1 week into standup riding, bilge pump failure + out of gas in the channel of LOTO

2002zxi

Got old, bought another ski
Location
MO/OK
Made for some really tense moments. I was on my white ski and my cousin on my orange ski. We were at the 9mm of lake of the ozarks (between toad cove and the golf course). I ran out of fuel. Thankfully my cousin saw me and went and got my dad who was in our 23' Mariah. After floating for 10 minutes I turned the bilge pump on and got all the water out, or so I thought. Turned out the bilge pump failed. Needless to say, after a loooong tow back to our cabin in the lake of the ozarks chop, I spent the rest of the afternoon getting my ski started again.
 

2002zxi

Got old, bought another ski
Location
MO/OK
oxnard111 said:
Seems like when towing a stand up, the shorter the rope for towing helps keep the nose up, thus less water in the engine compartment. Just me $.02
This last time we had success with around 10ft behind the boat and me riding the ski on my knees. The ski was dive bombing if I wasnt sitting on the back of it, lol.
 

djyox

Old school -not by choice
Location
Twincities, MN
2002zxi said:
This last time we had success with around 10ft behind the boat and me riding the ski on my knees. The ski was dive bombing if I wasnt sitting on the back of it, lol.
Yup I found that a problem too when towing a ski... But had my buddy just go lay in the tray and take a nap...
 
thong_bandit said:
yeah that sucks bro...i had to get towed in the other day as well:banghead:

Sorry to hijack but what happened Mark? My ski isnt running right now. I think I toasted my battery and/or my start switch is all f#%ked up. Im taking the battery up to Autozone right now to get tested and charged since I dont have a charger. Looks like I'm gonna have to put off buying the bilge pump :banghead:
 
hope you are still enjoying the stand up experience

your first few weeks of owning standups hasn't been very memorable...you are having some real bad luck starting off with the truck you rode down to pick the skis up with...i hope everything starts goin smooth and you have as good as luck as i always had with those skis...don't forget you are not on a couch with a reserve on it.
 

2002zxi

Got old, bought another ski
Location
MO/OK
superjetstaruk said:
your first few weeks of owning standups hasn't been very memorable...you are having some real bad luck starting off with the truck you rode down to pick the skis up with...i hope everything starts goin smooth and you have as good as luck as i always had with those skis...don't forget you are not on a couch with a reserve on it.
Oh man, I wasnt implying the skis were to blame at all. I know bilge pumps dont last forever and I'm trying to get into the habit of periodically checking the fuel level. I've had a ton of fun and will continue to do so. They've been mechanically flawless, and I've run at least 10 tanks of fuel through both of them. It only took a couple hours, 2 batteries(only because I couldnt charge the other one fast enough), and 3 sets of sparkplugs to get the white ski back rocking. After it got started again I rode it until dark.

The white ski especially likes to launch into orbit off of even the smallest wakes. These things rock.
 
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hangtime

Speak up ,don't kiss azz
that sucks man I hate it when that happens :banghead:

Did you get rid of your reserve switch :17:

Number one reason to KEEP the reserve switch is you don't have to keep an eye on your fuel level .when it runs out you switch it to reserve and go back to the ramp .

Here's another hint ,2 bilge pumps is better than one.
Gets the water out twice as fast and in case one breaks you have another one working .
 

2002zxi

Got old, bought another ski
Location
MO/OK
Hangtime,

All the local suppliers ran out of the bilge pump I wanted and I didnt have an extra bilge fitting or I would have already put a second one on that ski... Apparently it's more urgent than I first thought, lol. My other ski has 2 500gph pumps, and I'm really glad it does!

Michael, I skimmed that FAQ seeing the link in another thread, but they were already modified when I got them, so for now I'll just have to get my head out of my rear and watch the fuel level.
 

hangtime

Speak up ,don't kiss azz
Cool man ,just make sure you install that second bilge as soon as possible .:biggthumpup:
I almost removed the reserve switch untill rational thinking prevailed .
I ride about 1 mile from the boat ramp in open ocean which is not a good place to run out of fuel :banghead:
 
yamaslut said:
tow ropes should be no longer than 4ft IMO

yes, but no......


depending on the water conditions.....

for calm to "normal" days on the water......no longer than 2 wraps arond your waist (best place to keep it)...


for HUGE wave days you want a strong and longer rope.......



we have had to pull boats off the shore pound before and you need at least 20+ feet for that.....






but for anything other than dangerous conditions 3-4 feet is PLENTY
 
Y

yamaslut

Guest
Idok said:
yes, but no......


depending on the water conditions.....

for calm to "normal" days on the water......no longer than 2 wraps arond your waist (best place to keep it)...


for HUGE wave days you want a strong and longer rope.......



we have had to pull boats off the shore pound before and you need at least 20+ feet for that.....






but for anything other than dangerous conditions 3-4 feet is PLENTY



You couldn't be more wrong scott!!!!!
Please disregard Idoks last post


I use the shorter rope just for rough conditions... it doesn't matter what you tow w/ when it's not big or rough.. When the waves are breaking close together, it's impossible to tow w/ a 20ft rope and not sink the ski or get ripped off it.. If the skis are in the same wave and close to each other there won't be lag and the skis will travel together as one unit. You can also travel much faster and can see what is happening w/ the ski and rider... behind you.


my rules of towing:
1. always travel paralell to the beach in zig zag lines, to prevent the towed ski from landing on you
2. go as fast as possible w/o loss of control
3. always try to get someone to bring the rider on another ski (it's difficult for some to hold on and it prevents you from having to turn around for anything)
4. always be looking over your shoulder for breaking waves
5. don't listen to Idok :biggrin:
 
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