A few “what is normal” questions - 99 gtx Ltd

[MoDawg73]

I’d love some info from experienced people on my ski. Not sure what to expect so I thought I’d throw it out there.

1. Do you blow out the water box after a ride? I have tried to do that, but nothing comes out. Not sure if it is necessary on this ski.

2. At what rpms do your rave valves open? I know it varies with the throttle application, but mine generally do at around 4600 rpm. Then it feels like I’m on a rocket ship. It takes off fast!

3. I have been using Stabil fogging oil. It is not marked as Marine. I bought it at Autozone. Does it need to be a marine fogging oil.

4. How do you get the water out of the footwells? No matter what I do I always end up with a puddle of water in my footwells that turns to algae. Has anyone considered putting a thru hull drain fitting in there to address this?

The great news is after a complete rebuild (engine, carb, fuel lines, selector switch, alignment, pump, oil lines and filter, fuel filter and gasket) she runs like a charm. Tons of fun. Have about 23 hours on her and she starts easy, idles rock solid, and has near instant response at every throttle position. She is a great cruiser.

Thanks for all your help guys! You have been a great help and blessing to me and my family!

Ken

 

[emspjay]

1. I don't but others do
2. I never paid attention to that on my GTX and I don't have a tach on my XP.
3. not sure on that I heard 951's need to be fogged after every run
4. I keep a sponge in the storage box and use that to get the water out.

 

[mikidymac]

Yes you should rev up the engine after the ski is out of the water to blow as much water out as you can.

Any fogging oil is fine.

RAVES typically open at 4500 but you can adjust the red screws and play with it. Just make sure they are both set the same.

I keep an Absorber in the storage compartment to dry off the ski when we pull them out of the water. Don’t go drilling holes and adding drains.

 

[RockwallRick]

I always crank up our skis and rev them up for a few seconds right after pulling them out of the water. Then, after I disconnect the trailer and open the drain plugs I always tip the trailer up for a few seconds to drain whatever water is left inside/out.

 

[WaarrEagle]

I always crank up our skis and rev them up for a few seconds right after pulling them out of the water. Then, after I disconnect the trailer and open the drain plugs I always tip the trailer up for a few seconds to drain whatever water is left inside/out.

I do the same, but after rebuilding my GTX and getting more familiar with how everything works, I'm not sure running the engine on the trailer does anything? Seems like everything is driven by pressure off the pump, which doesn't exist out of the water.

 

[mikidymac]

The exhaust gasses from combustion will push the remaining water out the back. Trust me, you should be doing it.

 

[MoDawg73]

Thanks for all your help! Picked up a sponge today. It worked like a charm.

I have a Yamaha twin jet boat, and we we blow out the water boxes, about a gallon comes out of each engine. I was surprised that I couldn’t see much at all if anything come out when I did it with the ski. But I will do it every time. Easy enough!

 

[andy.262]

The exhaust gasses from combustion will push the remaining water out the back. Trust me, you should be doing it.

I haven't heard this before, and haven't been doing it. What is the benefit of doing this, and does it also apply to my SPX and GTX? Is it an invasive species thing, or are there mechanical implications here too?

 

[mikidymac]

These have a wet exhaust system so when you shut them off water sits in the exhaust. This water can backflow into the engine if the nose of the ski is down far enough and that water will cause condensation in the engine when it sits.
So yes, all skis should be started out of the water after a ride to blow as much remaining water out of the exhaust as you can.