PoA Jet Ski Project

asechrest said:
Tested at 12.4 V prior to hooking the trailer up at the house. :( It really looked/felt like something was "binding" (for lack of a better description) after a couple turnovers.
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12.4 is not fully charged, in fact it's probably about 2/3 to 3/4 charged, combine that with a cold engine and that could be the issue.

Also make sure that the terminals and connections are clean and very tight. I wouldn't be real concerned about it, hook the battery up to a trickle charger if you are going to leave it for more than a few weeks.
 
PaulS said:
12.4 is not fully charged, in fact it's probably about 2/3 to 3/4 charged, combine that with a cold engine and that could be the issue.

Also make sure that the terminals and connections are clean and very tight. I wouldn't be real concerned about it, hook the battery up to a trickle charger if you are going to leave it for more than a few weeks.
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Or better yet a battery minder. Northern Tool has one for this size battery for $59.
 
asechrest said:
Tested at 12.4 V prior to hooking the trailer up at the house. :( It really looked/felt like something was "binding" (for lack of a better description) after a couple turnovers.
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Other than getting it charged, you can test the capacity of the battery with a multimeter (I assume you don't have a load tester).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsJUuLu1cw0

Sounds like a battery problem to me also, BTW.
 
Thanks.

Interesting. It really didn't at all look/feel like a battery issue, but as evidenced by the thread I barely know what I'm doing. :D I agree that a labored crank would suggest that, but the more important symptom here was that the crank came to an abrupt stop with a "thunk" while I still held the start button down, and I could see the engine "torqued up/twisted" until I released the start button. Doing my best to describe it well. Then three attempts later it's cranking like it should, no issue.

But here's what I know about the battery. It's brand new. I have a Battery Tender Jr. trickle charger. During some previous downtime, I left the battery hooked up to the ski, and after the downtime (maybe 3 weeks or a month?) the battery was nearly dead. Multimeter showed it at 6 volts or something similarly terrible. So something's drawing power just while it sits there, but I haven't dealt with that. This last bit of downtime I disconnected the battery but didn't leave it hooked up to the trickle charger. I tested it at 12.4V before my outing on Friday and thought that was pretty good, but apparently not.
 
I leave all my toys hooked up to battery tenders whenever I'm not using them. My jetski is plugged into one if its not in the water. Do that from day one with a new battery and they'll last a very very very long time.
 
asechrest said:
Thanks.

Interesting. It really didn't at all look/feel like a battery issue, but as evidenced by the thread I barely know what I'm doing. :D I agree that a labored crank would suggest that, but the more important symptom here was that the crank came to an abrupt stop with a "thunk" while I still held the start button down, and I could see the engine "torqued up/twisted" until I released the start button. Doing my best to describe it well. Then three attempts later it's cranking like it should, no issue.

But here's what I know about the battery. It's brand new. I have a Battery Tender Jr. trickle charger. During some previous downtime, I left the battery hooked up to the ski, and after the downtime (maybe 3 weeks or a month?) the battery was nearly dead. Multimeter showed it at 6 volts or something similarly terrible. So something's drawing power just while it sits there, but I haven't dealt with that. This last bit of downtime I disconnected the battery but didn't leave it hooked up to the trickle charger. I tested it at 12.4V before my outing on Friday and thought that was pretty good, but apparently not.
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Don't guess and you're ahead of 99.9999% percent of mechanics. You can eliminate not having adequate battery chage AND load capacity in literally one minute, why not?
 
Alexb2000 said:
Don't guess and you're ahead of 99.9999% percent of mechanics. You can eliminate not having adequate battery chage AND load capacity in literally one minute, why not?
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Will do. Thanks for that video. Will watch it tonight. Don't have a load tester.
 
This is not a battery issue, it's a dirty commutator on the starter issue. It got scrubbed off for the most part once it got a good spin. If it was easy enough to get to I would clean it with a pencil eraser. If the commutator is worn and I could feel the insulators sticking up, I'd start with 320 sand paper then polish it up.
 
