I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

[Mason78]

So I was cruising along in a part of the lake that I have been through a hundred times, and BAM! I hit bottom. I was able to free myself but left a muddy mess behind me.

Not knowing how damaged my boat was I headed for the ramp. Once I pulled it out I was somewhat relived. The hull appears to be fine. No damage that I can see. My out drive has a gash in it and my prop has some chew marks around 2 of the 3 blades.

For what its worth. I was not near the ramp so I had a decent trek back and the boat seemed to run fine. I tried at at multiple speeds and maneuvered it a bit. Ran ok.

I have 2 questions....

1. What parts should be I concerned about as far as unseen damage? Should I take it to a marine mechanic for an inspection?

2 How much will the aforementioned damage affect the performance of the boat? I do have an extra prop. It is the aluminum version of the SS one on my boat now.

I appreciate all the help. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go kick my *ss for letting this happen.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

Your drive does NOT have a gash in it, that is the Pitot intake for the speedometer.
The few Prop dings are no big deal. Go Boating!.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

If it were me, I'd get the prop fixed since it is out of balance now. Other than that, looks fine. Does the speedo still work? Might need to pull the tube and clean the dirt out of it.

 

[Mason78]

Re: I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

Your drive does NOT have a gash in it, that is the Pitot intake for the speedometer.

I'm having a hard time getting a good pic of it, but there is damage that wasn't there before. Here is a pic from the other side, you can see where the paint is gone.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

Is that just the bottom of the fin?

 

[Mason78]

Re: I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

Is that just the bottom of the fin?

It is right in front of the water intake.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

The one issue I would look into is the water intake jackets for the cooling system. If you drug mud, sand, muck, etc into there, it can quickly clog up the water passages and lead to overheating. Also, the rubber fins of the impeller are suseptible to quick degrading from ingesting sand, and the final thought...the water discharge passages are very small and even a small amount of gunk can clog them. Get the water passages cleaned out. The prop can be cleaned up with small hammer and a file if it seems to run without vibration, but getting it reconditioned is best. No further wear on the prop shaft and seals.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

I'm having a hard time getting a good pic of it ... Here is a pic from the other side...
View attachment 164844

Are you sure you posted the correct picture????

 

[Triton II]

Re: I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

UW, the drive is in the top of the photo out of focus... looks like some paint missing from around the pitot area.

TII

 

[kawakx125]

Re: I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

ain't nuttin broke, if your drive isn't scratched up in a few places you ain't been boating. flush the motor out good if you think you got mud or sand in it, maybe have the prop looked at

 

[smoedog]

Re: I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

I'd say your fine. Get back out on the water. Doesn't even look like you hit ground... This is hitting something:

 

[ktbarrentine]

Re: I ran aground!!!!!! Now what?

If you truly had a "gash" as you say, depending on where it is, you would have lost drive oil. Did you check your drive oil? Bet it is fine. Run it on muffs, flush it out good. If you are really concerned, inspect the impeller. How long has it been since it was changed, anyway?