So I've got CAVITATION

[undecided]

I've got a sportster le boat, single engine. It was cavitating when I got it, hole shot was rubbish, would rev up to 7k and move off quite slow, then once going it seemed fine and would accelerate ok until the next time you came to a stop. So the prop was dented and the wear ring looked in bad condition, I changed both the prop and ring, and the carbon seal, I also put in a new neoprene seal. The cavitation hasn't changed one iota. I've read that you can try greasing up the carbon ring and floating ring to see if this helps. Also, I removed my intake grate, when I put it back in I never added any sealant, do I need to? Also do I need to add sealant to the neoprene seal? There wasn't any on the old seal, and from what I've read a few people don't add sealant to the neoprene seal. What is the most probable reason for my cavitation seeing as I've already replaced a the prop/ring and carbon seal? and when I say it's bad, there is no way in hell I can see the boat pulling a skier out the water. If it's the ride shoe, is there anyway of testing if it's the culprit without resealing it?

 

[Chips]

I can tell you I had horrible cavitation and tried fixing everything. I finally put a new rubber axle boot (bellow) on and replaced the rubber o-ring with the metal c-clip that holds the steel ring in place that the carbon ring pushes against. This finally solved the cavitation... My cavitation was so bad I couldn't plane without shifting all the weight to the front of the boat.

 

[FL_Boater]

you may also want to polish the collar the carbon seal sits against. the carbon seal can leave rough streaks on the collar that will cause it to seperate. just a thought

 

[undecided]

I can tell you I had horrible cavitation and tried fixing everything. I finally put a new rubber axle boot (bellow) on and replaced the rubber o-ring with the metal c-clip that holds the steel ring in place that the carbon ring pushes against. This finally solved the cavitation... My cavitation was so bad I couldn't plane without shifting all the weight to the front of the boat.

I'm not sure I understand the second to last question, you replaced the rubber seal WITH a metal C clip?

Thanks FL_Boater, I will check the floating ring too then.

Is there a way to push the floating ring more towards the carbon ring? I only have one notch for the C clip, but I'm sure I read somewhere that you can make the floating ring push more pressure against the carbon ring...

If I fill the rubber boot with grease, this should tell me if this is my problem area right? My question is how long does this fix work for, do I get one "hole shot" before the grease is all sucked out?

And can anyone tell me if I need to seal up the grate at all?

thanks