Tube Rope caught

[AbuAyd]

Looking for suggestions on how to make sure the boat is OK after an incident last weekend. I did not pay attention to the rope so it floated under the boat (2015 GT 207) and the engine shut off and I could not recover. Ended up getting towed out of the lake and took a look once the boat was on the trailer. The rope was stuck solid in there. Started cutting as much of it as I can. Got home and went under the boat and took all the rope I can see from around the impeller with a big knife through the intake grill. I then turned the engine on for few seconds to make sure and it came on and I immediately turned it off.

Any suggestions on additional steps to take to recover from this and ensure the engine is working before going out on the water again? I am concerned if a small rope piece is still in there and it can cause more trouble or if I need to do additional maintenance to make sure the engine functions properly.

It was an expensive lesson but at least I did not have to go to the shop and take the whole thing out to remove the rope. My thought is to always turn off the engine when ropes are loose in the water but I am also concerned about the constant turning on and off the engine. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I am a new owner of a jet drive but have been renting (regular drive boats) for many years.

Thank you all.

 

[fireflymedic]

I shut my engines off at the drop of a hat. Iv seen what size battery they use on a motorcycle and it aint big so must not take to many cca to get engine running. Just in case i do take a portable jump starter but iv never needed to use it.

 

[Chuckbig]

You should update your profile to show that you have sucked up a rope. It happens to most of us!

 

[Ronnie]

There are a few things that jet boat owners do to reduce the risk that they will run over a tow or docking line. For instance, always designate someone to watch the rope, turn the engine(s) off once the boat is close enough to pick up a fallen boarder, skier or tuber, not using reverse whenever towing someone/whenever their tow line is in the water and adding colorful pool noodles to the first few feet of tow line next to the boat to make the line more visible.

However, I think that the strong desire not to relive the experience and expense of fouling a line on the shaft is my biggest motivator. Based on what you have written about this I'd bet you will be hyper vigilant for sometime to come about knowing where the line is at all times.

These days I tell anyone coming aboard for the first time as well as people who have been out on the boat many times that rope watch is a shared responsibility between everyone onboard and I follow up with the consequences of fouling a line. That is, at a minimum it will cost time, sometimes hours, to remove the line, the cost of the line itself, possibly a towing fee and in extreme cases loss of the boat while it is in the shop being repaired. A few people have damaged their hulls by running over a line, what happens is that as the line gets tight around the shaft the line cuts into hull near the intake grate or just inside the grate where the shaft goes though the hull).

My theory is that it's not matter of if but when a jet boat owner will run over a line. That is, it happens to all of us eventually and sometimes more than once so you are not alone.

Before hitting the water again I would not just look at but feel for any residual line on the shaft from the point it exits the hull to the front of the impeller. A single strand of line wrapped around that part of the shaft can and probably will cause cavitation. Check for loose or missing sealant while you are at it and fix it if you find any. Also put an appropriate knife onboard, preferably one with a short and curved blade as well as a strap but in a pinch even a plain box cutter with replaceable blades will do. Take a look at some other threads here on the subject, even without cleanout plugs you may be able to remove a fouled line while on the water by removing the spark plugs which should allow you to rotate the shaft by hand. Of course this means you will need spark plug removal tools on board as well.

Lastly, I don't think you should be concerned with constantly turning the engine on and off. The modern four stroke fuel injected engines of today have been very reliable compared to the two stroke carburated engines of the past.

 

[BobbyP]

As far as turning the boat off on the water. I turn mine off every time I pick up a rider or put one in the water. Have a good spotter. Lastly never go in reverse with a line in the water.

 

[OCMD]

We are super viligant about the lines. We shut down every time we re-load the tube or skis. Not a problem with constant on/off. Despite the viligance? We have sucked a line up two times. It will occur. Just like there are two types of motorcycle operators. Those who have crashed, and those who will crash.

 

[AbuAyd]

Thank you all for the responses. We will definitely be more careful and will shut off engine when picking up. Hope we never have to deal with it again

 

[Lee Anderson]

Looking for suggestions on how to make sure the boat is OK after an incident last weekend. I did not pay attention to the rope so it floated under the boat (2015 GT 207) and the engine shut off and I could not recover. Ended up getting towed out of the lake and took a look once the boat was on the trailer. The rope was stuck solid in there. Started cutting as much of it as I can. Got home and went under the boat and took all the rope I can see from around the impeller with a big knife through the intake grill. I then turned the engine on for few seconds to make sure and it came on and I immediately turned it off.

Any suggestions on additional steps to take to recover from this and ensure the engine is working before going out on the water again? I am concerned if a small rope piece is still in there and it can cause more trouble or if I need to do additional maintenance to make sure the engine functions properly.

