Hit a rock and sank!

smokeonthewater

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Almost met up w a fellow iboater today but...........


So last week I picked up a couple of Kaw zxi900 jetskis and put some wrench time into gettin em running... today a friend and I took em out on the Ohio river and about 7 miles up river I smacked something in the water at about 50 mph... less than a minute later I was in the water next to a mostly submerged ski..... sooo we push pull and drag it up onto a log at the bank and drain the water and I take off on the other one for the dock... )wow the river was rough today).... I get home and hook up to the montecarlo and another friend hooks up the the ski trailer... we head back to the river and 3 hours after leaving him we get back to the friend sitting with the busted ski.... He informs me that of the 30-50 boats and a couple dozen ski's that went by he heard several people make comments about the half sunk jetski but not one single person offered to help a guy stranded on a small island in the ohio river... disgusting... we didn't need help but still....

Sooo after riding the other ski back and going home to get the boat, I strapped a throwable pfd over the hole with two ratchet straps and pumped out the water... then we floated it to the back of the boat and the three of us wrestled one edge onto the swim platform and strapped it up out of the water...... The wellcraft DID get on plane with the ski there but man did she point for the stars for a while as she worked to gain speed.... what a day... $280 in gas and one busted jetski for a day on the water...... WORTH IT....... sorta

Well I HAD planned to meet up with chriscraft254 but I guess that will be another day.....



ps the engine of the ski was fully submerged but I did manage to get it empty and eventually got it fired up... will do a compression test tomorrow but I think it's ok.....
 
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smokeonthewater

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Re: What a day!

Re: What a day!

forgive the shredded seat cover... was planning on replacing it this week

IMG_0781.jpg
 

64osby

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Re: What a day!

Re: What a day!

Time to start packing some of that body tape that Nascar uses, or a few rolls of duct tape.

Glad it all worked out an no one was injured.
 

The Rooster

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Re: What a day!

Re: What a day!

That's an expensive day, Kevin. Glad it all worked out. Do you think a small bilge pump would have bought you the time needed to get back on your own? My Yamaha came w/ 2 bilge pumps from the factory. Not tough to install. Good luck !!!
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: What a day!

Re: What a day!

I think the pump would have had to be 2500 gph or more... it went down FAST... it does have a siphon pump going to the jet pump.... if the hole had been at the front I could have ridden it in at speed but being less than a foot forward of the jet intake she was going down... the hole is almost big enough to get my hand through

when she started getting low in the water I went WOT and made another 15 seconds... the bow was up high and water was pouring out from under the seat in the back... I made a couple circles trying to spot a place to beach and then the engine started to flutter so I killed it before it could suck in a big gulp of water and hydrolock.

I didn't get around to doing a compression test today but I did start it several times and it sounds great
 

pckeen

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Re: What a day!

Re: What a day!

Glad to hear that - terrible way to spend a day.

On the plus side - no-one got hurt. Friend of mine had something similar happen do him (on a runabout).....he spent 10 days in a medically induced coma.
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: What a day!

Re: What a day!

Well I just did the compression test.... when I bought em I had 120 120 and 119.... after riding for a couple hours and subsequent drowning I now have 122 122 and as the battery was dying and barely cranking 119..... I bet the last one would be 121 or 122 if the batt had held up

I'd say the engine is fine :yay:
 

greenbush future

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Re: What a day!

Re: What a day!

good news on you engine, my old Kaw had been drowned a few times. As long as the water is out she should fire back up. Time to get your glassing skills going and patch her up.
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: What a day!

Re: What a day!

I just glassed the bottom of my Jet'n'cat a few weeks ago n used up the last of my epoxy so I'll have to order some more UNLESS, I have a line on an identical ski, barn kept since new with a bad engine and wiring harness damage from rodents..... Might get that one and just swap parts to the new hull if I can get it cheap enough.
IMG_0710.jpgIMG_0721.jpgIMG_0726.jpgIMG_0728.jpgIMG_0723.jpg
 

Home Cookin'

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Re: Hit a rock and sank!

one of those days where you have to say, "Anyone who doesn't love this, is crazy!"
 

GA_Boater

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Re: Hit a rock and sank!

Smoke - you got off cheap fixin' the Jet'nCat. Only a buck. LOL Nice glass work.
 

haulnazz15

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Re: Hit a rock and sank!