As far as towing skiers/tubes, the rear tie-down hooks will be out of the water once you are on plane, so they will be suitable for infrequent towing. If you want to do it often, I'd install a simple ski-tow ring below the plastic grab handle with some reinforcement (wood or metal) to keep from fatiguing the fiberglass. My 1100STX has a SS bar that runs across the back for just that purpose. Towing a tube is pretty uneventful, you just need to pay attention to the slack in the rope as jet skis tend to vary speed a lot with changes in direction or towable drag, especially in turns (slows down).

Skiing is doable as well, but for any experienced skier it gets dicey when you pull out to the side. The force of a skier pulling outside the wake tends to "pull" the rear of the jet ski with it. As a driver you have to counter the force with steering input and throttle increase, as a skier it can lead to a crash if you pull and the jet ski comes with you, lol.

Also a recommendation for Kawasaki 2-strokes: if you don't have a fuel priming system on it (I didn't read the whole thread), get one. They are not easy to start cold, and a simple 2-3 pumps of the primer plunger will make it fire up almost instantly. After it's run for a few minutes to get warm, the Kawasakis will fire up every time with no primer needed and are screamers.

I was surprised to read that yours had so much instability with 2-up, but I've not ridden the 900. I can stand on the side rail of my 1100 (3-seater) at rest, me being 200lbs, and it will list to that side but won't come close to rolling over. Even 2-up has never been an issue. Three adult males (probably close to 550lbs) will make it very unstable until you get running 5-10mph though.
 
It was 85ish degrees here today. Inspired by Ted's discussion about de-winterizing his boat, I pulled the jet ski out into the driveway today in preparation for some summertime fun. I did not winterize it and last had it in the water around January 1.

At the suggestion of many, I now keep my battery hooked up to my Battery Tender Jr. when not in use. I pulled my plugs and cleaned them a bit with a toothbrush (still oil fouled from last use). I fogged the cylinders just a tad with WD-40 (I'm not sure if this is useful, but I feel like the cylinders would be "dry" after so much time sitting). Started like a champ after a crank with choke and two without. I'm still pretty proud of what we accomplished here!

My main question: My fuel level stick is still broken. Probably the floats, though I haven't really looked. I'm not sure if I'm inclined to fix it, so I wonder what the fuel burn is on these puppies? Anyone have an idea? I'll just fill 'er up before each use and use a conservative estimate based on time in use.

[EDIT] - SoonerAviator: never thanked you for your previous post. Appreciate the comments.
 
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GPH burn rate calculation is useless in a jet ski. 60% power in a steady cruise rate will burn half as much fuel as tearing up on the water. All depends on how you ride it.
 
Also, specifically for Henning:

I'm looking for a spot in the Boca area to put this thing in. I'm envisioning a spot where mine and another family can set up on a beach with the kids, with the jet ski just off shore, and the kids can play on the beach and in the water while folks take turns on the jet ski off the shore. Any ideas? My best idea is Peanut Island, but I don't have a lot of beach exposure on the east coast.
 
Shawn said:
GPH burn rate calculation is useless in a jet ski. 60% power in a steady cruise rate will burn half as much fuel as tearing up on the water. All depends on how you ride it.
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Ok, thanks. I wonder what the WOT burn is? I could at least calculate a worst case scenario.
 
WOT fuel use is -- a lot.

Get your sender fixed. Call around for a used ski or check ebay.
 
Couple others on ebay too. Lots of those skis were sold, so plenty in breakers yards by now. Pretty sure all the wiring on them is the same. Seriously, my only dislike is they gulp fuel.
 
asechrest said:
Also, specifically for Henning:

I'm looking for a spot in the Boca area to put this thing in. I'm envisioning a spot where mine and another family can set up on a beach with the kids, with the jet ski just off shore, and the kids can play on the beach and in the water while folks take turns on the jet ski off the shore. Any ideas? My best idea is Peanut Island, but I don't have a lot of beach exposure on the east coast.
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Peanut Island is on the inside, and for inside beach exposure like that, it's closer than heading down to Biscayne Bay which is probably the next closer place. Biscayne does provide a much higher quality experience though.

Are you going to put in in Boca and ride it up, or are you looking for a place in Riviera Beach/Singer Island to launch?
 
