Water splashing very high around engine cover.

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BradT585

Cadet
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
14
I have a 2000 Sweetwater 22ft. with a 40hp Merc Bigfoot. When I run it at 3/4 to WOT, with light loads, 2 people, I get what seems to me to be an excessive amount of water splashing up around the engine, half way or more up on the top cover. It is not as bad when more people are on the boat. I am fairly new to pontoon boating and was wondering if this is normal. Today I raised the motor to see if that would help though I am now questing that decision after reading posts here discussing cavitation problem. I will be testing tomorrow and will update with details and pics. In the mean time any and all comments are welcome.

:)ps this forum is a great resource, I commend all who participate and share there vast knowledge with us less experienced and hope I will be able to contribute in the in future.:)
 
5150abf

5150abf

Vice Admiral
Joined
Aug 12, 2007
Messages
5,808
Re: Water splashing very high around engine cover.

Have someone else drive the boat sometime and very carefully pop your head under the deck in front and see what is going on under there and you will understand why it is doinf that, it is a pretty normal situation.

The starboard tube is making a wake, the port tube is making a wake and they collide under the boat and bounce off the motor pan.
 
L

lowell7963

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jun 18, 2009
Messages
48
Re: Water splashing very high around engine cover.

My 24Ft Sweetwater with 50HP bigfoot is very similar. Lot's of turbulence. The water only seems to come up to the bottom of the top cowl though.

My motor is 1 bolt up from the bottom. If you raised the motor and don't get any negatives in way of ventilation - loss of speed, high RPM with out moving as fast, etc. then you may be OK.

I like the idea of looking under the boat from the front. I'm curious what it looks like down under. Caution, life jacket, and care would be inorder though.
 
5150abf

5150abf

Vice Admiral
Joined
Aug 12, 2007
Messages
5,808
Re: Water splashing very high around engine cover.

Correct, lay on the deck and just pop your head over enough to see what is going on, it is a turbulent mess.

T
 
rickdb1boat

rickdb1boat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jan 23, 2002
Messages
11,195
Re: Water splashing very high around engine cover.

BradT585 said:
Looks like you were moving right along. I love the underskin, it looks like its doing the job.
Click to expand...

That was at 25 MPH on smooth water. The underskin is the best improvement I made to the boat. Really does eliminate the hesitating/jerking especially in rough water.
 
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BradT585

Cadet
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
14
Re: Water splashing very high around engine cover.

BradT585 said:
I have a 2000 Sweetwater 22ft. with a 40hp Merc Bigfoot. When I run it at 3/4 to WOT, with light loads, 2 people, I get what seems to me to be an excessive amount of water splashing up around the engine, half way or more up on the top cover. It is not as bad when more people are on the boat. I am fairly new to pontoon boating and was wondering if this is normal. Today I raised the motor to see if that would help though I am now questing that decision after reading posts here discussing cavitation problem. I will be testing tomorrow and will update with details and pics. In the mean time any and all comments are welcome.

:)ps this forum is a great resource, I commend all who participate and share there vast knowledge with us less experienced and hope I will be able to contribute in the in future.:)
Click to expand...

I got the boat in the water today and the changes I made, raising the motor 2 holes (it is in the 4th down from the top now), defiantly help. There is no water splashing around the top cover of the motor now. I had multiple passenger load, from just me in the boat (witch seemed to be when the water was literally covering the top of motor) to full load, 12 people, 2200 lbs+ (might have been a little over the rated load :D ). No noticeable cavitation at any load level.
Something I found puzzling is that I gained a few 10th on speed, 17.5 to 18.3 and lost RPMs was hitting 6000 at WOT and now only 5500-5600??(that is with me alone on boat).

The main concern I had with the water around cover was getting wet in side cover and causing terrible miss at low speed. I found in the process of trouble shoting that a gasket was blown on the on the water jacket cover on the engine, so I fix two thing over the weekend. I now have an intermittent miss at high speed/heave load but that will be for a new thread unless some one wants to through out an idea here I will keep an eye on this thread also.

Some pic of the motor while pulling a tube w/ full passenger load. If this works:

IMG_2182-2-1.jpg


IMG_2181.jpg
 
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BradT585

Cadet
Joined
Aug 2, 2009
Messages
14
Re: Water splashing very high around engine cover.

rickdb1boat said:
That was at 25 MPH on smooth water. The underskin is the best improvement I made to the boat. Really does eliminate the hesitating/jerking especially in rough water.
Click to expand...

What size Boat/Motor is that. I can only dream about 25 MPH ;) .
 
L

lowell7963

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Jun 18, 2009
Messages
48
Re: Water splashing very high around engine cover.

Raising the motor will reduce drag and you should see some speed increase. Not sure about the RPM change???? Sometimes the tach is not that accurate, peck on it once in awhile.

The other possibility is the motor moved to a sweetspot and moving more water with less turbulence, loading the prop more, so less RPM.

Congratulations. Good luck with the miss, I hate those issues.
 
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