OVERKILL
$100 Site Donor 2021
We've had the marina store the Supra for the last two years now, so they take it out of the water, winterize it and then put it back in the lake for the summer and leave it in our boathouse.
I put a new impeller in it the summer before last but haven't had a chance to do any service on it this summer (I wasn't going to do the impeller this year, was going to do it next), which typically involves changing the oil, checking the drive oil, tightening the belts...etc.
So my one sister took the boat for a several hour tour up to and around Lake Rosseau to show her significant other where our family's cottage used to be. Boat behaved fine. About a week later (this past Monday) my other sisters arrived and my dad decides to take their kids tubing. Third outing, something started to smell hot, dad, not being the most mechanically minded person, decided to "drive it home slowly" rather than call for a tow and investigate the source of the smell. That was not a wise decision. He assured me over the phone, relaying this event, that it didn't get above 180 on the gauge.
I'm two hours away.
My one sister calls me up and sends me the above picture and tells me "I think the hull is cracked". The hull is fibreglass/kevlar/fibreglass, it is not easily cracked. I ask her how she arrived at that conclusion, and it was due to the water entering the bilge from the floor drains. I remark to her that the exhaust goes through those compartments, so any leaks at the exhaust, the tubing for which was visibly melted and is located below the water line, would be likely to allow water into those areas. I asked if it had been run up on any rocks or been in a major collision involving the bottom of the boat that would be necessary for the hull damage she's positing to have occurred. She said no.
She sent me a picture of the temp gauge (gauge doesn't auto park, it stays where it was when the key is set to off) which showed a temp approaching 200F. Not insanely hot. This was promising but told me dad wasn't REALLY watching the gauge.
The rubber section between the (now heavily discoloured from heat) mufflers and the exhaust pipes is melted and visibly leaking onto the stringer on the driver-side. I assumed the same for the passenger (above) but she simply couldn't see it.
Not super keen to come up to a packed cottage to play boat mechanic, I dragged my heels until Sunday, since I had to pickup my daughter, who had gone up to see her cousins. Stopped at the marina, bought the wrong (3") exhaust hose, which I had to return (it's 3.5") and headed over to the island.
I did not take any pictures of the job.
I quickly established the freshwater pump wasn't getting any water, impeller looked, through the exit hole, to be in good shape, but was not moving any water when the engine was fired.
- Removed the feed hose, there was water present.
- Removed the inlet hose from the lake where it passes through the differential cooler, it was packed full of organic material and a chunk of silicone. Looks like I found the problem.
- Picked out what I could with my fingers and then sucked-out the cooler with a shop vac and then back-flushed with a garden hose.
- Pump was still not drawing water, took a look in it while rotating it and realized the impeller, while appearing to be in good condition, wasn't moving.
- Removed the pump, impeller where it rides on the hub had spun on the spline due to being run dry. Blades were all still intact, flexible and in excellent condition.
- Located spare impeller, replaced, refit pump, lots of water now.
With cooling reestablished, it was time to tackle the exhaust.
- Decided to take this opportunity to extend the lower plumbing/coupling upwards, since these stainless mufflers are shorter than the OE fibreglass ones.
- Used some scotchbright to clean the melted rubber off the mufflers
- Put everything back together, water ingress seemed to have slowed, but I was still seeing some water exiting the floor compartment drains.
Had two ideas on this:
1. There was water accumulated in those compartments from it leaking into them for a week.
2. The exhaust had got hot enough at the back of the boat (exhaust exits underwater) that the seals for the flap assemblies that attach to the exhaust pipes were now also leaking.
Took the boat for a drive with the engine cover removed, didn't appear to take on any water while underway. Upon returning to the dock, it didn't seem to be taking on any additional water while stationary, fingers crossed that it was not leaking at the transom.
Left at about 8PM to head home. Told everybody to keep an eye out for water ingress, as if it continued, we would need to assume that the pipes are leaking at the transom and that this would need to be addressed.
