When working on my Waveblaster latley, I noticed the inside of the hull has quite a bit of grease and dirt in it. What is the best think to use to clean it out? JP Hi JP, a good cleaning/ degreasing agent such as PJ1's Spray & Wash degreaser will work just fine. Pull your drain plugs, and elevate the front of your Jet ski or boat so the bilge water will run out the back, then liberally spray the degreasing agent on the engine and hull,. After letting the solution work for a few minutes, rinse it off with water to clean hull thoroughly.
Tech Talk
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Hi Guys, I purchased a 96 Sea-Doo XP. Ive heard a lot about the XP's porpoising problem and have experienced it my self. I talk with a guy who owns a 95 XP 800. and he recommended aTrim tabs for quicker planing and eliminating porpoising. Should buy trim tabs and/or a ride plate? If So, what types would you recommend? I have seen several manufactures: R&D, Inland Jet, Aggresser, GT Manufacturing, Ultrac, Westcoast..
Tom WEB Tom, trim tabs will help cure most of your porpoising with a top loading intake grate. And your XP will plane faster and be more stable in rough water. I would also recommend Aftermarket sponsons for the complete handling package. Those brands are all pretty good. Tech Talk PWC hulls (as well as most recreational jetboat hulls) are what is known as "planing" hulls, meaning that with sufficient power, they rise to the surface of the water and actually skim or "plane". How? Physics!! As a hull moves through the water, it forces the water it comes into tact with downward. That's the action. The reaction? The water pushes upwards against the hull, creating lift. At low speeds, your pwc acts like a "displacement" hull, plowing through the water supported by the weight of the water supported by the weight of the water it is displacing. This is refferred to as static water pressure. Pick up that speed, and your Jetski is designed to rise to the water's surface using lift, where it skims along with much less drag, supported by the water's velocity pressure. Jetski Hull TerminologyTHE V The V of hull refers simply to the hull's angle when viewed from the bow, or the front of the boat. Curving in from each side of the rub rail and joining at the bottom center-line, or "keel" most all hull shapes form a "V". If the hull sides meet at a sharp point at keel, the design is referred to as a Full V, and will typically offer a smoother rough-water ride due to its ability to "slice" through the water. It may however, sacrifice some stability due to its tendency to roll with the waves. That same deep V can also produce drag, leading many PWC manufactures to choose a modified V, a design that flattens as it moves aft, from the bow to the stern, or the rear of the boat. The goal? to retain some of the benefits of a V hull, while improving stability (and often speed) by placing a flatter surface in the water. DEADRISE The angle of the hulls "V" is refered to as the deadrise, and is measured in degrees. Simply put, deadrise is the angle at which the hull sides curve away from the horizontal. As you might expect, A shallower hull angle will typically produce better speed, planning easier than a deeper angle. These sharper deadrise hulls, however, will typically offer better handling due to their ability to slice more easily through the water. They will, however, sacrifice some stability in the process. Yes, Most hull designs feature a deadrise that changes as you travel away from the bow torward the stern, resulting in a sharper degree deadrise around the bow and amidships area that flattens as you move backwards. The goal? To combine aggressive handling with a stable ride. CHINES Follow the hull sides downward from the bondline and you'll notice a point where the shape angles rather dynamically, a point where the hulls more vertical sides and the hulls angled bottom actually meet. This is whats known as chine. Chines determine a great deal about a hulls handling. ability, as well as its directional stability. Softer chines (those with a more gental angle) will result in hull that rolls more in a turn. Most Jet skis feature sharper chines that will produce a greater hook to the turns, as their greater angle provides a better "bite" into the water. a chine's position will also affect the sharpness of a turn. typically, the lower the chine is placed on the hull,the quicker turn it will help produce. STRAKES Often thought of as "rails" running length wise along the hull bottom, strakes are raised "lines" in the hull that produce lift. How so? when accelerating from a dead stop in the water, water is forced outward from the keel and is pushed against the strakes, where its force then lifts the boat and helps it to plain. Once the craft has planed,strakes help the hull to ride on less of its surface area, improving overall speed. Typically the greater number of strakes used on the hull, the