Bow Waves

[csuggs]

I've really been enjoying my boat the last several weeks - usually about twice a week. But today I got really frustrated with taking water over the bow. I had adult passengers in the playpen when it happened, but when you don't have a tower, there's just no other place for them to sit. So the water comes in, but a lot of it somehow runs through the floor and gets "trapped" forward of the bilge area. Some of you know from a previous thread that I have drilled an access hole from the bilge area into the area under the playpen so that I can get water out. How agrivating that is to me - if I get the chance to have my floor and stringers redone, I'm not going to have carpet under the playpen, and I will have it all sealed so that any water coming over the bow will run to the bilge. Has anyone out there done this?

[michael hunter]

When I first got my sunsport I had the same problem with taking waves over the bow.
Its a driver error Give it a little gas to bring the bow up and over the wave.
I hear what you are saying about seating the tower is the way to go now people can
sit anywhere.
If your boat is heavily weighted you may have to put up with it.

[denwbaseball]

Where/How was water getting trapped? I'd like to make sure that I'm not having that problem too....I've never really thought of it!

[Okie Boarder]

Funny you did this thread. For the first time this weekend we took two huge waves over the bow. It was totally driver error on my part. My rider fell when I was halfway through my turnaround and I let off down to an idle and hit my own rollers. I got two huges waves of water over the bow and it took about 5 minutes for the bilge pump to get it all out. My wife kind of laughed at me and said "That's why you turn the other way to pick up the rider". I could have given it gas to raise the bow, too, I guess. Live and learn.

We left the boat outside until last night with everything out of every compartment to help it dry out.

Where exactly is the water getting trapped?

[SupraMan90]

Yeah where is the water getting trapped? Could I have water in my boat that I'm not aware of?? I thought the bilge in front of the motor is the low point in the boat? I was trolling past the marina on the 4th with my bilge on and some drunk guy yelled "dude you are taking on water you better get that thing to a lift real soon...your gonna sink"...whata idiot, he obviously know nothing about Supras..they ride low! The waves do suck though, I took it out on the fourth and got a lap full of water....driver error!

[87SunSportMikeyD]

I have gotten some water over the bow, but only on driver error even when fully weighted. If you have a full boat, maybe use the stern eyehook for the rope???

I have not noticed any water getting trapped under my bow. It runs into the cabin or I use towels I guess it hasn't been that big a wave lol

[wotan2525]

My boat has a taller freeboard and this is less common, but still easy to do when surfing or heavily weighted. It's all driver error and I'm pretty good about gassing it over the rollers.

I thought I'd chip in with my story from this weekend though. We were surfing and weighted down with 7 passengers and 2100lbs. As I started to make a turn to pick up a rider, I wasn't paying attention and was messing with the stereo. I had a friend seated on the top of sacs in the back corner of the boat and we were hit with a surf-roller on the side.... it came over the gunnel and he would have been washed overboard if someone hadn't of grabbed it. We all got a good laugh about how hilarious it would have been for him to have been actually man-over-boarded!

[csuggs]

I definitely agree with all of you about this being "driver error" - but sometimes it's gonna happen because of the low bow (it looks cool though, doesn't it!). To answer the question of where water is getting trapped: most of the water washes to the bilge, but a substantial amount is getting trapped forward of the bilge area, in the deep part of the vee of the bow. I know that it's not water coming in through the hull anywhere because it only happens when I take on a wave. I have a 2" hole drilled in the diagonal panel just forward of the bilge pump, and it is normally capped with a rubber test plug. But yesterday, after pumping the bilge dry, I removed the plug in the 2" hole and water rushed from the front, into the bilge. I'll have to post a picture, and hopefully this isn't happening on your boats, but it is on mine. I'll have to tell you about how I discovered the water sometime . . .

[Salty87]

this is my saltare while stripping it down, sunsports should be mostly similar:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a10/salty87/IMG_0290.jpg


it's very possible for water to get forward of the bilge wall toward the bow. water can also get into the air intakes and get lost down in the foam.

that's what the 4 holes are and how air gets from the gunnel mounted intakes down to the engine. the intake hoses were rotted to hell. kind of a no man's land down in that part of the hull.

[csuggs]

I remember seeing those pics, but mine isn't exactly like that. I'll look at it again tonight.

[87SunSportMikeyD]

"We were surfing and weighted down with 7 passengers and 2100lbs."

Wotan please post a pic of the boat and the wave! Lol I have never had close to that much weight in mine!! Way to go. Please feel free to name the thread "Biggest 80s SunSport wave ever."

[saltare inverts]

Sounds like you guys may want to put bilge pumps in nose of your boats.

