So I let a very mechanically-inclined friend (he used to work as a snowmobile mechanic) take my 2000 GS out. I prepped everything for him, but forgot to screw in the drain plugs. He, unfortunately, launched without noticing that they were out.
He had to tie the ski up for about 5 minutes to park the car and walk back to the ramp. He didn't notice it low or anything unusual. It started without issue.
On the water, he noticed that it was riding low, with the tail end about an inch underwater. He took off the seat to check if he was taking on water and said he only noticed an inch or so and considered it normal. (I would have thought it would have sunk instantly with the seat off and the plugs out, but I guess not.)
He knew something was wrong about ten minutes later when a small wave hit him broadside and tossed him off the ski and it was hard to get back on. He then realized the issue and screwed the drain plugs in and managed to start the ski from alongside it. He said the engine was a bit hard to start, but not too bad. He got back on the ski and let it run to pump out water and warm the engine.
The story's a bit unclear about what issues he had at this point, but he brought the ski back to shore and looked inside. He changed the spark plugs and noticed about an inch of water in the electrical box with the coil and starter relay. He dried the box as best he could and test rode the ski. He said it "surged" over 20 MPH but felt fine under. So he kept it under 20 MPH and rode it a bit to make sure it was dry.
When he brought the ski back, I noticed the coil area was wet and the ground connection was poor. I cleaned that all up, fully dried everything, and the ski looks fine. After putting the electrical box back together, I hit the start/stop button to see if the starter would crank (just checking contacts), and it started instantly. (It actually confused me, because I didn't quite hear the starter at all and it took me a second to realized what had happened. I've never had a cold ski start that fast.)
Is there anything else I should check before I go back on the water with the ski?
He had to tie the ski up for about 5 minutes to park the car and walk back to the ramp. He didn't notice it low or anything unusual. It started without issue.
On the water, he noticed that it was riding low, with the tail end about an inch underwater. He took off the seat to check if he was taking on water and said he only noticed an inch or so and considered it normal. (I would have thought it would have sunk instantly with the seat off and the plugs out, but I guess not.)
He knew something was wrong about ten minutes later when a small wave hit him broadside and tossed him off the ski and it was hard to get back on. He then realized the issue and screwed the drain plugs in and managed to start the ski from alongside it. He said the engine was a bit hard to start, but not too bad. He got back on the ski and let it run to pump out water and warm the engine.
The story's a bit unclear about what issues he had at this point, but he brought the ski back to shore and looked inside. He changed the spark plugs and noticed about an inch of water in the electrical box with the coil and starter relay. He dried the box as best he could and test rode the ski. He said it "surged" over 20 MPH but felt fine under. So he kept it under 20 MPH and rode it a bit to make sure it was dry.
When he brought the ski back, I noticed the coil area was wet and the ground connection was poor. I cleaned that all up, fully dried everything, and the ski looks fine. After putting the electrical box back together, I hit the start/stop button to see if the starter would crank (just checking contacts), and it started instantly. (It actually confused me, because I didn't quite hear the starter at all and it took me a second to realized what had happened. I've never had a cold ski start that fast.)
Is there anything else I should check before I go back on the water with the ski?
