F&%$#%ing milfoil! Pissers question

[Ribs77]

Hey all,

It's the time of year when the milfoil is thick around my wet slip. I remove as much as I can with a net before getting underway, but there are lots of spots I can't reach and tons of milfoil.

Today as I was exiting the marina, I essentially lost all thrust forward and reverse and had to limp into someone else's vacant slip, kill the engine, clean out the port, then shove off hard to get clear of the milfoil zone.

On the way back in, things got worse. I anticipated the same problem but couldn't do anything about it. I need to approach a zig-zag to get into my spot, so I usually come at an angle, then hit reverse to turn left, then go from there. Well, as I approached, I could tell I was down to almost no thrust. Also the pissers stopped flowing.

I had to continue running the engine and even revving it slightly to turn the boat and be able to get into my spot. I stopped the engine as soon as I could but it probably ran for 60-70 seconds without pisser flow.

Once I was moored, I cleared the port and started the engine again - still no pisser flow. I cleared the port AGAIN - it was already totally clogged - and started the boat a second time. This time I got pisser flow. I put my hand in it and it was boiling hot initially, then cooled to just warm. I stopped the engine and checked the port one more time, and this time it had remained clear.

Should I be worried that the engine got too hot? There's supposed to be a high temperature alarm that would sound, right? That never happened. Should I proactively change the oil? I usually would wait until the end of the season. Boat is a 2021 AR195 fwiw.

Thanks in advance... and F_CK milfoil!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

If you didn’t get a high temp alarm you’re good to go.

Did the hot water that came out burn your hand and force you to pull your hand away?

 

[Ribs77]

It was pretty damn hot and I did pull my hand away, but not quite hot enough to burn.

The alarm isn't something you'd miss, right? It gives an on-screen alert and makes a noise? I was looking out for it once I noticed that the pissers stopped, but also focused on trying to get the boat into the slip with no thrust

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

It was pretty damn hot and I did pull my hand away, but not quite hot enough to burn.

The alarm isn't something you'd miss, right? It gives an on-screen alert and makes a noise? I was looking out for it once I noticed that the pissers stopped, but also focused on trying to get the boat into the slip with no thrust

Unless you’ve got a really loud stereo you’re not going to miss the audible alarm. Also the visual stays locked in until silenced.

Then the water wasn’t too awful hot, I’m sure it would have burned had you left your hand there.

Can use an oar to get you through the worst of the milfoil?

 

[Ribs77]

Unless you’ve got a really loud stereo you’re not going to miss the audible alarm. Also the visual stays locked in until silenced.

Then the water wasn’t too awful hot, I’m sure it would have burned had you left your hand there.

Can use an oar to get you through the worst of the milfoil?

I had the stereo off (and it's stock, anyway), so definitely no competing sounds. Good to know - thanks for the reassurance.

I don't have an oar on board, just a utility pole for grabbing cleats and so forth. Makes me think I should probably get an oar or two to keep on board!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

You should definitely have an or on board get a 6 foot wooden bore. Don’t buy one of those Cincy little collapsible jobs. Do you want something that you can really lean on, another instance for an or is if you inadvertently get yourself on the bottom slowly, of course you can push yourself off. But mainly in the thicker patches of this milfoil, you could roll yourself through it.

If this is going to be an ongoing problem, you might consider even buying a little cheap trolling motor that you could use to drag your boat through all the milfoil out into Clearwater.

 

[Ribs77]

Picked up a slightly smaller wooden one - 4-5 feet. I need it to fit in the ski locker. Thanks for the recommendation!