lighter and flatter the hull will run in the water. To much lift, however, and stability suffers, as to little of the hull area remains in contact with the water. Sharper, larger strakes can also prevent the hull from sliding out in the turns, but again, a proper balance is the key. STEPS All the rage in offshore powerboats, steps are cut into the hulls of some PWC to create additional points of lift, and reduce the "wetted" area of the hull. as water flows along the hull, its lift is greatest at the hulls leading edge, then lessens as it flows toward the stern. Eventfully the force of the water becomes drag. By placing steps into a hull, designers in effect create additional leading edges, making hull plane quiker. SPONSONS The "fins" or "rudders" typically attached to the hull sides at the stern of your boat or Ski, sponsons can significantly improve the handling performance of a watercraft by keeping the stern hooked to the watercraft by keeping the stern hooked to th water during turns. Today, sponsons primarily come in two shapes: A hooked fin or a paddle type rudder. In general, the larger and deeper the design cuts into the water, the more aggressive the ride becomes. Ride Plates A PWCs ride plate is the piece of metal or composite material that covers the jet pump area (pump cover) of the stern of your Jet Ski. But, more then just a protective plate, a ride plate can determine a great deal about your ride, as its the lone spot on your machine that is almost always in contact with the water. Designs can add "hook" to your jet Ski, forcing the bow deeper into the water, or aid in tracking with multiple grooves. They can be reduced in angle to improve top speed. Intake Grates
an area that is becoming increasingly important is the intake portion of your hull design, the pocket where water is sucked up into the jet pump. Enter the intake grate, in esscence a protective set of bars to shield the intake from sticks and rocks. Intake grates can do more, than simply protect your impeller or pump. They can help load it with water, typically by adding a "scoop" to the grate that protrudes lower into the water. But the grate scoop creats drag, lowering your speed. I would like to modify the impeller in my 1998 Sea Doo GTX limited. Im interested in getting more top end speed. The only modification so far is a high compression head and intake grate. I'm planning to put on flame arresters in the spring. Ive spoken to a couple of dealers for modification parts and I am not getting very clear answers. Can you guys help. Thank You Jim Hi Jim, Your stock impeller is a stainless steel 14-21 progressive pitch. (14 is bottom-end, 21 is high speed). We do offer a impeller performance modification that will give you a little more speed for $135 which includes rebuild.
We have a 1992 Yamaha WaveRunner III that has recently developed an anoying problem. It starts fine when cold or hot, but after operating for about three minutes the engine RPM is limited to about half throttle or less. If you throttle it more then about half throttle the engine dies. We have replaced the fuel filter, installed new plugs, and replaced the cdi unit with a MSD enhancer unit under assumption that the overtemp circuity had failed in the stock unit. The MSD unit didnt correct the problem. We also ran the CDI with the thermoswitch electronically disconnected with the same results. To add to the confusion the engine does not show any other signs of overheating, such as being hot to the touch or crackling noise from thermal expansion. If the engine is turned of and restarted after it goes into this RPM limit phase, The engine seems to run at full rpm for another few minutes. seems like the problem is in the rev limiter. what do you think? T.B. Chicago T.B. I would recommend looking into a fuel system as possible problem. Check the carburetor diaphragm and make sure it has not dried out or stiff. Also there is a small filter in carb that you should check to make sure it is not clogged. Also check your reeds to make sure they are not worn out. The fuel system should pressurize so make sure your gas cap seal is in place and the gas cap does not have any cracks. When open the gas cap you should he pressure release. Good Luck
Tech Talk I purchased a 1998 Kawasaki 1100ZXI recently. I have read different arcticles on this watercraft about top speed. Could you please you please give me the performance data on this model? Its my understanding that the newer units are a little slower. One post stated that the 1998 Kawasaki 1100ZXI Jet Ski finally hit the 60mph mark on your radar gun., Then another arcticle stated 58mph. The watercraft gives me a great ride and it's fun to ride. I have been riding watercraft for over 8 yrs. Thanks for your help. R.J. New Mexico R.J. We radared the 1100ZXI at 56.1 mph. Kawasaki claimed a top speed of about 54-55 mph on the ZXI, and it is very unlikely that any stock ZXI has reached 60mph.
