Seasonal wet slip docking

[Howard Z]

I'm planning on purchasing a AR250 this winter. I have a seasonal dock at my local lake and want to dock it there next summer. There is a AR210 across from me and he seems to be fine. I was wondering about algae getting into the jets. I know I have to pull my boat out at least once a month to get everything off. Will the algae mess up the jet system? Is there anything I can do as far as preventative maintenance?

 

[mark_m]

I'm planning on purchasing a AR250 this winter. I have a seasonal dock at my local lake and want to dock it there next summer. There is a AR210 across from me and he seems to be fine. I was wondering about algae getting into the jets. I know I have to pull my boat out at least once a month to get everything off. Will the algae mess up the jet system? Is there anything I can do as far as preventative maintenance?

We have wet slipped all season for the first time. I've found that pulling it a few times and cleaning her up helps a lot. Specifically, mixing up some oxalic acid from concentrate at about 1lb per gallon and spraying that on the hull, letting it sit, then wiping off with a stringy cloth mitt will keep things clean.

For the pumps, I have some crusty kind of growths that adhere to them. I plan to pull them and clean all of that up at the end of the season.

Is it a pain to keep clean... yes. However, the convenience of being able to walk onto the boat and launch far outweighs the hassle in my mind.

As a preventative, a good wax to keep the hull slick and smooth before splashing it is a great preventative. If you have the option, you could look at installing something like an airlock to float the boat when moored. I took a good look at this but decided it wasn't worth the expense for our boat.

If we had a brand new one, it might be worth exploring.

 

[Julian]

Wet slipping is fine in fresh water. No issues with algae in the jets, but if your lake water is warm like mine, you will find that algae on the boat in general will cost you some serious speed....and as a result $. My boat, when "furry" has a top speed of 35-38mph. That means, to go 35, I have to be full throttle.....burning serious GPH. This will apply across all the range of speeds....so if you are normally cruising at 30 at say 6000rpm, "Furry" you'll need 7300rpm (just made up the numbers...but you get it). The only fix for this is: 1) pulling the boat and cleaning it, or 2) getting a lift (I have an airdock). This isn't a jet boat issue....applies to all boats.

 

[Howard Z]

I pull my boat at least once a month now. I use The Works to clean the hull but I didn't know about the jets. If I can pull them apart and clean them easily I'll probably do that. I'm guessing it might not be that easy to take apart and put back together.

 

[Julian]

I pull my boat at least once a month now. I use The Works to clean the hull but I didn't know about the jets. If I can pull them apart and clean them easily I'll probably do that. I'm guessing it might not be that easy to take apart and put back together.

Pump disassembly is really easy and something I would say every jet boat owner should be comfortable with. Makes clearing a rope, branch, frisbee, etc much easier than wittling them out from a clean our port. It is 5 bolts and one quick release clip (this quick release clip is also something EVERY Yamaha owner should know how to operate....if you back off a sand bar and throw up debris and lock your reverse gate....this clip will make it easy to loosen up the gate....many people don't know it even exists - I've even seen dealer videos of pump removal where they took that joint apart vs using the quick release.

 

[Canuckjetboater]

I'm planning on purchasing a AR250 this winter. I have a seasonal dock at my local lake and want to dock it there next summer. There is a AR210 across from me and he seems to be fine. I was wondering about algae getting into the jets. I know I have to pull my boat out at least once a month to get everything off. Will the algae mess up the jet system? Is there anything I can do as far as preventative maintenance?

@Howard Z ....waxed and polished my hull (2020 SX195) have had it in the water for three months. I do put on a wet suit shorty and mask and use a soft brush to scrub it once in a while which keeps it sparkling clean and our marina has a lot of weeds and algae. Wet slipping the boat is awesome as we just roll into the marina, park by our slip and we're off. We have put more than twice the hours on it than we did with our trailered Yamaha SVHO FX Cruiser last year. Just don't let the algae or crud get too established and keep a friggin' power washer off it unless it is set very gentle. Scrub on some hull cleaner and wash it off with a nozzle on a hose. The last marina I was at stopped pressure washing boats as, in the opinion of their surveyor, doing that promoted hull osmosis. They now brush on hull cleaner, let it sit then come back with a nozzle on a hose to wash it off.

 

[axiomkc]

What's the best way to clean the areas that are covered by the bunks on the trailer? Any tricks?