Wake215 will crank RPMs but only 6mph

[Wakeman215]

I am at the start of my 3rd summer on the Wake215. I have not had any problems at all. I have had it out for about 4 hrs this spring with no problems. A week ago I was riding along with no problems and then stopped to change drivers. Upon restarting, the engine would race up to full rpms, but we could not go over 6 mph. I idled back to dock thinking i had something caught in the impeller. There was nothing there. I put it back in the water today and ran it without problem for an hour so I thout everything was ok. Stopped to get fuel on the river, restarted it and had the same problem where we could get full rpms but no speed. When the engine is raced,, it sounds stressed so we just idled back to the dock for an hour.

Any ideas?

 

[Wakeman215]

I removed the grate and was able to see a 3 inch piece of wood wedged between the impeller blade and the housing. The housing actually looked scratched as the piece of wood was dragged around the housing by the blade. I was able to remove the wood (not easy). I am hoping this takes care of the problem and does not lead to further complications.