How Cool(ant)

“The heat is ON!” ~Glenn Frey

It is that time of year again in the southern stretches of Florida…the dog days of summer.  But this far south, that dog is a Great Dane.  Oppressive heat and humidity have taken hold.  Opening the door from my air conditioned house is akin to walking into a dryer full of wet towels.  It feels like you could lay a surfboard on the air and float away…and it is HOT.  Average daily temps soar into the 90’s, with heat indices easily reaching triple digits due to humidity hovering in the 80 – 90% range constantly.  Heck even overnight, our “low” temperature sinks to a toasty 82 degrees.

All this extreme weather pushes engines to their limits.  Engines run hot, and when you factor in the heat outside, they run even hotter.  It is paramount that engine cooling systems are properly maintained and running fresh fluids to ensure safe, reliable performance.   Yamaha and Kawasaki PWC are raw water cooled…meaning that they extract sea or lake water and cycle it directly through their cooling loops.  This is a good system…tried and true.  There is no shortage of water where you are riding.  If you run in freshwater lakes and rivers, it is ideal.  However if you run in salt water, a new concern emerges related to corrosive salt deposits being left behind inside your engine.  Products like Salt-Away were developed to combat this problem.  It is a simple system that involves hooking up a small reservoir (for holding the Salt-Away fluid) to your garden hose.  When you run the hose to flush your engine, the Salt-Away is diluted into the hose flow and run through your engine, and the salt is purged away.

But then…there is Seadoo.  I have one, and I love it to pieces.  One of the things that make them different from the other brands is their engine cooling system.  All 4-stroke Seadoos have closed loop cooling systems.  They do not run raw water for engine cooling (only for exhaust cooling).  They have coolant, just like a car!  Gone are the days of cycling rot-inducing seawater through the cooling system!  Great…right?  Well, yes and no.  Yes, of course it is wonderful to run nice clean antifreeze/coolant through the engine.  It definitely goes a long way to maximizing engine longevity.  But with this technology comes an additional set of maintenance not required in Seadoo’s open loop comrades.  Coolant is a fluid that has a lifespan, and therefore it needs to periodically be drained, flushed, and replaced.

In light of a recent problem I had with an engine overheat (related to oil that had gotten into my coolant after an oil cooler failure), I changed out my coolant.  And decided it would be great fun to share the experience with y’all!  For those of you with other brands that are scoffing or yawning or relieved that you have open loop systems, thanks for tuning in!  The remainder of my diatribe will be devoted to the (surprisingly simple) procedure of changing coolant in a Seadoo.

Allen head bolt drain plug.

Draining the old coolant is very easy!  On the back of the ride plate, dead center, is a small allen head bolt.  That is the “cork”.  Before you unscrew it, I recommend laying down some old cardboard or plastic, and get yourself a 5 gallon bucket, and then a smaller second bucket (a spackle bucket works great) and have them handy.  Place the 5 gallon bucket beneath the rear of the ski.  Unscrewing the retainer bolt is much like doing the same to change oil on a car…when you start to get near the end of the unthreading, the fluid will start spouting.  The coolant is under pressure, so it will not just dribble straight down…it will shoot outwards like a supersoaker!  So you may want to get ready to hold the bucket up at a 45 degree angle as soon as the bolt is out to catch the Niagara Falls of ectoplasm!  Note:  I like to first drain coolant with the pressure cap still screwed ON the coolant reservoir bottle.  After the first gush slows down, I then unscrew the cap and get Round 2.  I find it to be a more controlled way of dealing with the pressurized fluid draining.

MiniMe bucket

Once the coolant has stopped gushing like a fire hydrant that got backed over by a garbage truck, swap the big bucket for the smaller one.  In order to really drain the old stuff out, you need to be able to tip the ski back.  The big bucket doesn’t really leave enough clearance to do that.  Lining up the smaller one in just the right spot takes some practice (hence the plastic/cardboard underfoot!).  Then it’s tippy-tippy.  I wedged a piece of scrap wood under the main crossbeam of the trailer and left it tipped for an hour or so while I did other stuff, but I would give it at least 10 minutes to let gravity work its magic.

Next it’s time to refill.  This is done simply through the overflow reservoir bottle situated in the rear of the engine compartment.  You will need a funnel!  And a fresh clean bucket.  With the drain plug OPEN and the clean bucket in place, begin pouring fresh coolant (I use 50/50 coolant/antifreeze) into the reservoir.  As it begins to percolate through the system, it will eventually make its way out through the drain plug.  You will want to leave the drain plug out until the stream of coolant exiting is steady, and not spouting with gaps.  This indicates that all the air has been purged from the lines.  Replace the plug bolt.

Gross...my coolant bottle has turned an ugly shade of orange

Then continue pouring coolant into the bottle until it reaches the ‘FULL/MAX’ line on the bottle, and replace the cap.  Remember that you can use the coolant that is sitting in your clean bucket…that is why we changed buckets!  You could either pour it right into the reservoir after screwing in the drain plug, or pour it back into the jug.  

