PWC v. dinghy

maybe you should rephrase your question to:

Hello,
I have an extremely fat mother in law. I've been told that we have to take her for a cruise but i'm concerned about the weight limitation of my swim platform. I'm estimating that she weighs in the neighborhood of 400lbs. Will I be putting my boat in jeopardy if I allow here to sit, stand, jump off the swim platform?

Thanks in advance,

Alex.

:smt043:smt043

TT, somehow I think this type of question would get more attention and different response.
 
  1. Not much. Boat still runs normally. I do take it easy when going on and off plane.
  2. What's SmartCraft? I don't have that and didn't ever bother to check the additional fuel consumption.
  3. Yes. Tows much better than with line.
  4. Works from from idle speed to WOT. I checked. Towing with a line is a pain. If I used 50' of line, it was OK to about 18 kts. If I went to 70', it was OK to 21 kts. If I wanted to go faster, the wake would be under the PWC and it would flip. Flipping the flippin' PWC at 20 knots is a bitch. We tried out running a storm. Was OK at 22 kts. I gradually increased the throttles until the tail was at the PWCs bow. Flipped anyway when we hit some wakes. You need a really long line to be able to tow with any more than the littlest boat and not be speed limited.
  5. Never tried it for that far of a distance. Longest run was out to the ocean. Did tow though the Point Pleasant Canal and it was fine.
Best regards,
Frank

Frank,

That's great. I was hopping that boats of this size should have some power to spare. Although, you have bigger block, I hope mine should be ok to handle this since your boat don’t even feel a difference in the load. Would you agree?

What’s your methods on docking and keeping the PWC in the slip, do you have separate slip, keep it on the trailer, or keep it at the same slip parallel to the swim platform?
We have few people at our marina that keep their PWC on the trailer behind the slip. On the other marina I saw them stored on floating plastic docks.

Thanks,
Alex.
 
I see Jet Ski's stored on plastic floating docks all the time. They go under names like "jet port" or somesuch. They ain't cheap, like $1-$2K. I would say the majority of the ski's in my area are stored on these plastic docks. Those that don't have the docks use a crane and store on dock.

If you actually keep the ski in the water. . .then bottom painting becomes an issue. I once had a ski in the water for 5 measley days. . and the bottom was a complete mess.

There is one marina in our area that used to (may still have) "jet port" rentals: East Dover marina.
 
Here is a tow bar product from a company that made my roll on system (that I am very happy with). This may fit someones application.
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Model 810 Towbar System
Want to tow your dingy or PWC at planing speeds? Take a close look at St. Croix's removable Towbar. This device is easy to attach each time you want to tow. Just slip the winch end into a low-profile shoe which is permanently mounted to the platform. This prepositions the pivot side so it can be held in place with a pair of simple ball lock detent pins. Then hook the winch strap to the bow eye, winch the dinghy tight against the bow roller stops, and you're ready to go. The entire unit is stainless steel for years of trouble-free use. Towing capacity is 1000 lbs. (454 kg.). Mounting Position: On some boats the ideal placement is in the center. On others, it's off to the side. To determine which is right for your boat, just go for a ride and look at your wake while on plane. You want to tow where the water is flattest.


You'll Find Detailed Specifications & Technical Drawings for Our Products in Our Catalog (download PDF file)
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It’s refreshing to deal with such a customer service based company as yours.
R.B. from Ohio
2003​


 
Hi Alex

I keep my PWC on the trailer and in my garage. There's enough space in my garage for three cars and the PWC, so that works out OK. I trailer it down every weekend. The Navigator doesn't notice the load and it does not affect the fuel burn, so why not?

Usually I run the PWC to one of the sea walls in the marina and tie it up there. Then I get the boat, attach the tow, untie it, and off we go. I reverse the process when we get back tying it to the sea wall, undoing the tow and then docking the boat. Then I pull the PWC out of the water. You should be OK towing it. Don't really know your boat so it's hard to know, but I would guess it's ok.

The floating docks can be good or bad depending on the brand. The "Jet Port" brand is awful. The platform is too short for a three person PWC and does not have enough buoyancy to support a 3 person ski with the tail end (read: expensive jet pump) hanging in the water. I rented one of those a few years ago but it barely was sufficient for my 2 stroke Kawasaki. When I upgraded to a 4 stroke Polaris, it didn't do the job. The Sea Doo is a bit heavier, so I did not bother to rent one.

A guy in the marina has a different brand of float and it holds his daughter's Sea Doo GTX well out of the water. It's bigger, so it holds the 3 person 4-stroker just find. Forget the brand, but I'll look this weekend.