Tech Talk "What modifications can I make to improve the performance of my 1987 Kawasaki 550, considering it is almost completely stock except for an intake grate and ride plate? Would it be risky to modify the engine of an older ski like this? I am looking to increase acceleration and top speed and have a budget of around $500. Can you suggest any modifications that would give me the best value for my money?" Bob Klien Response
Absolutely, your 1987 Kawasaki 550 is a great candidate for some modifications to boost its performance. The fact that it already has an intake grate and ride plate installed is a good start. To get more acceleration and a higher top speed, you can start with a cylinder head modification to increase compression, which costs only $80. You can also add a water bypass in the waterline between the head and pipe for an additional $25 to further enhance the engine's power. For a significant increase in acceleration and speed, you can replace the stock aluminum prop with a Solas Impeller 15-inch stainless steel that costs $215. You can also consider boring the fixed exit nozzle on the pump, which adds to the thrust for only $48. Installing an aftermarket flame arrestor, along with a 2.0 needle and seat in the carb, will provide even more power gains if you're willing to spend a bit more. Another great modification is to move the exhaust exit back about two feet on the hull to let the exhaust gases out just behind the battery. This is a relatively easy mod that significantly reduces the exhaust gases that the rider gets exposed to, and you'll be wondering why you didn't do it sooner. Overall, these modifications will significantly improve your Kawasaki 550's acceleration while keeping the RPMs down, which is crucial for increasing the engine's life, especially the crankshaft bearing life. You can achieve all this while sticking to your $500 budget and getting real returns for your investment. Impellers.com I own a 2002 Sea-Doo GTX DI 951 which has around 130 hours of usage. The machine is mostly in good condition, although there are some minor scratches on the hull and some nicks on the impeller. Currently, I am using the stock 16/21 impeller and can reach a top speed of approximately 55 mph. I'm wondering if upgrading to a 17/22 propeller would improve my speed and overall performance. Additionally, I'm considering replacing the stock intake grate but I'm unsure which one to choose. Can you offer any advice or recommendations on which intake grate would be suitable for my Sea-Doo? Jon Reponse
A 17/22 impeller would increase top speed slightly, but it would negatively impact acceleration, which may not be worth it unless you exclusively ride in calm conditions and straight lines. Instead, I suggest upgrading to a Solas 16/21 Concord impeller (Part No. ST-SC-16/21) for better all-around performance. The Solas impeller has a superior design that increases low-end thrust and top speed, with a polished finish that adds to the top speed and a hub-end seal that significantly reduces cavitation. To further enhance performance, I recommend replacing the stock intake grate with a Top-Loader intake grate. Unlike the stock intake grate, A Top-Loader grate features a unique wing that channels water up to the top of the impeller, resulting in reduced cavitation and improved hook-up. This improved hook-up means better acceleration and handling. Independent tests have shown that Top-Loader intake grate also improves top speed. #solas #solasimpeller #R&D Bobby Boop Impellers.com I am a Sea-Doo XP owner from Clearwater Beach, Florida, with a chipped impeller on one of the leading edges of a blade. Unfortunately, I am having trouble finding a dealer that I trust to help me replace it. My Sea-Doo is completely stock, and I exclusively ride it in salt water, typically alone. My goal is to enhance the overall performance of the boat, but I am unsure of what type of impeller would be best for me. Additionally, I am uncertain whether I should replace the wear ring when I replace the impeller, as my boat has never touched sand and seems to be in good shape.
Dear XP Rider It is important to note that simply changing the impeller to enhance overall performance is almost impossible because Sea-Doo designs the stock impeller to maximize the boat's potential at all rpm levels. However, switching to an aftermarket impeller with a different pitch can yield slight increases in either bottom end or top end speed. Generally, impellers with lower pitches provide more bottom end speed, while those with steeper pitches offer more top end speed. For Sea-Doo XP, the Skat-Trak 17/23 swirl and the Solas XO (16.5/24) impellers are recommended aftermarket options that work well with the stock XP. The Skat-Trak swirl offers better midrange and rough-water hookup than the stock impeller, while the Solas provides a slightly faster top end. Regarding the wear ring, if it appears to be in good condition, chances are that it is fine to leave as is. Despite what some dealers may recommend, replacing it may not be necessary if it has not been in contact with sand or other damaging materials. Bobby Boop Impellers.com |
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