Now comes the fun part!  In order to make sure that the coolant gets properly and fully circulated throughout the system, the engine must be brought up to operating temperature so that the thermostat will open up and flow the coolant.  I DO NOT recommend attempting this on dry land with the garden hose…it realistically takes a good 10 – 15 minutes of idling to get to that point, and you run the risk of overheating your exhaust running it that long on the trailer.  So either back it down the ramp and run it with the exhaust in the water, or…get out and go for a ride!  Take it easy for the first 10 minutes…just idle around near the dock, and then stop, wait 10 minutes for it to cool, and then check fluid level.  Your ski should have drawn some of the coolant from the reservoir into the system.  Top off, but this time just to the middle line.  Then go back out and ride around for another 10 – 15 minutes, but get on it a little more.  Get up on plane (but still not WOT).  Come back to the dock and check the level again, and top off if necessary (waiting until the ski has cooled a bit…if you open the cap while the ski is hot, the depressurization will spray you with hot coolant!).  That’s it!  You are good to go.  I make a habit of checking the coolant level once or twice more…I am paranoid!  But paranoia can sometimes save you!

At this point you are probably either thanking your lucky stars that you do not have a Seadoo, or thinking that a ski running coolant is a good innovation, and now that you are equipped with the knowledge of how to change it, realizing that the little bit of effort every season or two is worth the benefits tenfold.  That’s up to you!  Personally, I love it.  For the occasional bit of extra maintenance, the benefits of not running salt water through my engine are enormous.  I only ride in salt water, so it is a worthwhile feature for me.  Maybe for owners of open loop systems, running Salt-Away after every ride isn’t a big deal.  But I am willing to bet that 80%+ of people running open loop systems do not…buyer beware with used skis!

I am at least feeling better about running my beloved ski around in the heat of summer, knowing it has fresh, effective coolant in it.  Considering that surface water temperatures here in the Keys are in the mid 80’s, you need to give your PWC every advantage to help it run as cool as possible.  Be good to your PWC this summer, and it will be good to you.  Maintenance is key to longevity and reliability…no one wants to go back to the dock on the end of a tow rope!  Stay cool(ant)!

A Bad Day on the Water is Better Than a Good Day at Work

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need” ~Rolling Stones

How glorious a Saturday it was…not a cloud in the sky, 90 degrees air temp, 85 degrees water temp, and not a ripple on the perfect blue horizon.  Now THIS was a Top 10 boating day for the year!  My new neighbors had some friends over for the weekend, and we made plans to meet at the sandbar later that afternoon.  I was in new territory, and I had more things circled on my nav charts than uncircled to go and check out.  The day’s plan…to head out into part of the backcountry flats to check out some trenches that promised to be teeming with fish and critters of all kinds and do some snorkeling.  Then check out some islands in the vicinity, and eventually meet up with the neighbors.

The view from the end of my canal Saturday.

I emerged from a peaceful idle down the neighborhood canal and out the pass to a stunning vista of a patchwork of reef, flats, and seagrass beds, mixed in with areas of white sand bottom, all in various shades of turquoise and aquamarine.  No highrises, light boat traffic, and a horizon dotted with tiny uninhabited islands.  Now THIS is what it’s all about!  I banked off to the north, got up on plane, and just soaked it all in.  However shortly after getting out to the main channel that heads into the back country, a few guys coming in the opposite direction in a flats boat were waving frantically at me, clearly signaling me.  So I carefully slowed down and pulled up alongside them.  They kindly, but firmly, informed me that PWC were not allowed in the back country.  They were not law enforcement…but they were giving me a courtesy head’s up that a lot of captains out there have it in for PWC, and upon sighting one will quietly call the marine patrol, who also apparently have it in for PWC, and I will get a guaranteed ticket.

This is a very sore subject for me.  It really chaps my ass that I do not have the same boating/access rights as any other vessel, because of all the irresponsible morons that tend to occupy the controls of PWC doing the wrong thing.  Our beloved vessels are, technology and construction-wise, the most environmentally friendly out there.  Shallow draft, internal prop, and 3 Star California Emissions rated 4-stroke makes a PWC much less impactful than any exposed prop, manatee-mulching, polluting 2-stroke outboard!   And yet we face discrimination all over this great nation.  A bias earned by the mentality of the typical PWC operator.  It infuriates me to no end, but this is a battle that will not be won overnight.  So I thanked the gentlemen for the knowledge and head’s up, and grudgingly turned back, hugely disappointed in all the magical destinations I will never get to explore aboard my Seadoo.  They would require a small boat of some kind.

A "bad" day?  I think not!

So I let it go and decided not to let it ruin my day.  My surroundings are stunning and there is so much else to do and check out.  When I was within 100 yards of the sandbar, I was encumbered with the unexpected and ear drum-piercing…beeeeeeeeeeeep!  An engine alarm was going off.  Sigh.  I shut the engine, made note of the error code, pulled the seat off to check for anything obvious or catastrophic, and upon finding nothing alarming, hopped into the water and swam the ski over to the sandbar.

