Almost an Ultra Submarine

[RUCAV]

Saturday I am hitting the sandbar when I notice my top speed isnt as fast as the day before by about 5 MPH. As the day goes on, I hear something not right with the engine but cant pin point it. On the way to Steamboat I notice it wont plane out for #$*^ and its losing a little more speed. The engine is starting to sound horrible. I am thinking its bad gas or something. Anyways, I blow off steamboat and decide to head for the ramp. As I pass steamboat, I notice there is a little water in the locker below. I continually lose power and the engine dies several times. I hit the bilge repeatedly but nothing happens. I nursed it to Sand Point to get it out of the water. I can barely pull it out of the water. I get it out enough to pull the plug and water comes out steady and hard for about 12-15 minutes, no joke.
Another Ultra owner comes up and helps me look through the engine compartment for the leak. Neither one of us can find the source of the water. Plus, everything in the compartment is soaked, inlcuding my amps and portable charger, so who knows where it came from. The guys that were standing around when I pulled the plug estimate I had 100 to 120 gallons of water in the boat. All thought I was lucky to have made it back to shore. So do I.
The fellow Ultra owner was totally cool. He actually has a house 2 houses over from the one I stay at and came over again to see if he could help.
Anyone have any ideas or has something similar happened to them?
Rick

[MRS FLYIN VEE]

have you checked the hull for cracks.. ?

[RUCAV]

We both did but didnt see anything. I got it in March 04.

[MRS FLYIN VEE]

you said you noticed alot of water in the locker but did you notice how much was in the engine compartment?

[Infomaniac]

Get the water hose out put the plug in and start filling the bilge. Se if you can see water leaking out the bottom.
This only after you check the engine water hoses for problems by running it on the hose.

[Mohavekid]

Lot's of possabilities here.
I would suspect a broken engine water hose. Possibly a cracked/torn bellows if it's a stern drive or a loose or cracked water inlet line on a jet
Are you sure the bilge pump works? Verify this by filling the bilge with a garden hose and pumping it out.
If the bilge pump works, I would look for a cracked hull somewhere away from the bilge. A garden hose and some food coloring helps locate the crack if you can't see it with the naked eye. Take all of your water damageable stuff out first though.
Good luck.

[RUCAV]

At the time I noticed the water in the locker my thinking was to get to shore as fast as possible instead of stopping and raising the hatch. While the water was draining we were checking the hull for cracks. When I checked the compartment the water was almost all the way down.
The boat is still in Havasu and I am home.

[gnarley]

Put the plug back in and then put it back in the water and hooked to the trailer and look for the leak, if you don't see it start the engine and let it get to temp while you are looking. If you have a leak as bad as it sounds you should be able to find it pretty easy. It could be the transom shield gasket leaking and tightening could stop it or as simple as a hose or a solder joint on an oil cooler.
It should be pretty obvious :eek:

[RUCAV]

The bilge isnt working. I tried it repeatedly when I found the water level rising. I am a more mellow and dont get too crazy with my boat. Do you really think its the hull on a new Ultra???? I hope not.

[RUCAV]

Also, my temperature never went up beyond normal. FYI. Thanks for all the ideas.

[RUCAV]

I already left a message for John at the Norco dealership and I imagine ill hear from him in the Am. I hear that Ultra uses Savage Marine for their warranty work in Havasu. Do they do good work???

[MRS FLYIN VEE]

I already left a message for John at the Norco dealership and I imagine ill hear from him in the Am. I hear that Ultra uses Savage Marine for their warranty work in Havasu. Do they do good work???
well if my opinion matters.. we have used them and we were very happy with there work..

[Mohavekid]

Is this a 6 month old boat? If so, a trip to Ultra for a warranty repair is in order.

[RUCAV]

I keep it in Havasu so I dont think Ill have to bring it back to Norco. That would suck!

[Kilrtoy]

Why did you pull the boat home and take it to ultra. If there is something wrong with the hull, I'm sure J.W. will make it right

[wsuwrhr]

I would have drained the bilge, reinstalled the plug and launched her again. It's obvious you wont go belly up, since you were out on the water all day. I dought you have a cracked hull, probably just have a through hull fitting leaking.
Glad everything came out ok.
Brian
Just my .02 cents.

[phebus]

I would pull the boat and take it back to Ultra. I would then park it in the street out front with a sign "PROFITS OVER SAFETY". I hear this approach works very well. :D :D :D

[FRENCHIE]

I would pull the boat and take it back to Ultra. I would then park it in the street out front with a sign "PROFITS OVER SAFETY". I hear this approach works very well. :D :D :D
now thats funny!! :eek: :D

[MRS FLYIN VEE]

it's funny .. but ultra will not have a problem fixing it.. if it is on them.. they are stand up people.. :D

[rvrtoy]

Rick...check your pm.
Ultra as always will stand behind it's product. I am just glad he got back to shore.
Just from what I have heard it sounds like a water line (maybe from the exhaust manifolds) has worked it's way loose and caused the bilge area to fill with water. A minor fix. This is all just speculation obviously without seeing the boat.
Steve

[rvrtoy]

I would pull the boat and take it back to Ultra. I would then park it in the street out front with a sign "PROFITS OVER SAFETY". I hear this approach works very well. :D :D :D
Now that is funny!!!!