Lol, nice work Smoke! That Kawa is a 2-stroker so just emptying the bilge and pulling the plugs to empty any water that could have been ingested is easy. I have almost sank my 1100STX once by having it upside down in the water for too long (friend sucked up the ski rope).

They do have the siphon bilge pump connected to the jet pump, but as you mentioned, there's not a marine bilge pump that is going to pump out the amount of water coming in through a hole that big, at least not one that will fit in that engine bay!
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: Hit a rock and sank!

one of those days where you have to say, "Anyone who doesn't love this, is crazy!"

Truer words have never been spoken! thx

Smoke - you got off cheap fixin' the Jet'nCat. Only a buck. LOL Nice glass work.

I have been criticized HEAVILY by friends for not putting $100 into it! lol It's epoxied in and won't be coming out but I think someone would be willing to destroy my boat trying to get a 'hundo' out of it

Lol, nice work Smoke! That Kawa is a 2-stroker so just emptying the bilge and pulling the plugs to empty any water that could have been ingested is easy. I have almost sank my 1100STX once by having it upside down in the water for too long (friend sucked up the ski rope).

They do have the siphon bilge pump connected to the jet pump, but as you mentioned, there's not a marine bilge pump that is going to pump out the amount of water coming in through a hole that big, at least not one that will fit in that engine bay!

Thx.
I had a friend suck up a ski rope with my WRIII a few weeks ago.


MIGHT go look at a donor ski tomorrow.... Fellow bottom feeders, keep yer fingers crossed for me!
 

gtochris

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Re: Hit a rock and sank!

3 hours after leaving him we get back to the friend sitting with the busted ski.... He informs me that of the 30-50 boats and a couple dozen ski's that went by he heard several people make comments about the half sunk jetski but not one single person offered to help a guy stranded on a small island in the ohio river... disgusting... we didn't need help but still....
.


That is the worst part, I always ask if someone is OK! (heck- maybe they dont have a phone or know where they are?)
 

GA_Boater

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Re: Hit a rock and sank!

I have been criticized HEAVILY by friends for not putting $100 into it! lol It's epoxied in and won't be coming out but I think someone would be willing to destroy my boat trying to get a 'hundo' out of it

MIGHT go look at a donor ski tomorrow.... Fellow bottom feeders, keep yer fingers crossed for me!

Look at it like this - You'll never be broke as long as you have her. LOL Good luck on the donor.
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: Hit a rock and sank!

That is the worst part, I always ask if someone is OK! (heck- maybe they dont have a phone or know where they are?)

My thoughts exactly... for all they knew he could have been sitting there dying with a severe head injury.

Look at it like this - You'll never be broke as long as you have her.

Truer words have ne'er been spoken!

Update!
I now have the donor ski ($450 w NICE trailer) and have begun surgery.... Had some Nasty tumors to remove tho... She had set unattended for nearly a decade in a pole barn after the engine blew and was partially disassembled.... HOARDS of evil mice had infiltrated her bowels and taken up residence and then to add insult to injury the PO decided to hose it off and out and set it closed up in the sun for a couple days prior to my picking it up.... Well he managed to wet down the years of rodent nests and feces making a dark brown slurry that plugged the drain hole and also he managed to drown about a dozen mice that were lodged in all sorts of inaccessible parts of the hull behind flotation foam.

On a highly accurate scale of 1-10 the smell was a 29.235!
I seriously almost puked several times while stripping the engine, tank,exhaust, etc, and cleaning it out.... 2 days 2 trips to the car wash MANY gallons of water, and 3-4 gallons of bleach and I am almost ready to start the transplant of vital organs to give her life.
MUAHAHAHAHA!

As I type the smell rates about a 1.5 on the 1-10 scale and she is sitting nose down, full to the top with water and 2 gallons of bleach... I have a 480 gph bilge pump lodged inside running from a battery and charger aimed to cause the water to circulate and more and more nest material is constantly being dislodged.

She should take her first breath by this weekend

donor ski.jpg
 
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GA_Boater

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Re: Hit a rock and sank!

On a highly accurate scale of 1-10 the smell was a 29.235!

Must have been a serious stench. :eek: You're down to 1.5 - Positively rosy now. Get a few of the pine tree air fresheners to toss inside. :)
 
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