Is the 3up extension water tight???

[Gary S]

So this may be a weird question, but here goes... hopefully someone can help. I have two 3-up Sparks and just purchased a re-boarding step to install myself. The directions say to use loctite in the holes before putting in the step screws to "avoid water intrusion." Makes sense I suppose.however, my two sparks came from the dealer with the reboarding step holes not plugged at all. Did the dealer forget to put screws in these holes to keep them plugged? Or does the platform drain on its own? Wondering if I've been taking on water in the back end of my Sparks? I've had the Sparks out on the lake 4 times now and haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Why do I need to add sealant to the reboarding step screws when the holes were never plugged in the first place.

Any responses would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

 

[ole_trixx]

There should not be any holes there from factory. Looks like the dealer drilled these out to mount the step, but didn't.
Also the hull is self draining and that's probably why you have not noticed anything.
The hull drains via an ejector system connected to the top of the jet nozzle with a clear hose. The hose goes up high under the rear deck then down to the lowest point. Meaning it only works when the jet is running, the faster you go the better it sucks the water out.

Had the ski been lying still on the water. It would likely be a different story.

 

[Hawk388]

Locktite alone isn't going to seal those holes when you mount the step. You will need to use Marine grade silicon to fill in the holes, then put the bolts through. Clean the silicon off the bolt threads inside the hull and use locktite on the threads only. Once the step is mounted and hardware torqued, I would then cover the bolt heads with more silicon.

 

[speed51133]

There should not be any holes there from factory. Looks like the dealer drilled these out to mount the step, but didn't.
Also the hull is self draining and that's probably why you have not noticed anything.
The hull drains via an ejector system connected to the top of the jet nozzle with a clear hose. The hose goes up high under the rear deck then down to the lowest point. Meaning it only works when the jet is running, the faster you go the better it sucks the water out.

Had the ski been lying still on the water. It would likely be a different story.

the 3 up extension is not sealed. water can get into it. the main body hull is water tight.

i know because I JUST added a 3 up to my jet. the 3 up extension has large foam blocks in it. and is held to the main hull by a few screws. no gasket.

 

[mab69us]

also even on the 2up those holes are there without the step



they dont go all the way in the haul the lock tight is just to make sure the water dont get in the screw threads and freeze or cause corrosion

 

[speed51133]

correct, but for some reason the dealer drilled through the 3up extension for the boarding step holes in the original poster's pic.