Henning said:
Peanut Island is on the inside, and for inside beach exposure like that, it's closer than heading down to Biscayne Bay which is probably the next closer place. Biscayne does provide a much higher quality experience though.

Are you going to put in in Boca and ride it up, or are you looking for a place in Riviera Beach/Singer Island to launch?
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I'd want to put in close to whatever spot we choose, so I'm not wedded to Boca as the launch point. That's where the GF's house is, though, so whatever ideal spot is closest, that's what I'll go for. I've been to Peanut Island once, and we took a ferry from what I recall was a sizable boat ramp. So my thought was to put the family(ies) on the ferry to the island, launch the jet ski at the closest ramp, then drive it over to the beach and make a day of it.

The ideal spot, if it exists, would be the beach experience for the ladies/kids with an ability to beach the jet ski and then take it out just off shore throughout the day. I've got a bunch of spots here on the west that I know of, but too little experience on the east.
 
asechrest said:
Nice, thanks! I may just buy that thing.

There's a Youtube video floating around where a guy rigs a new float out of a plastic wine cork for his fuel sender. But if $35 bucks gets me a new sender, why bother?

[edit] Here's that video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ddzedrfJ1U
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I have replaced fuel tank sender floats with a spare cork more times than I can remember, it's the reason mechanics collect corks.
 
asechrest said:
I'd want to put in close to whatever spot we choose, so I'm not wedded to Boca as the launch point. That's where the GF's house is, though, so whatever ideal spot is closest, that's what I'll go for. I've been to Peanut Island once, and we took a ferry from what I recall was a sizable boat ramp. So my thought was to put the family(ies) on the ferry to the island, launch the jet ski at the closest ramp, then drive it over to the beach and make a day of it.

The ideal spot, if it exists, would be the beach experience for the ladies/kids with an ability to beach the jet ski and then take it out just off shore throughout the day. I've got a bunch of spots here on the west that I know of, but too little experience on the east.
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Due to the differences in makeup with the ICW and canal system over here, those opportunities are really pretty much non existent between Lake Worth and Biscayne Bay. Plenty of opportunity outside, but none inside except the entrance at Hillsboro Inlet. You have the access to sheltered and open water, and some available beach area on the spit.

Biscayne Bay and Key Biscayne provide a nicer experience that does not require a ferry, so it may be a consideration.
 
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Henning said:
Due to the differences in makeup with the ICW and canal system over here, those opportunities are really pretty much non existent between Lake Worth and Biscayne Bay. Plenty of opportunity outside, but none inside except the entrance at Hillsboro Inlet. You have the access to sheltered and open water, and some available beach area on the spit.

Biscayne Bay and Key Biscayne provide a nicer experience that does not require a ferry, so it may be a consideration.
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Hmmm. Ok. I'm looking at some aerial views and I think I see what you're getting at. It's all channel and no room to ride around the good inside beach spots? (Is there a public beach/ramp around Hillsboro inlet?)

What do you think are the outside options? How's the ride on a jet ski in Atlantic surf? I'm used to Gulf coast and Tampa Bay, which is pretty docile. Next best option? I'm looking at some aerial shots around Peanut Island and it looks like you could hop on the ski and shoot out Palm Beach Inlet for plenty of riding room.
 
asechrest said:
Hmmm. Ok. I'm looking at some aerial views and I think I see what you're getting at. It's all channel and no room to ride around the good inside beach spots? (Is there a public beach/ramp around Hillsboro inlet?)

What do you think are the outside options? How's the ride on a jet ski in Atlantic surf? I'm used to Gulf coast and Tampa Bay, which is pretty docile. Next best option? I'm looking at some aerial shots around Peanut Island and it looks like you could hop on the ski and shoot out Palm Beach Inlet for plenty of riding room.
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Depends on the weather.most of the time there is no surf south of Juno Beach because the Bahamas break the Atlantic swell, so unless the wind is honking it's quite simple to walk an anchor out and place a mooring to hang the ski on. You can use any stretch of beach you want. I'm not familiar with the ramps North of 14th St in Pompano, I'd have to google for ones further north, but they're everywhere.
 