[RUCAV]

I am sure Ultra will take care of it. I didnt take it back to Ultra because I was told I didnt have to since Savage takes care of Ultra warrant work. I dont like the idea of leaving my boat parked on any street in front of a closed business. Maybe Im paranoid.

[RUCAV]

Im sure its something minor and will be taken care of. Its a little scary because I feel responsible because I have my fiancee and my buddy and his pregnant wife on board and dont want them to have to swim for safety.

[PHOTOGLOU]

Saturday I am hitting the sandbar when I notice my top speed isnt as fast as the day before by about 5 MPH. As the day goes on, I hear something not right with the engine but cant pin point it. On the way to Steamboat I notice it wont plane out for #$*^ and its losing a little more speed. The engine is starting to sound horrible. I am thinking its bad gas or something. Anyways, I blow off steamboat and decide to head for the ramp. As I pass steamboat, I notice there is a little water in the locker below. I continually lose power and the engine dies several times. I hit the bilge repeatedly but nothing happens. I nursed it to Sand Point to get it out of the water. I can barely pull it out of the water. I get it out enough to pull the plug and water comes out steady and hard for about 12-15 minutes, no joke.
Another Ultra owner comes up and helps me look through the engine compartment for the leak. Neither one of us can find the source of the water. Plus, everything in the compartment is soaked, inlcuding my amps and portable charger, so who knows where it came from. The guys that were standing around when I pulled the plug estimate I had 100 to 120 gallons of water in the boat. All thought I was lucky to have made it back to shore. So do I.
The fellow Ultra owner was totally cool. He actually has a house 2 houses over from the one I stay at and came over again to see if he could help.
Anyone have any ideas or has something similar happened to them?
Rick
Is your gun missing any bullets????

[rvrkaosI]

Are you sure the plug was in correctly? Almost sank a jet ski back in the day because of a faulty drain plug.
Just a though anyways...

[RUCAV]

Is your gun missing any bullets????
No Jay, they are all still there. Thanks for asking :D

[RUCAV]

Are you sure the plug was in correctly? Almost sank a jet ski back in the day because of a faulty drain plug.
Just a though anyways...
I put it in as far as it would go and tightened it by hand as tight as possible.

[PHOTOGLOU]

Is your gun missing any bullets????
No Jay, they are all still there. Thanks for asking :D
Just thought I might be able to help....... Hope it all works out well.... Hey on a serious note do you have the type of flush kit on your boat where the hose goes inside of the motor compartment and you have to turn a valve on????

[RUCAV]

Just thought I might be able to help....... Hope it all works out well.... Hey on a serious note do you have the type of flush kit on your boat where the hose goes inside of the motor compartment and you have to turn a valve on????
Nope.

[PHOTOGLOU]

Nope.
ah I forgot to close that once on the new boat pissed water in very fast...

[RUCAV]

ah I forgot to close that once on the new boat pissed water in very fast...
I appreciate the ideas. If it helps me from doing something stupid in the future, ill take it.

[C-2]

Water over time and sudden heat up......impeller.

[RUCAV]

Water over time and sudden heat up......impeller.
I doubt it. The temperature never went up.

[Havasu Hangin']

I'd put some muffs on it an look for water coming in while it's running. If nothing, then look at the bellows and outdrive.
Make sure the bilge pump isn't wired backwards...

[C-2]

I doubt it. The temperature never went up.
Misread your temp statement.
But, did you check for the leak under power?
This has happened to me twice -once when a gasket in the impeller went, the other when i forgot to close my lightning headers. On the last one, couldn't plane, thought I had a gimball failure, but DOH, dumbass me just forgot to close the drains on the headers. As others have suggested - a completely soaked compartment sounds like water was being thrown around by the motor.

[No Drama]

This may sound silly but, I had a similar problem on my boat. I spent countless hours checking all of the above mentioned. It turned out to be the hose that runs the speedo which is driven by water pressure. The faster I went the more water I took in. The hose is neatly hidden behind the apholstery, hence nothing in plain site or visible. This would account for lower speeds on your speedo if it's the same system. I hope I haven't wasted your time and good luck.
No Drama

[voodoomedman]

Savage can do Ultra warranty work on everything but your engine. They are not Merc certified. If it's the engine then take that to someone Merc certified as it will be under warranty by Merc. If you want to do the tow then JW will take care of you. If you bought it in Norco from John and Bob then take it to their new spot in Corona. They will certainly take care of you as well.