Best regards,
Frank
 
Frank;

Do you tow at planing speed? Do you do anything to prevent water ingestion?
My Jet Ski Mechanic frowned at the idea of permantly installed clamps or ball valves.
 
comsnark,

From Frank's post #15 it looks like there's no issue even at WOT. I've herd that installing valve solve the issue you're describing. It makes sense to me, so I would defenatelly look in to this option. As I researching my options on PWC, I don't see any other way than using towing bars. I also need to learn few other options for storing. My primary idea here is to minimize the overhead (docking, loading/unloading, etc.).
 
yeah. . .I read specific warnings about towing in the manual for both my ski's.

Of course, I read that AFTER I towed my small Kawi the first time. I just didn't run right after towing at 30 mph. :( Fortunately, the damage didn't seem permanent and it ran fine after weekend flush and a week of drying out.

So I am curious about Frank's method of success. . .

- - - - -

I hear you about minimizing weekend overhead. The last two hours of the weekend nearly kill the Admiral and I. Between flushing jetski's, cleaning the Sea Ray, and other general cleanup. . . .ack!
 
There is always a risk when towing. This said, I tow mine all the time now. (long line) Each brand and model will have higher or lower risks. You wouldnt want to replace an engine on some of these newer models...
 
The Kawasaki didn't need the clamp. I disconnected the line and ran it to a container, so I know that for whatever reason, it didn't need to be clamped, despite the owner's manual warning. The Sea Doo I'll probably clamp. I know of others who drowned their Sea Doos when they didn't clamp. Although my engine has closed circuit cooling with the heat exchanger as part of the ride plate, it does run water though the intercooler and into the exhaust system. The -X package Sea Doos also have a huge intake and grate that stuffs water up into the jet pump. Looks like it would flow a lot of water even without the engine running, so I'm going to clamp the hose. It's easy and Sea Doo even marks the hose with a red band. Nice.

Best regards,
Frank
 
alex
my neihbor at the marina has a 2003 320DA and he installed a davit system on his platform to hold his dink. i can get the details for you if i see him this weekend.
ron
 
Thanks Ron, any extra info will only help.

Alex.
 
The PWC I have is a Yamaha WaveRunner VX Deluxe. It's a 4 stroke and fully loaded it is right under 800 pounds. If you get a PWC like the Yamaha, you'll have to stick with the entry level models like the VX to keep the weight under 800 pounds. Frankly, the VX Deluxe we have has 110 hp so it is fine for what we use it for. It'll do 50 mph, gets out of the hole fast, has a reverse gate, and an electronic gizmo so I can set it so it can't go over 35 mph when the younger kids take it out. If you go the entry level PWC route, make sure you get one with a reverse gate. The base Yamaha VX does not have a reverse gate whereas the VX Deluxe does (well... it did when I bought mine a few years ago.).

Gary,
I'm just starting to learn about PWCs. How important is the reverse gate?
 
Gary,
I'm just starting to learn about PWCs. How important is the reverse gate?
The reverse gate works well to stop momentum when pulling to dock or tie up. Reverse gates are somewhat adjustable. Pull the lever slightly and it helps enough to hold against the wind, etc.
 
Yeah. . .I would not buy a PWC today without the reverse gate. Oh sure. . you can maneuver without one, but it is SO much easier with "R".
 
So, if it effects maneuvering, does it mean that it's the REVERS shift? I remember few years ago I drove one and there was a handle I had to pull to make the PWC go in reverse. Is this the feature you guys describing?
 
So, if it effects maneuvering, does it mean that it's the REVERS shift? I remember few years ago I drove one and there was a handle I had to pull to make the PWC go in reverse. Is this the feature you guys describing?
Thats it, at least on the Yamaha's. It blocks the flow of the water and re-directs the flow toward the front which does act as a reverse.
 
i was walking up the dock at Morrison's in Beach Haven last week and there was a guy (with a real nice '01 380 with oil burners!) with his head buried under the seat of his pwc. apparently he had just had the thing tuned at the dealer, readying it for this trip, and before he left, he asked the goon at the dealer which hose to clamp off during towing. apparently they pointed to the wrong hose and he had a whole bunch of seawater in the cylinders. this guy was NOT happy. two days later he pulls into Farley in AC and i run into him there too. he said the dealer was going to make good on it.

the perils of towing a PWC! i had no idea you'd even have to clamp or pull hoses to tow.
 
Ron, I've heard that this is a problem. It might be a little hard for that guy to fight with the dealer. It's his word against mechanic's word, which he'll say was the right hose.

I just started new thread hopping to get some tips on choosing good PWC.

http://clubsearay.com/forum/showthread.php?p=132698#post132698

Alex.
 
Old thread but still interesting. I purchased a Yamaha FX model this past fall and plan on using it as a tender for the wife and I. Sometimes getting Chez-nous into a restaurant slip is challenging whereas a jet ski would make life easier.

One thing nobody has mentioned regarding towing are the other PWC out there. I have yet to go out on the lake without a swarm of PWC jumping my wake. If I was towing a jet ski of my own... too easy to picture someone landing on my jet ski or worse, clotheslining themselves on the tow rope. Neither presents a good alternative.
 

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