You have 2 choices when these things happen…freak out like a big, fat white chick who found out her baby daddy was not who she thought on live television via the Jerry Springer Show, or take a deep breath and realize, “something is broken and needs to be fixed” and then chill out!  I have my BoatUS towing coverage (which I recommend everyone invest in towing insurance…peace of mind).  The weather is still perfect.  I am still on the water.  Hey, wait a second, this is awesome!

Better than working!  Yes!

I swam over to where my friends were, and proceeded to have a wonderful afternoon of swimming, socializing, and enjoying an ice cold tropical rum slush from a borrowed floatie.   There are MUCH worse places to be than this!  Like at work!  A bad day on the water really is better than a good day at work!  The neighbors were kind enough to tow the mighty Seadoo back home.  I did not choose to risk firing it up and doing damage until I had a chance to look into the problem.  It is never worth it, unless you are in a life-or-death situation.

Getting towed back by Psychedelic Lollipop while enjoying a beer!

 

A brief word about towing your PWC behind a boat.  Unless you have a hose pincher clamped onto one of your exhaust hoses, DO NOT tow the ski up on plane!!  The high speed, high volume rush of water can backflow through your exhaust and into your engine and cause serious damage!!  If you do not pinch off that hose, then keep the towing vessel at no more than 5 - 7 knots, to be safe.  If you DO have it pinched off, then you can safely tow it up on a light plane.  But remember to slow down carefully and slowly, or else you run the risk of getting rear ended by your poor ski!

Lesson learned…sh*t happens.  Not every trip out is going to be on track with plans.  But it doesn’t mean it still has to be a day angrily surrendered to a little bad luck.  It is all in your attitude.  Make the most of it anyway…the proverbial glass of lemonade.  Remember that if you are lucky enough to have a boat or PWC…you are lucky enough!  

Oh, my error code turned out to be related to a coolant issue I was having last month.  Some circulation blockage due to oil that got into the cooling system after an oil cooler failure.  I few more flushes of the cooling system ought to do it.  Not a biggie!  Ride on!

A Breath of Fresh (Salty) Air

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” ~Walt Disney

The fabulous Florida Keys...100 miles of island bliss

How great is it to go for a ride in a brand new place…uncharted territory.  It is exciting, adventurous, enlightening, sometimes illegal, and (almost) always a good experience.  There are times in life when the planets line up.  For me it was a combination of planning, housing opportunity, urban fatigue, strong desire for change…and frankly a little good ‘ole fashioned luck.  But at the end of the day, I did something I have contemplated but not dared to dream possible for the past 15 years.  I packed up everything I owned, gathered a handful of generous friends, and hit the Florida Turnpike South-bound…and moved to the enchantingly beautiful boating mecca that is the tropical Florida Keys!

As a resident of the Miami area for the past 13 years, the Keys had long been merely a dreamy day or weekend trip.  As a 100 mile long chain of islands, stretching deep into the Caribbean Sea and connected by several dozen bridges, it was quite easy to trailer the skis down and play in the warm turquoise waters for the weekend.  But to live there?  How in the world would I afford that?  Or make a living?  That question loomed in the back of my mind for years…over a decade.  But my day in the sun finally came.

New Seadoo parking space

And with this exciting new revelation comes the enticing fact that I now have hundreds of new places to go wander to.  Islands galore, waterfront restaurants, sugary sandbars that are weekend social hubs or weekday retreats.  The Keys were once only connected to mainland Florida by Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad.  Modern roads have long since replaced the rails, but many of the old railroad bridges still remain alongside the new bridges.  They provide a peek back into area history that is second to none.  The most famous of these is the 7 Mile Bridge, that connects Marathon to Ohio Key.  The well-known engineering marvel is often a poster child of the Keys.  They hold an annual run on the 7 Mile Bridge.  And it can be the traveler’s biggest nightmare if there is an accident on it, because there aren’t exactly detour alternatives.

Remnants of the original railroad bridge

Life on a small island is drastically different than the urban crush of Miami and its million-plus occupants.  I opted to live in a somewhat remote area, in a nature preserve.  To me it is heaven.  For less than the 1 bedroom apartment I moved from, I have an entire house, and 100’ of my own private dock.  A quick cruise down the scenic canal leads me to open water…and gateway to what will undoubtedly be endless new adventures.

I took my inaugural local ski tour this past weekend…and it was fantastic!  I have ridden in the Keys many times, but there is so danged much to see, that it will never be the same ride twice.  The locals are unbelievably friendly and welcoming.  The chatter in the aisles of the local supermarket is centered around great dive spots, lobster holes, epic fishing, and planned on-water gatherings.  I just know that I will find a way to secure a scuba tank to my ski in due time…

7 Mile Bridge...the old and the new, with Pigeon Key in the middle

I am beyond excited about my new home.  I set a goal, and I finally achieved it.  It is important to do that in all aspects of life.  And the fact that I will be joining a neighborhood bocce league this fall (where I hear there is more drinking than bocce) and that a bar in town hosts Ukulele Night every Wednesday…leaves no trace of doubt in my mind that this was a good move, and way more suited to my lifestyle than a metropolis would ever be!  So stay tuned for a nice fresh crop of Keys riding adventures, as well as all the other important aspects of PWC life.  Life is good…living the dream. :)

My new evening routine