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Power Problem (22-2)
By Steve Horsfall
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My husband and I have
a 2002 Sea-Doo Utopia, with a length of 20 feet, five
inches. We have had no problems with it until now. My
husband towed his friend's PWC to a nearby marina for
repair, which is a 30-minute trip at a low speed, without
incident. After dropping off the PWC, they fueled up,
topped up the oil and pulled away.
Five minutes later, the engine of our Utopia cut out
with no response at all. When they lifted the stern
platform to look at the MerCruiser engine, the entire
engine and surrounding compartments were filled with
water.
The amount of water apparently overwhelmed the bilge
pump. Luckily, they were towed in and the boat was taken
out of the water by the closest marina. Our insurance
company wants us to front $800 to take the engine apart
to determine if they will pay for the $9,600 repair
bill for a new power head. BRP is literally unreachable.
Should we be responsible for something so ridiculously
expensive when it appears to us to be some sort of design
flaw? Even the mechanics have no reasonable explanation
for a cause. Call me "frustrated." (e-mail)
I think you need to determine the cause of the problem.
If it is a design flaw you should approach MerCruiser
rather than BRP as they warranty the engine. If it is
a design flaw they may be of some assistance in determining
the cause and may offer some extended warranty coverage.
If the flaw is the design of the boat then it would
be BRP¡¯s responsibility. Bear in mind, the warranty
has very likely expired (unless you purchased some kind
of extended warranty), so their coverage of any costs
would be a public relations gesture. If the cause is
determined not to be a design flaw, then your insurance
company may be more open to a settlement. Their aversion
to the claim may only be that they are balking at a
complete power head replacement rather than a possibly
less expensive alternate repair. A second opinion from
another repair center might solve that problem.
PERFORMANCE DECREASE
I have a 1986 Larson 16-foot Senza with a 1986
Johnson 140 hp outboard. At wide-open throttle it only
turns 4,200 rpm. It¡¯s has a 21-pitch propeller. Should
I drop down to a 17-inch-pitch to get this engine to
rev around 5,500 rpm, where it should be? (e-mail)
Dropping the pitch to a 17 from a 21 should increase
your rpm to approximately 5,000-5,200 rpm, which is
fine. However, before you do that you should make sure
that the engine is running properly. I only say this
since at one time the 21-inch prop may have been the
right choice, yet the engine condition could have changed,
causing a drop in performance. As an example, a chipped
or broken reed valves, a bad spark plug or dirt in one
main metering jet in a carburetor can cause a noticeable
decrease in performance.
GLASS ISSUE
I have a 1986 Larson Senza 16¡¯ bowrider. The
windshield, however, is cracked and I haven¡¯t been
able to locate one. Do you know where I can purchase
a new one or find a used one? (e-mail)
I don¡¯t think you will have any luck finding an original
replacement for a 20-year old windshield. If the frame
is okay, a good automotive glass shop may be able to
fabricate a replacement glass. Alternately, you can
sometimes replace the glass with Lexan. This material
is like Plexiglas, but much tougher and more scratch
resistant. It is easy for the do-it-yourselfer to cut
and bend if necessary.
Got a question, a problem? Send inquiries to Steve
Horsfall at stephen.horsfall@sympatico.ca Fax: 905-624-6764.
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