It was an expensive lesson but at least I did not have to go to the shop and take the whole thing out to remove the rope. My thought is to always turn off the engine when ropes are loose in the water but I am also concerned about the constant turning on and off the engine. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I am a new owner of a jet drive but have been renting (regular drive boats) for many years.

Thank you all.

I just did the same thing this afternoon! on my Glastron GTS187
The rope is wedged in there. Is there a way to turn the shaft backwards to get the rope untangled?
Should I cut the rope or leave it so I have something to pull on?
And can the grate be removed to get at the shaft easier?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Julian]

I just did the same thing this afternoon! on my Glastron GTS187
The rope is wedged in there. Is there a way to turn the shaft backwards to get the rope untangled?
Should I cut the rope or leave it so I have something to pull on?
And can the grate be removed to get at the shaft easier?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Some people have said in the past that removing the spark plugs on an engine will allow you to spin the shaft backwards.....but if the rope is really jambed in there it will be hard to un jamb. The one time I did this I ended up cutting the rope out.

Once you have it out, inspect the intake tunnel for damage. We've seen one instance when the intake tunnel broke (was pushed in and cracked) due to the pressure from the rope.

 

[Justin Turner]

I sucked up a rope today too in my 2015 GTS 207. It was a real PITA to get out but luckily no damage. The biggest pain was getting those front two bolts out. Hopefully neither one of us have any problems on the next trip out! Everything looked good after I pulled the rope and CARABINER out of the prop. I really dodged a bullet on that one!!

Now to go update my profile. Haha

 

[Justin Turner]

 

[Ronnie]

You Glastron owners are just killing it on this thread.
This just means the other jet boat owners are not admitting to it plus this Season is just starting so ...

 

[scot71]

So much for the shaft cover protecting people from getting ropes caught. Thank goodness for clean-out tubes. Sorry for your luck @AbuAyd, @Lee Anderson, @Justin Turner. Hopefully this will be the last time you ever deal with this.

 

[NavyShooter]

I did it on my second day pulling a tube. Learned the hard way....actually, it ended up being pretty easy. The wind blew me back to within 20 feet of my dock. The neighbour was home with his tractor so we were able to get it pulled out onto the trailer the next afternoon, it took about 40 minutes with a knife and some pliers to cut the rope out and clean the intake and the shaft.

Had to buy a new tow-rope, but that's life! It was a relatively painless experience...that said, when picking up tube riders who I've successfully bounced off, I shut off the engine and make them swim a bit.

Oh, boat is a Glastron GT187 (150 Hp)

NS

 

[Linda Richard-Miller]

Sucked up a rope yesterday on my Yamahasx240. Cut it out at home. Engine starts. Should I have any concerns

 

[OCMD]

nope. it happens to all of us. sometimes twice! Cut it out and move on down the road....

 

[ma2watsoou]

Looking for suggestions on how to make sure the boat is OK after an incident last weekend. I did not pay attention to the rope so it floated under the boat (2015 GT 207) and the engine shut off and I could not recover. Ended up getting towed out of the lake and took a look once the boat was on the trailer. The rope was stuck solid in there. Started cutting as much of it as I can. Got home and went under the boat and took all the rope I can see from around the impeller with a big knife through the intake grill. I then turned the engine on for few seconds to make sure and it came on and I immediately turned it off.

Any suggestions on additional steps to take to recover from this and ensure the engine is working before going out on the water again? I am concerned if a small rope piece is still in there and it can cause more trouble or if I need to do additional maintenance to make sure the engine functions properly.

It was an expensive lesson but at least I did not have to go to the shop and take the whole thing out to remove the rope. My thought is to always turn off the engine when ropes are loose in the water but I am also concerned about the constant turning on and off the engine. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

I am a new owner of a jet drive but have been renting (regular drive boats) for many years.

Thank you all.

I learned the hard way as well. Huge PITA

 

[Jobiwan]

The impeller shaft can handle about 40 feet without damage .. Box cutter and pulling pieces out was the easiest solution.

 

[Julian]

Hook blades on a box cutter.....should be in your jet boat toolkit!

 

[Benauge]

Hi, yesterday we joined the rope club as the tow rope got sucked up by my 2014 GT 187/200HP, 187Hrs.

Being back on the trailer (and after same time) I was able to get robe cut out

Now running the engine (on the trailer, connected to the hose), I hear a sound which sounds like turning on the “sink cutter” in a kitchen sink. It is a sort of rumbling noise; certain that when the boat would be in the water, I might not hear it. ?

Any other suggestion where the noise cut come from/ solve it / what to do?

I am thinking of removing the Jet pump and replacing the impeller and the wear ring to solve this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Best, Frank

P.S I just updated my profile: Yes, I have sucked up a rope!