Henning said:
Depends on the weather.most of the time there is no surf south of Juno Beach because the Bahamas break the Atlantic swell, so unless the wind is honking it's quite simple to walk an anchor out and place a mooring to hang the ski on. You can use any stretch of beach you want. I'm not familiar with the ramps North of 14th St in Pompano, I'd have to google for ones further north, but they're everywhere.
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Thanks for the help.
 
Driver's side trailer light is toast. I think it was just a burned out bulb but when I opened the light enclosure the bulb was rusted into the socket so badly that it's not fixable.

I've never messed with trailer lights but it seems easy enough. I ordered a new light from Amazon. What I immediately notice is that the white ground wire on the existing trailer light went up into the light's housing along with the yellow and brown wires and grounded against the metal light socket frame. The new light isn't set up like that. So my first dumb question is where should I ground the white wire on the driver side? I was thinking about slipping it over the light housing screw post that goes through the trailer frame hole and sandwiching it between two nuts, but would that be sufficient?

My second question is whether I should do anything special to the light housing. It is certainly not watertight, but I think it works by trapping an air bubble inside the housing? So should I put some silicone sealant along the top parts of the housing in order to facilitate this?

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The screws are the ground. Just clean off a section where the screw goes through the frame for a good ground. Put the nut on, and viola - grounded. Unless the white wire goes up into the connection, it's not needed. The frame of the trailer should be grounded. If it is, you can put a ring term on the white wire and slip it under the screw.

You bought a non-waterproof light. You can try to seal it, but typically it never works. There are waterproof boat trailer lights but they are pricey.
 
Also, if you prang it, the lens repl is avail at any Pep Boys, or Autozone. I go through about 3-4 lenses per housing.
 
I put LED trailer lights on any trailer I own now. So much less trouble..and so much less likely to cause issues in the water.
 
docmirror said:
Also, if you prang it, the lens repl is avail at any Pep Boys, or Autozone. I go through about 3-4 lenses per housing.
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I backed into a short concrete pole last outing. Couldn't see it. No damage that I could see. Woops. :D First thing I've hit in a vehicle in a long time time. Man card was temporarily suspended.

Jessie said:
I put LED trailer lights on any trailer I own now. So much less trouble..and so much less likely to cause issues in the water.
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Didn't think about that. ROI might be worth it next time. I could have just changed my bulb this time if it hadn't been literally fused to the socket by rust.
 
Oh and I'm getting the hang of ramp procedures but I still have some hiccups. Last time when recovering I backed the trailer in too far and when I drove the ski on the trailer the runners were too deep and I ran the bow into the metal near the trailer winch. Scraped some 90s-era paint off to go with the flaking red paint on the hull below the water line. Man card again suspended.
 
asechrest said:
Oh and I'm getting the hang of ramp procedures but I still have some hiccups. Last time when recovering I backed the trailer in too far and when I drove the ski on the trailer the runners were too deep and I ran the bow into the metal near the trailer winch. Scraped some 90s-era paint off to go with the flaking red paint on the hull below the water line. Man card again suspended.
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I drive the boat up the trailer.

The jetski I just float on and off. Easy enough to do and I don't see the point of running it in the shallow water where the intake just loves to suck crap up which is no good for the jetpump.
 
Any time I have to replace trailer lights these days I go LED and try to find the ones with the sealed harnesses as well. Yeah, it's a few extra bucks, but I'm not touching it again.
 
LED, FTW. I love not having to worry about burned out bulbs and having to plug/unplug trailer lights at the ramp. They work great as guides when trailering at night, too. Obviously not much of a concern for jet skis. It's not a big deal on regular utility trailers, but LEDs are a must for any boat trailer I use.
 
SoonerAviator said:
LED, FTW. I love not having to worry about burned out bulbs and having to plug/unplug trailer lights at the ramp. They work great as guides when trailering at night, too. Obviously not much of a concern for jet skis. It's not a big deal on regular utility trailers, but LEDs are a must for any boat trailer I use.
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Plus, even if you unplug regular lights, often times water will still get in there and they'll be so damn hot the bulb just explodes on contact with the water.
 
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