[Dr. Eagle]

have you checked the hull for cracks.. ?
Exactly. The same thing happened to my friend's Ultra SX. It delaminated at the stringers due to the fiberglass resin gelling prematurely when the stringers were being set. The hull cracked longitudinally alongside the stringers... :(

[welk2party]

I would fill the thing with water and check for leaks on the trailer. :coffeycup

[phebus]

My money is on a simple fix. A loose hose or fitting. I wouldn't fill the boat with water. As suggested, hook up to water in the driveway on the trailer, and look for leaks.

[BigDogIvan]

I had a similar problem. I forgot to close a valve that drained the block. Got out in the moddle of the lake to find the bilge full of water. Boat road real good but would not get out of the hole for crap. have you checked all the block drians?
BD

[rivercrazy]

One other thing to check on 496's with closed cooling is the winterizer valve. If you pumped air into the system to evacuate raw water out of the exhaust and forget to reset the brass valve that lets out the air pressure, water will dump into the bilge.
Did any engine alarms go off?

[RUCAV]

One other thing to check on 496's with closed cooling is the winterizer valve. If you pumped air into the system to evacuate raw water out of the exhaust and forget to reset the brass valve that lets out the air pressure, water will dump into the bilge.
Did any engine alarms go off?
Nope!

[Havasu_Dreamin]

Savage can do Ultra warranty work on everything but your engine. They are not Merc certified. If it's the engine then take that to someone Merc certified as it will be under warranty by Merc.
I believe that Absolute is Merc Certified.

[Dave C]

jet or I/O?
if its an I/O check the bellows, may have a rip or a leaking one.
Jet, check seals around pump and hoses to motor.
You may have to back it in fire it up on the trailer and have yourself a look-see inside the engine compartment.

[KACHINA KEN]

Is there a sea strainer??? Is the cap tight?

[RUCAV]

I got a call from John West and he is in Havasu and sounds like he is going to take care of everything. Very reassuring!! I'll keep you posted.

[Sane Asylum]

I got a call from John West and he is in Havasu and sounds like he is going to take care of everything. Very reassuring!! I'll keep you posted.
Please do.....I'm curious.... :cool:

[boatnam2]

last time out at the river we were in my buddies boat and it did the same thing as yours sorta.bottom of water pump shattered boat over heated and started filling the boat up with water.

[hack job]

I would fill the thing with water and check for leaks on the trailer. :coffeycup
good idea were it comes in is were it will come out.
keep it simple
iam sure john will take care of you he's a great guy ;)

[boatnam2]

i missed read the temp thing also.

[RUCAV]

I still havent heard anything about my submarine. I was hoping I would by now. Ill let you know as soon as I find out.

[RUCAV]

Here is the scoop. I spoke with John West yesterday and apparently a hose came loose and was the cause of all the problems. They must have missed it during the 20 hour service. The bilge wouldnt work because it was clogged up with a bunch of zip tie ends that were cut off by the Car Toyz installer who left them in the engine compartment instead of vacuming them up. Also, John said the compartment partitions werent properly secured and the side walls were loose. Car Toyz just recently moved my amps to the back and secured everything with zip ties. Well see if they own up to their responsibility and replace the bilge. Maybe something to keep in mind if your considering car toyz for a job.
On a positive note, Its nice to have a boat manufacturer like John West taking care of things. Definitely a good guy to work with. If your out there lurking John.....THANKS!!!

[RiverDave]

Something to think about as well would be the amps and everything else that just got soaked..
If your alternator got soaked I'd replace it right now as well becuase it'll corrode and stop working in a few months anyways..
Corrosion doesn't happen overnight, but does cause damage down the road.
RD

[jeepinscott]

For the next time, if the water is warm, or hot, it came from the exhaust side or post cooling side of the engine. It helps narowing the search.

[abraman1326]

I had a simular thing happen to my thru transom jet boat. The rubber hose that connected the transom w/ the header seperated from the header came lose. Luckily for you you made it back, I wasn't so fortunate, and got to play man overbored. Luckily I had a friend in another boat that came back for me. Quite a scary feeling having your boat go down. I'm glad you made it back. I'm sure having spent so much money on such a nice boat, you would have raised holy hell if something had happend. I tell you, I learned a lesson that day, check your hoses. So, when you going back out...

[RUCAV]

I had a simular thing happen to my thru transom jet boat. The rubber hose that connected the transom w/ the header seperated from the header came lose. Luckily for you you made it back, I wasn't so fortunate, and got to play man overbored. Luckily I had a friend in another boat that came back for me. Quite a scary feeling having your boat go down. I'm glad you made it back. I'm sure having spent so much money on such a nice boat, you would have raised holy hell if something had happend. I tell you, I learned a lesson that day, check your hoses. So, when you going back out...
1st Weekend of October. I cant wait. I need to get my fill in before the seasons over.

