the morning and found the boat had sunk to just over the floorboards. At the time, the only thing under water was the starter. Flipped the bilge on, managed to get her off the bottom and floating again. (i was probably 15, no idea about gimbal bearings or anything like that for the matter) We let her run for a while, let it dry out so to speak, and headed for open water, about 3 miles off shore i would guess, with my older brother following in his boat. Dads running the bilge almost the whole time we're fishing. Decide to move, cranked her up, the solenoid had gotten stuck and the starter would not stop. Yanked the battery cables, now the boat is sinking, i think we ended up having to panic wire the bilge to the battery directly, and my brother towed us back to shore. Long story short, it wasn't any fun!!!