benjilafouine
Well-Known Member
My neighbor got today a brand new Wake 155 with ski pylon and a tube to pull the kids. After putting the ski in the water, wife decided to pull the tube. You know where I am going... No experience whatsoever, she sucked the rope after five minutes and when I mean sucked, the whole shaft inside the grate was jammed tight. As soon as I saw her stranded in front of her beach I told my mom: she sucked the rope...
So I went to offer my help. Her husband (very angry at her of course) was trying to get the rope free without any luck. So he cut the rope. No luck there too. The rope was too tight. I told him to remove the small portion of the grate and believe it or not, one of the screws was stripped (on a brand new ski!): it was turning without getting out (question: do these screws need loctite after removal?). So he put back the screws in place and using an x-acto, cutters and long nose pliers, he managed to get the rope out one hour later. I believe the shaft was a bit scratched in the process. Will it rust?
Then we went on the lake to test it. Speed before rope: 55 mph, speed after rope: 52 mph. No cavitation. Am I right by saying that the wear ring was probably slightly damaged?
Also, can this affect the carbon seal/ring? I told him to examine it for sings of slack. I also told him not to leave the ski in the water tonight and to inspect frequently the inside hull for presence of water because if the carbon seal fails, the ski would sink. He told me he had insurance and he beached the thing, not counting that the ski stayed on the shore on its side for one hour with no carpet under to prevent scratches.
I'd say he's off to a bad start.
Any recommendations for him?
So I went to offer my help. Her husband (very angry at her of course) was trying to get the rope free without any luck. So he cut the rope. No luck there too. The rope was too tight. I told him to remove the small portion of the grate and believe it or not, one of the screws was stripped (on a brand new ski!): it was turning without getting out (question: do these screws need loctite after removal?). So he put back the screws in place and using an x-acto, cutters and long nose pliers, he managed to get the rope out one hour later. I believe the shaft was a bit scratched in the process. Will it rust?
Then we went on the lake to test it. Speed before rope: 55 mph, speed after rope: 52 mph. No cavitation. Am I right by saying that the wear ring was probably slightly damaged?
Also, can this affect the carbon seal/ring? I told him to examine it for sings of slack. I also told him not to leave the ski in the water tonight and to inspect frequently the inside hull for presence of water because if the carbon seal fails, the ski would sink. He told me he had insurance and he beached the thing, not counting that the ski stayed on the shore on its side for one hour with no carpet under to prevent scratches.
I'd say he's off to a bad start.
Any recommendations for him?