View Full Version : SportJet's
ReelMcCoy
10-21-2002, 06:08 AM
I have a sportjet in my boat and twice now I have pluged the intake up with grass in Tillamook bay. The only way I have found to clear it is to put the boat back on the trailer and get underneath and pull it out by hand.
What do the rest of you do to clean the pump intake?
skein
10-21-2002, 06:29 AM
McCoy,
I have a Jetcraft with the hinged gate and top-side plunger. It was an option, and the deciding factor when I finally chose my boat (god knows I had looked at all of 'em). I've never had to get under my boat and do a clean out. Rocks, seaweed, you name it, just work the gate up and down a few times and you're good to go. I love it!
Skein
My strategy for keeping my SportJet intake clean starts earlier in the game. A) Stay out of weed balls or cross them on plane to avoid most problems. B) If you do get a weed blockage, attain maximum forward speed and then turn off the key. This will cause the wake to wash forward through the jet and dislodge most weeds. Sometimes flipping the reverse bucket up and down will also help.
I found putting the throttle all the way forword with the engine off and using the kicker to go full bore reverse works well. This puts the reverse gate all the way up and the input screen down. It's worked for me 8/10 times :grin: .
fishing is life
10-21-2002, 09:43 AM
I usually will kill the engine and run the kicker on fwd full throttle and the weeds will come out. good question as i figured this out right away. do all inboard jets do this or is it just the sportjet?
mallard0311
10-21-2002, 10:00 AM
Skeins answer on the step on clean out gate is the best way to go. All inboard and out board jets, including the sportjet suck up lot's of sea weed, sand, rocks leaves ect. They do make a rake that you can use to clean out your intakes as well. Better practice with the rake in your driveway at home first. Not easy standing on the swim platform in waves using the rake. Going fast helps when in thick kelp or leaves. Then just kill the engine. If you are already all jammed up and don't have a rake, it's best to use your trolling motor and pull it out on the trailer like you have. Last option is to dive overboard and pull it all out by hand.
Herring Impaired
10-21-2002, 02:40 PM
I had to pull out weeds by hand once... Got all wet...
I built a rake that attaches to my 6' net handle, and now I only have to get wet up to my kneecaps. Just put the boat on the beach, and rake the weeds....
I looked at the mercury weed rake, too spendy and it looks like it takes up alot of room.... And as someone else mentioned, unwieldy to stand on the swim paltform. In most cases you have a kicker and icebox there anyway....
[ 10-21-2002, 02:40 PM: Message edited by: Leroy ]
abercrombie
10-21-2002, 03:09 PM
wait till you suck up the anchor rope... :depressed: what a pain! :hoboy: thats one where you fire up your kicker, try to get to a beach where you can retrieve your anchor.. which digs in to everything it can, of course...... graemlins/idea.gif so, you get real wet getting the anchor back, then troll back to the launch... :rolleyes: where you load up, and if you don't have the right torx, you may as well go home... :whazzup: because your next step is removing the grate and unwrapping the rope... which will be real tight!.. graemlins/1zhelp.gif then the next day out, you forget you plug.. start sinking, reach for the bilge pump, cut your head on those metal window frames, swing the boat around where the rear is up near shore (in order to get the plug in without having to go to deep in the water)... which sucks a whole lot of sand into your jet... now you got your plug in, you try to leave the shore and there's no power... what the heck? shut it off and the sand washes out... and... away you go.... :cool: I'm getting wiser as I go.. or is it, I'll go fishing if I have to kill myself to do it.... :rolleyes: but I love my jet?
5-Cents
10-21-2002, 03:28 PM
abercrombie,
Been there and done that with the anchor rope but did not get my anchor back, had to cut it :mad:
I was fishing Klamath Lake and my intake got plugged up with all the weeds there, of course I was going 5 MPH trough them and did not have a clue utill, putt, putt, cough... dead. Me and a buddy dived over and cleared it out by hand. I have a 350 HP V-8 in mine. Swimming was nice because it was 100 out so no big deal. Jumping in Tilly sounds cold and salty graemlins/eek13.gif
I find if I keep the boat on plane going at a good clip I don't get mucked up.
Good luck!
:cheers:
bllelk
10-21-2002, 03:30 PM
Reel,
I used to have a Sportjet in another life, my kid in Brookings has it now. Build a rake. It will work most of the time and keep you dry.
All these other tips will work too! Sometimes! Having the rake won't hurt. :grin:
abercrombie
10-21-2002, 03:32 PM
yes, the water in the Columbia the day of the anchor mishap, was about 67 degrees... the next day in the Cowlitz, when I forgot the plug, the water was only 56 degrees... both days it was about 5:30AM... too early for swimming and a bit too chilly... :cool: I eventually would like to try Tillamook bay...? Is this grass/weed thing a real problem out there? or is it in certain areas of the bay?...
[ 10-21-2002, 03:35 PM: Message edited by: abercrombie ]
crabbait
10-21-2002, 08:55 PM
Did ya know that when ya suck your $60 sea anchor into the big V-8 she won't even turn over?
That grinding sound you hear just before she shuts down is the bearings going south.
Ah yes, fillet of sea anchor (if you have an access port and a long fillet knife). graemlins/stupid.gif :hoboy:
skein
10-21-2002, 09:01 PM
That's when your gut feels like an anchor. Man, that has *got* to ruin a guy's day. :sick: :sick: :sick:
I can't wait 'til I slurp up my rope. Even my fancy-dan hinged gate won't clear that one! Ugh-Lee
I don't even want to think about it. :hoboy:
Skein
big guy
10-21-2002, 09:11 PM
can a top side plunger be installed on any inboardjet? If so who sells it.
ReelMcCoy
10-22-2002, 12:14 AM
Mallard0311,
It sounds like the dive overboard option is the best one so far. Thanks for the suggestion. :wink:
By the way I noticed the words Semper Fi were you in the core?
Thanks to all for the ideas. Running backwards with the kicker sounds like a good option. I will try that next time.
abercrombie
10-22-2002, 08:39 AM
not sure who the manufacturer is, but I saw them at Stevens Marine in Milwaulkee.. I think they called it a stomper.. another little trick item they had was exhaust plates that go on sportjets... it sends the exhaust down into the water and really muffles that exhaust noise down.. they looked really easy to build for that matter..