Starting boat out of the water

[mzimme]

Originally Posted by Miss Rita

wouldn't the impeller run dry every time you start the engine until it draws water up through the intake hose?

No, water stays in the impeller housing after you use the boat. That's why I mentioned if the boat had been sitting for a while after winter (cause I drain the impeller housing over winter). If he started it up after being stored, it would have been dry.

Sounds like the dealer gave it a few dry starts and ruined the impeller before he had a chance to get it on the lake.

[jschildm]

It definately doesn't take long to ruin an impeller if dry, but with that said, I have bumped the engine to make sure its OK as well.

As for a jumper pack, I am lucky I pull the boat with a diesel because I have had to pull one of the two batteries to use in the boat on more than one occasion

[GoneBoatN]

Originally Posted by mybobtail

... because the first time I put my x14 in the water the battery was flat. ...

2013 197 right? Don't you have dual batteries? With a battery switch? and an isolator?

The above is the setup on my 2010, stock/standard. Plus I installed an automatic battery charger/tender. I turn the switch only to on to check; never start. For me I don't think it is worth the chance of dry starting, no matter how short. Chances of both batteries going south between an outing should be slim under those circumstances.

I agree with Eastie. Turn on, run the blower, turn off.


This reminds me that I'm overdue to check the general health of my batteries: Check fluid level. Check each cell. Perform a load test. I generally do a voltage test and also a hydrometer test.

[Thrall]

Originally Posted by mikeg205

+ 1 on not running engine with no water... if you want to spin the engine to check it.. make sure the impeller is lubricated. I run in a muddy river that has it's share of duck weed and other flora that can get sucked up....so my MCOCD kicks in and I check my impeller a few outings and back flush the tranny cooler....usually get some grass out during the back flush.

I always check start in the drive way...lanyard off just to make sure all is good...yeah I know...the start in the drive good always be the last for a starter....

Don't buy an X2 then or you'd have to tear half the boat apart and stand on your head to check the impeller!

[GoneBoatN]

Originally Posted by Miss Rita

wouldn't the impeller run dry every time you start the engine until it draws water up through the intake hose?

Not all setups are the same. I have a sea strainer mounted about the height of the impeller. The hose between the two dips down to to bottom of the bilge so it would constantly be full of water. The short distance between the sea strainer and the intake would be full of air. The short amount of time to draw water into that section should not cause the impeller/housing to actually get totally bone dry to the point of frying the impeller. All "Friday afternoon" theory of course.

Oh, I should mention I fill that section of hose with water when I de-winterize before starting. Because - why not.

[GoneBoatN]

Originally Posted by mikeg205

+ 1 on not running engine with no water... if you want to spin the engine to check it.. make sure the impeller is lubricated. I run in a muddy river that has it's share of duck weed and other flora that can get sucked up....so my MCOCD kicks in and I check my impeller a few outings and back flush the tranny cooler....usually get some grass out during the back flush.

I always check start in the drive way...lanyard off just to make sure all is good...yeah I know...the start in the drive good always be the last for a starter....

Originally Posted by Thrall

Don't buy an X2 then or you'd have to tear half the boat apart and stand on your head to check the impeller!

For us v-drive folks, a sea strainer is a really nice item to have.

[ahhudgins]

Originally Posted by jschildm

It definately doesn't take long to ruin an impeller if dry, but with that said, I have bumped the engine to make sure its OK as well.

As for a jumper pack, I am lucky I pull the boat with a diesel because I have had to pull one of the two batteries to use in the boat on more than one occasion

I replace my impeller every spring whether it's bad or not and I keep a few old ones in my tool box for backup. I also "bump" my starter for a second before I take it down the ramp to make sure the battery is OK. I don't "start" the engine eventhough I know there is still water left in the impeller housing from the previous weekend. I'm not going to be "that guy" who blocks the ramp trying to figure out why his starter won't crank.

My jumper pack stays in my truck and gets transferred to the boat on the weekends. I haven't used it yet....unless you count helping out one of those darn ol' fishermen.

[bturner2]

I've had four MasterCrafts over a period of 20 years and have on occasion bumped over (briefly started) all of them and have never experienced an impeller failure. When I do this procedure it's not at the ramp but in the driveway before I leave for the ramp and typically after the boat has not been started in a week or two. Bumping over your boat to see if it'll start while on the ramp is way late in the process. This being said I've never heard of anyone losing an impeller over a 2 second dry start and I've been around these boats for a long time. The failures I have seen have typically been due to an obstruction of water flow to the pump or poor maintenance.

If you've ever winterized your boat and pulled the impeller you'll notice water come out of the housing when you break the seal. I just winterized a boat last weekend that hadn't started in 2 months and water came out of it. This amount would be plenty of water to lubricate the impeller for a 2 - 3 second start. I too change my impeller every spring and it's been very rare that the old one has been in less than very good condition. I have seen no noticeable adverse wear from the 5 or 6 "dry starts" that I've preformed during any season.

[XtwentyNot]

I can guarantee that had my dealer not felt the same way as some of you I would not have needed to replace the impeller at 10 hours. The best is how stupid they thought I was that it would do any damage after a few seconds. It had been in the water the day before. I only felt that way because my buddy did the same thing to me back in the 90's when I had my first DD boat (at the young age of 20) and he knew everything so he pre fired it at the staging area for a few seconds. Guess what? This is the day a learned two things: don't ever dry fire it and keep a spare impeller in the boat.
I yelled at my buddy who always did it in his Nautique, just a couple seconds, after four years(new impellers each year) it finally got him, he bought a fake a lake and no longer dry fires it.
Now going to the ramp with a dead battery is just dumb. In fact it was early in the season when the dealer effed me so I was tied up at the dock changing the impeller, I was shocked that almost half the boats showed up with a dead battery. I'm lucky these days to have an on board charger. But for years my cheapie sears charger worked just fine, plug it in the night before you go out. I've seen boat specific battery analyzers for around $20, or you can get a digital multimeter from harbor freight for $5 ( it goes on sale for $2, seen a coupon for Free once) and check your battery that way. Or turn your key and look at the volt gauge. A quick fire only depletes you battery since you don't give the alternator any time to recharge the battery. And I do stupid stuff like teak drag, so I'm not passing judgment nor do I expect anyone to change!

[Red 08 Xstar]

Originally Posted by mzimme

If you fired up your boat without hooking it to any water source, especially after having it sit for any extended period of time, you probably didn't break just 1 vane from your impeller, but you probably broke every one of them off instead.

This is absolute misinformation. I start my boat all the time out of the water. When I winterize it at the end of the season the impeller is fine. I'm on the same impeller for 4 years now and it still looks like new.