Towing a sport jet

[jkb]

As the new owner of a Wooldridge Alaskan XL SJ I have a question. I was reading the Mercury manual and it's states that you should not tow a sport jet equipped boat at high speed? I'm hoping to never to have to tow my beautiful machine but "s&$t happens". Has anyone heard of a sport jet being damaged from high speed towing?

 

[limon32]

Seems like a fairly relative statement, I suspect at any normal towing speed you'll be just fine, I don't own a sprit jet but I've seen a few towed on the Snake.


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[jkb]

The mercury manual says engine damage is possible with high speed towing

 

[jkb]

I would assume the way to hurt it is to force water into the jet intake then in cooling intake then into motor

 

[jkb]

Has anyone seen this happen

 

[skybust]

I had to have my SJX towed years back because the fuel pump went out and larry at the deshka landing towed and he was on step didnt hurt my boat at all.

 

[jkb]

Thanks skybust.

 

[skybust]

No problem

 

[Deak]

I had a 20' Boulton River Skiff with a sportjet 175 towed through 18 miles of ocean with no problems. It wasn't "high speed" it was hull speed.

 

[Frostbitten]

Didn't Bob The Fisher (I think it was him) have a problem with this a year or two ago? I remember he had some serious engine damage, but I don't recall what the cause was...could be towing?

 

[BrownBear]

Dunno a Sport Jet from a sports bra, but as an outsider looking in I'd be thinking about some kind of "boot" I could pull over it and lash in place for towing.

 

[jkb]

It would be worth a swim to attach the boot if It saved a motor rebuild.

 

[Yukoner]

I'm guessing towing it fast enough will allow the impeller to overcome the compression in the cylinders and start spinning the crank w/out oil injection? Running the engine more or less dry?
Wonder if a guy made a plug somehow that you could bolt in place at the nozzle to prevent the water movement through? Or maybe one of those inflatable rubber test plugs used for testing ABS drainage pipe?

 

[Bob the fisher]

My issue was hydrolock, supposedly caused by too much water pressure from my hose water pressure at the house when flushing, er sumtin. Nothing to do with towin... "Fishon"

Didn't Bob The Fisher (I think it was him) have a problem with this a year or two ago? I remember he had some serious engine damage, but I don't recall what the cause was...could be towing?

 

[Frostbitten]

My issue was hydrolock, supposedly caused by too much water pressure from my hose water pressure at the house when flushing, er sumtin. Nothing to do with towin... "Fishon"

Ah. I knew that something bad had happened...couldn't remember the specifics.

 

[Kevin Turner]

Towing Pic

 

[jkb]

Towing Pic

Thank you very much

 

[Nate]

so what is considered high pressure when flushing with a garden hose?

 

[jkb]

Whatever pressure Bob has at his house I guess

 

[dropback1]

Has anyone actually experienced this I towed mysportjet equipped boat a long ways up and down the Yukon last year at about 30 knots. I didn't think about this actually being an issue. Seemed to run afterwards with no issues I did not actually look to see if it was turning the engine while doing it if It had filled the cylinders with water engine would not start or work. I would be more worried about it actually running the engine dry.