Jet Ski engines / water

[Al 6]

Hi, I know this is probably not appropriate for this formum. Censor it if it should be censored. Yesterday my kids from Oregon and grandchildren were here for a visit and I took the day off to spend some time with them. I took them to the river for a Jet Ski ride. The boat dock is about 250 ft above a dam that falls about 12 ft. The river is up and about 18 inches of water going over about 150 ft wide. We took 2 rides and I had my 7 yr old grandson with me. We are able to leave the dock and go upstream with the dock below us by pushing the bow upstream and heading in to the bank and turning up stream. All went well and when we came back down there was another jet ski loading. I went back upstream and about 150 ft and just sat idling waiting to go up turn and come down and dock. As we were setting there a small wave came along and rocked the Jet Ski. It is an older one and when it is setting is about like standing in a canoe. Anyway it just tipped over and we were in the river. I told my grandson to hang onto the boat and I started to try to swim it to the dock. Since the current was higher that normal I was having trouble. My 45 yr old son, jumped in and came to help. Meanwhile the guy with the other jet ski unloaded it and came out and took my grandson to the dock. I was so proud of my grandson, no crying or anything. He stayed cool as ice and just did what we told him. Then he came back and by this time we were past the dock. We both held the back of his jet ski and onto mine which was still upside down. We got about half way back to the dock and could no longer hang on with the jet blast blowing again the steering cowl under the water. We then righted it and tried to get a line to it, but it wouldn't go. We again tried to pull it holding it, but the current was getting faster. We then elected to let it go over the dam. we were getting too close and we pushed it off and the jet ski pulled me and my son back to the dock. We probably got with in 50 feet of the dam at worst situation. Our last resort would have been to catch the ropes that hang from the old bridge over the dam. Any way we survived and my 67 yr old body used muscles it hasn't had tested for years trying to be a tow rope the the jet ski. Had it not been for the other jet ski we would have abandoned it a lot sooner and swam to the dock. She went over the dam nose first and right side up and hung up on the rocks a about 200 ft downstream. When we got it rescued and to a dock about 3/8 mile down stream, it was FULL of water. I pulled it home and took a hose and siphoned the water out. There is a valve in the bottom of the crankcase that is hooked to a cable and knob. It drains the crankcase if it gets water in it. Drained the crankcase and choked it about 10 turns over and it was running again. I am now running it on the trailer about 3 times a day for about 1 1/2 minuter to get the water evaporated out of the crankcase, It is blowing oil out in the exhaust good in a day or 2 I will take fogging oil and fog it and fix the rest of the stuff. It has a couple of gouges in the fiberglass, but they don't leak, the water didn't run out so it shouldn't run in. The rear nozzle is broke n and the bottom riser plate bent and cracked. Pretty darned tough. Won't take much to have it going again. Have any of you put extra floatation on the sides of a jet ski. I am thinking like a pontoon like tank on each side to stabilize it when it is setting down in the water. It is solid as a rock when moving. I was think about a couple of 6" plastic pipes capped. off. We just ride it, don't get into wave junping and diving, so they should be out of the water when running. The only drawback would be it you upseet it one person could not right it again by themselves in the water. Any way I am very thankful to be able to write this tonite and I guess the rest of my problems became insignificant. Al Eden

[gretsch 0]

Al, sounds like you had quite a day. I think someone was looking out for you and your family. Glad to hear that all went well in the end. I know you had to feel a lot of anxiety during that ordeal as I was expecting to hear worse news as I was reading it through. I don't have any experience stablizing an unstable jet ski. I see it happen often though, riders sitting there one moment and in the water the next second. We have a Seadoo GTX 3-seater and it is "very" stable. I can stand on the side of it and dive off with no problems whatsoever. That was a characteristic that I sought when shopping for jet ski's. I didn't want to be tipping over especially when my young son riding along. Good luck in your endeavor and take care.

[dhardin 0]

Sounds like you had your day in the sun and fun, and close calls as well. Not much experence with jet-skis, but a doctor friend that i fix all his mowers and motor-cycles brought me a Aqua-scooter the other day to work on. Its a 2 cycle submersable James Bond looking thing. Its made in Italy but they have a great web sit and parts out of Florida so i got it running for him. But not till i went around and around in my pool to test it out. Its like a weed wacker with a propeler, its gets its air from a snorkle and the craziest muffler unit keeping it all dry. Thats if all the seals and valves are all good. Witch was this units problem. Hope you and your grandson took some time to reflect over the day on/in the river. Machines can be fixed or replaced. You and your grandson can not. Glad it all worked out. Dan

[toad270 15]

AL Glad to see everything came out OK That was to close

[lpcb10 0]

Be very carefull if you decide to modify the hull of a jetski. The chance of the law of unintended consquences biting you on the *** is very high. If you do try it post the results.

[Kent 435]

quote:

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Originally posted by Al
Any way I am very thankful to be able to write this tonite and I guess the rest of my problems became insignificant. Al Eden

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Thanks Al, for sharing your "sobering and eventful day" -- and the perspective it provides.... Be careful out there -- you're too valuable to us! :D

[SimpleMan 8]

I'm glad to see that your'e still here to tell the story, and that you can still talk to your grandson about the misadventure you had. Life's too short, be carefull out there. Gord

[Roy 0]

Glad you and your grandson survived a dangerous situation. One of these days you are going to have to admit that you are getting to be an old man. :D:D