How often does it really, really happen?

[I_squared_r]

Its not a problem here in Long Island, NY. I've had my jet boat for 2 seasons and my brother sucked up the wakeboarding rope 5 min after telling him to be careful. I've been jet skiing for 10 years and only once did I suck up a plastic bag.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Weeds and grass, non issue. Just sayin

 

[Theryan]

Weeds and grass, non issue. Just sayin

And apparently mud.

That song, though. Yeesh.

 

[El Comandante]

Weeds and grass, non issue. Just sayin

That was awesome! Would love to see that prop.

 

[Rowdie]

Nothing but seaweed a couple/three times a year or so. Usually idle speed. The bigger issue is it blocks the cooling intake. Give it the ole g-spot tickle to clear.

 

[Floridaman79]

130 hours on the 210 FSH and this is the second time I had to pull the pump. Fiddled with it for about 30 minutes before deciding to pull the pump. If you are thinking about pulling it, you are probably better off just pulling it.

 

[Cambo]

Its not a problem here in Long Island, NY. I've had my jet boat for 2 seasons and my brother sucked up the wakeboarding rope 5 min after telling him to be careful. I've been jet skiing for 10 years and only once did I suck up a plastic bag.

20 + years on jet boats certain ares in the great South Bay have eel grass that bunches up in the impeller shaft causing cavatation. It’s easy to clean out I have had two times that made me uncomfortable dealing with this. Wind was blowing me into the channel started cleaning then realized the ferry was coming and of course the plugs did not want to cooperate with going back in. Second was leaving Oakland’s after lunch picked up large eel grass and could not power up and was being sucked out the shinicock inlet. Threw the anchor with a 20’ rope in 18’ of water and it just bounced along the bottom 98% of the bay is 2 to 10 feet deep. Luckily was able to get to shallower water wear the current flow was much slower cleared it out and away I went . Immediately picked up 100 of rope. On average at least 2 to 3 times a season I’m clearing out something. But it’s not a big deal just be aware of your location when you start to clear them.

 

[ZGhost]

This thread better served with some voting buttons.

in 12 years of 2 jet boat ownership, 1 rope (of course everyone has to have this happen at least once) but you quickly learn that running engines and floating ropes are a no, no. And maybe 3 or 4 times pulling weeds by removing the plugs, 1 time had to dive under (due to so much weed and before learning the back up maneuver).

If you follow certain rules, you can minimize this from occurring to a certain degree:

1. No running engines and floating rope at the same time. Always have a rope manager for towables and skiers, etc. even I/O boats get ropes wrapped around their props. This is more common sense issue than a type of boat Issue.
2. watch carefully in front of you for floating objects and avoid going over
3. don’t start engines in shallow water, try to push boat out. Certainly if you had to, DONT rev the engine then
4. when in shallow waters, try to understand what the bottom looks like, sandy, rocky, weedy, etc.
5. watch where you are backing up to and what’s floating and how shallow it is
6. develop a plan and make sure you have proper tools to clear (knives to cut ropes, goggles for diving under (sometimes), shutoff valves when ready to be towed, etc.)

 

[dietz]

Month 1 , my own hat, trying to retrieve it after it blew off.
Year 5, a plastic bag wrapped around shaft, miles from boat launch. 2 min unwrap through clean out plug & back to fun. Couldn't imagine not having the clean out- worth thousands at that moment.

 

[Troy JK]

16 months and 85 hours. Only time I used the plugs is when I sucked up my own ski rope. I also boat in southern Louisiana/Mississippi/Florida Where the water is shallow and full of vegetation And lost crab traps.
would have been a real pain without the plugs Because I was able to cut the rope while still out on the water.

 

[Croker]

I've only had 1 issue requiring me to pull the boat out of the water to remove a small stick from the impeller in its 150hrs of run time. I mean if you are in any boat and drive over ropes/ cables/ debris you are asking for trouble. I find when I'm picking up crab pots i'll get some weeds stuck in the grills but never the rope. The only close call I had was when the rope caught the back of the low speed rudder thing, even then just shut it off and stick your hand back there and grab the rope.

 

[Bayou boater]

50 hours and so far no issues.

 

[dgfreeze]

Second full season, and it’s interesting the difference between last year and this year. My main lake is shallow, with a decent amount of debris. Pros are no lower unit, cons are higher chance of debris in jets. Last year I only sucked up two bits of debris, one cleared just by shutting down the engines. Second was a simple removal, and on my way. Both were gotten when idling through a back channel. This year, the lake is plagued with weeds. Astounding, the difference. Every time I went out, I had junk in the jets, but it was easy to remove, for the most part. This past weekend I was on Cumberland Lake. Got something in the starboard jet, but it cleared itself when I shut her down. It’s all subjective to where you boat, and the condition of your lake, but I’ll take the pros over the cons. Without the cleanout ports, I wouldn’t own a jet boat. With them, it’s normally no big deal. So far, I’ve always been able to clear them on the water.

 

[Sean R]

5 seasons 400 hours and counting. Pulled the plug four times, two sticks, Kroger bag and a plastic pop cap. Ropless so far, knock on fiberglass.

 

[DiggerPA]

I was going to post this same question, but was afraid what people would say, when I stumbled on this thread. 2 outings, second while idling waiting for a clear dock, sucked up a piece of drift wood that I could not clear at first. Finally used the extension for my socket set to tap the wood chunk off the blade. Seemed fine after that.

 

[scokill]

going on 15th season and sometimes it doesn't happen at all during a season, and then it will hpapen several outings in a row. Most common items plastic waterbottle lids, ice/shopping bags, small wood twigs. Every now and then I'll pick up a handful of algae/grass if I go in a couple of shallow spots. Usually it's a dull vibration and that sound that only I will notice.

 

[H20Thrust]

I’m looking at a Scarab which has one engine.
Is it possible to dislodge or service sucked up debris on a single engine Scarab while on the water?

This seems to happen often enough that I have some level of concern about being totally dead in the water with no option other than paddles or emergency flares.

Is this THE reason to buy Yamaha?

 

[zipper]

Yes, it is possible with the "reverse maneuver" or a scuba mask. Clean out ports are in Yamaha's only. I used my clean outports once or twice in four years, usually in the Fall when vegetation is at the surface and you move slowly over them. https://jetboaters.net/faq/view/general-ideas-and-tips.7/#faq-185

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

The clean out ports on the Yamahas is the only reason I bought a jet boat. No clean out plugs, no thank you.

 

[dgfreeze]

That really depends primarily on where you're boating. Everybody's lake/river/ocean/etc is a little different. I wouldn't dream of getting a jet boat without the cleanout ports. It would be a nightmare on our main lake. It's got a lot of weeds, and it would be a nightmare without them. If your waters are clean the whole season, maybe you would be fine, but there's no chance I would go that route for the waters we boat on.