[God]

You have a bad extruder. Amen

[jbtrailerjim]

Rick,
Glad to hear it was nothing major on your boat. I saw you driving through the channel on Saturday but I don't think you saw me parked on the beach. Hat's off to John West for taking care of you
I know the one warranty issue (Mercruiser problem) I had with my boat they jumped on it and had it repaired a day faster than they promised. Then they also delivered it back up to me, so I would not have drive all the way back down to El Cajon.
Jim<---Very pleased Ultra owner.

[PHX ATC]

That's good to hear that John takes care of his folks. Very good vibes coming out of this dealio.

[RUCAV]

Rick,
Glad to hear it was nothing major on your boat. I saw you driving through the channel on Saturday but I don't think you saw me parked on the beach. Hat's off to John West for taking care of you
I know the one warranty issue (Mercruiser problem) I had with my boat they jumped on it and had it repaired a day faster than they promised. Then they also delivered it back up to me, so I would not have drive all the way back down to El Cajon.
Jim<---Very pleased Ultra owner.
Jim
Im sorry I didnt notice you. I have been looking for you but havent ran into you.
See ya
Rick

[voodoomedman]

Man I want to buy another Ultra Just to get some more good service. Anyways, that's why I paid extra to have my Ugraded stereo done at the factory. Have it done right the first time by people who know my boat and not some 17 year old at good guys cutting up my pretty new boat.

[RUCAV]

Man I want to buy another Ultra Just to get some more good service. Anyways, that's why I paid extra to have my Ugraded stereo done at the factory. Have it done right the first time by people who know my boat and not some 17 year old at good guys cutting up my pretty new boat.
Have you seen Shadows stereo. In the words of the boyz in the hood,
"That $h!t is bangin!"

[voodoomedman]

Have you seen Shadows stereo. In the words of the boyz in the hood,
"That $h!t is bangin!"
Nah I haven't! Do tell!! I'm sure you can find somone aftermarket to do a good job. All I know is when I got my boat it was ready for the water. Didn't have to wait for someone else to do work to it. And if I have any issues with anything in my boat then one call to John or John or Bob and I am taken care of. The stereo is a kickin Pioneer Head Unit pushin nothing but JL Audio. Six 5 1/2" Two 6x9's and two 12" subs. I hook up my ipod and the river be rockin'. I'm sure there are way better systems than mine but for the peace of mind and the great price...

[ROZ]

Very good vibes coming out of this dealio. Turn your stereo down. I can hear that shit over here, and it's keeping me up.
:coffeycup :p :D

[RUCAV]

Nah I haven't! Do tell!! I'm sure you can find somone aftermarket to do a good job. All I know is when I got my boat it was ready for the water. Didn't have to wait for someone else to do work to it. And if I have any issues with anything in my boat then one call to John or John or Bob and I am taken care of. The stereo is a kickin Pioneer Head Unit pushin nothing but JL Audio. Six 5 1/2" Two 6x9's and two 12" subs. I hook up my ipod and the river be rockin'. I'm sure there are way better systems than mine but for the peace of mind and the great price...
It was definitely a learning experience. I realize how important it is to use someone with Boat stereo experience. Im sure the stereo people that Ultra uses are good, but I just thought it was overpriced. Shadows stereo is crazy. If you were at the regatta you could hear it everywhere. He'll give you the scoop on the installer if you PM him.

[Moe_Havi]

I just recently flooded my bilge, pumped it out, everything ok right. Three weeks later my wife and I are at Silverwood running all day then go to start it and click, click. I have dual fully charged batteries. Turns out the starter is toast from it being below the water for 5 minutes. It sucks having it work fine then getting stuck.
Moe

[RUCAV]

I just recently flooded my bilge, pumped it out, everything ok right. Three weeks later my wife and I are at Silverwood running all day then go to start it and click, click. I have dual fully charged batteries. Turns out the starter is toast from it being below the water for 5 minutes. It sucks having it work fine then getting stuck.
Moe
Thats sucks! I'll to keep in mind the alternator info and your info about the starter. Thanks for the scoop.
Rick

[voodoomedman]

It was definitely a learning experience. I realize how important it is to use someone with Boat stereo experience. Im sure the stereo people that Ultra uses are good, but I just thought it was overpriced. Shadows stereo is crazy. If you were at the regatta you could hear it everywhere. He'll give you the scoop on the installer if you PM him.
Yeah I hear you. I think it's because Ultra gets a bit of the profit as well. But I could have saved like a couple hundred bucks and had some kid do it. You could always just find out who they use and go down there and try and get a deal but I like being taken care of by Ultra. I have any issues with my boat and they take care of it.

[SHAKE-YO-AZZ]

what no pics