Not the best weekend, but it was good to see my siblings, who I haven't seen in about a year.
I put a new impeller in it the summer before last but haven't had a chance to do any service on it this summer (I wasn't going to do the impeller this year, was going to do it next), which typically involves changing the oil, checking the drive oil, tightening the belts...etc.
So my one sister took the boat for a several hour tour up to and around Lake Rosseau to show her significant other where our family's cottage used to be. Boat behaved fine. About a week later (this past Monday) my other sisters arrived and my dad decides to take their kids tubing. Third outing, something started to smell hot, dad, not being the most mechanically minded person, decided to "drive it home slowly" rather than call for a tow and investigate the source of the smell. That was not a wise decision. He assured me over the phone, relaying this event, that it didn't get above 180 on the gauge.
I'm two hours away.
My one sister calls me up and sends me the above picture and tells me "I think the hull is cracked". The hull is fibreglass/kevlar/fibreglass, it is not easily cracked. I ask her how she arrived at that conclusion, and it was due to the water entering the bilge from the floor drains. I remark to her that the exhaust goes through those compartments, so any leaks at the exhaust, the tubing for which was visibly melted and is located below the water line, would be likely to allow water into those areas. I asked if it had been run up on any rocks or been in a major collision involving the bottom of the boat that would be necessary for the hull damage she's positing to have occurred. She said no.
She sent me a picture of the temp gauge (gauge doesn't auto park, it stays where it was when the key is set to off) which showed a temp approaching 200F. Not insanely hot. This was promising but told me dad wasn't REALLY watching the gauge.
The rubber section between the (now heavily discoloured from heat) mufflers and the exhaust pipes is melted and visibly leaking onto the stringer on the driver-side. I assumed the same for the passenger (above) but she simply couldn't see it.
Not super keen to come up to a packed cottage to play boat mechanic, I dragged my heels until Sunday, since I had to pickup my daughter, who had gone up to see her cousins. Stopped at the marina, bought the wrong (3") exhaust hose, which I had to return (it's 3.5") and headed over to the island.
I did not take any pictures of the job.
I quickly established the freshwater pump wasn't getting any water, impeller looked, through the exit hole, to be in good shape, but was not moving any water when the engine was fired.
- Removed the feed hose, there was water present.
- Removed the inlet hose from the lake where it passes through the differential cooler, it was packed full of organic material and a chunk of silicone. Looks like I found the problem.
- Picked out what I could with my fingers and then sucked-out the cooler with a shop vac and then back-flushed with a garden hose.
- Pump was still not drawing water, took a look in it while rotating it and realized the impeller, while appearing to be in good condition, wasn't moving.
- Removed the pump, impeller where it rides on the hub had spun on the spline due to being run dry. Blades were all still intact, flexible and in excellent condition.
- Located spare impeller, replaced, refit pump, lots of water now.
With cooling reestablished, it was time to tackle the exhaust.
- Decided to take this opportunity to extend the lower plumbing/coupling upwards, since these stainless mufflers are shorter than the OE fibreglass ones.
- Used some scotchbright to clean the melted rubber off the mufflers
- Put everything back together, water ingress seemed to have slowed, but I was still seeing some water exiting the floor compartment drains.
Had two ideas on this:
1. There was water accumulated in those compartments from it leaking into them for a week.
2. The exhaust had got hot enough at the back of the boat (exhaust exits underwater) that the seals for the flap assemblies that attach to the exhaust pipes were now also leaking.
Took the boat for a drive with the engine cover removed, didn't appear to take on any water while underway. Upon returning to the dock, it didn't seem to be taking on any additional water while stationary, fingers crossed that it was not leaking at the transom.
Left at about 8PM to head home. Told everybody to keep an eye out for water ingress, as if it continued, we would need to assume that the pipes are leaking at the transom and that this would need to be addressed.
Not the best weekend, but it was good to see my siblings, who I haven't seen in about a year.
