am i waterlogged?

[jim furey]

i have an 94 maxum 1800sr with a 4.3 it has a hard time planning out with weight in the back seats, if folks move forward she'll plane out, is this an engine problem or is my boat waterlogged and how do i tell if it is or not without having to haul it out the water and weigh it.........thanks jim

[seapuppy]

Jim
there's a couple of things you need to concider....is the gas old....is the engine in perfect tune...how many people are you carrying.....is the hull clean....are you propped properly........

finally ...how much junk do you have onboard......

sometimes boats tend to gain weight...


SP

[jim furey]

thanks Sp.........ive tried to convey that to my wife and kids on a number of occasions but they seem to think weight distribution has no bearing nor does a tuned engine, they seem fixated on a waterlogged boat so i'll have them read your thread and go from there...........Thanks Jim

[seapuppy]

bout the only way to check for waterlogged...is to drill test holes into the stringers of the boat and see if the wood is soft...but I'd start with cleaning the bottom and checking the prop for proper cupping and stuff...also the fuel and tune state....


hope this helps...

SP

[pascavone]

i'd let a fellow captian drive your boat and get a 2nd opinion.

that 4.3 v-6 is a small engine, and not made to pull around 8 people with a lot of gear..... and still get on plan.

run it empty with low fuel, (gallon of gas is 8 lbs x your tank) and see if it flys....

[CountryME]

Jim,
My '00 1900SR has the 4.3 v-6 and always seems to have enough power. But add more than 4 people and gear and getting on plane comes slower, especially if they are in the back. However, I would be much more concerned about an out of tune engine impacting your performance. May be as simple as a plug wire fell off, I have had this happen.

If you want to see a significant reduction on time to get get on plane, get yourself a set of smart tabs (www.nauticusinc.com). Added them to my boat and saw a big improvement.

-JP

[ss3964spd]

If the hull is water logged it's more than likely that it will be the transom, then possibly the stringers. Checking is easy - if a little nerve racking. Drill a 1/8" hole about an inch deep into the transom below the drive. if water comes out - it's wet. If no water comes out let it sit for a while with something just under the hole that would leave a tell tail sign of water. If it's still dry after a day or two the transom is likely fine. Fill the hole with 5200.

Dan