[Blackntan90]

When we have to turn to pick up a downed rider, just turn to port-side(left), then as the boat starts to go to port, turn to the right, and the water will be 'smoothed' by the boat- had to re-teach this to my 19 year old again this weekend after she turned to pick me up and I heard screams and laughter as one came over the bow. I always tell her when the rider goes down, drop the throttle to idle speed for the pick-up so you dont send rollers down the river- not too fun to ride when your hitting all your own rollers on the next pass! I don't remember where I read about this method(turn slightly left, then right) but we tried it and have done so every time- it works! Now I think I might break out the drill and make a drain anyway for those unexpected times it does happen- I still have a yard full of stuff drying-out!

[mapleleaf]

Haven't seen a lot of new Supra owners posting here...... I am definitely apart of the driver error club for 2 solid submarines this year, I'm not a big fan of the carpet in the ski locker...or the limber holes drilled in the playpen that allow the water to drain into the cowl storage port and starboard....where surprise surprise there's more carpet!!!
if the deck comes off for stringer work that carpet's gone forever......I'd rather a scratch or two on a ski than rotten anything......
Forgot too mention, was on a '09 X14 couple weeks ago....they take water over the bow too!!!!

[KY Steve]

Haven't seen a lot of new Supra owners posting here......

I f'd up and took a huge wave today, went over the wind shield and got the tower speakers wet.

[techsledder]

Blackntan90, I think we used to call that a "P" turn... or at least that sounds like what you're describing!

[jasonba1]

Ive done it in my comp several times

[csuggs]

Explain this turn to me - because that's something I need to learn (obviously) so I don't keep taking on water. I've been turning left, then back off the throttle and take the rollers at about 45 degrees.

[michael hunter]

Here's how I do it when the rider falls. I immediately put it in neutral and turn the wheel
ether left or right depending on what side we are surfing [boarding it doesnt matter]
the forward momentum of the boat will start the turn as the wave passes by then
slowly go back for the rider. That way I dont take on water and dont send rollers
out on the lake. Once in a wile we still take one over the noise but its usually driver error
or just the cost of filling the boat with ballast.

[techsledder]

This was the only source I could find online that did justice to the describing the turns of the different turn styles. Look at page 9 of the pdf. http://www.nenevalleywaterski.co.uk/sbda.pdf
hope that helps... those where basically our std turns. Though Blackntan90's is a little more than a P shape and my buddy would do it flawlessly with his supra when picking up downed skiers.

[csuggs]

Thanks guys, I'll try that. I'm looking at the manual from the link in the previous post and I do use the "P" turn when pulling a skier and I want to go the other way. That's not when I take waves over the bow because I have enough speed to stay over top of them. The problem is that I also do a standard "P" turn when going back to retrieve a fallen skier and I don't slow the boat until after the turn. So is the trick to slow the boat first, then turn and go back for the skier, allowing the wake to pass before turning back?

[Sluggo]

That is what I do with my 05 22 SSV and have never had a problem unless the wake is coming in from another boat(s). Normally you can power over it, but when you are close to your fallen skiier and a wake comes in from the SS DumbAss, you don't have much choice but to take it over the nose. I also make sure I tell everyone that just because the skier is down and we power down it does not mean they can get up and move around the boat. Although he could have been hurt, my buddy from work was really embarassed when he stood up and I felt I had to power through a wake which sent him toward the rear bench where another female coworker was sitting with her legs slightly apart. His head ended up between her legs before he could catch his balance and we all had a good laugh. Except for his wife who was sitting on the other side of the rear bench. He must have turned 5 shades of red, lol.

[wotan2525]

this is my saltare while stripping it down, sunsports should be mostly similar:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a10/salty87/IMG_0290.jpg


it's very possible for water to get forward of the bilge wall toward the bow. water can also get into the air intakes and get lost down in the foam.

that's what the 4 holes are and how air gets from the gunnel mounted intakes down to the engine. the intake hoses were rotted to hell. kind of a no man's land down in that part of the hull.

This is strange. My gunnel intake hoses connect on either side just forward of the passenger compartments. You can see the port hoses if you remove the port bow cushion, and you can see the starboard hoses connect to the floor under the drivers footwell. Where they go after that? I have NO idea!

[wotan2525]

"We were surfing and weighted down with 7 passengers and 2100lbs."

Wotan please post a pic of the boat and the wave! Lol I have never had close to that much weight in mine!! Way to go. Please feel free to name the thread "Biggest 80s SunSport wave ever."

I could do that, except I have a Saltare, remember? Not the best pics of the wake... only 4 passengers in this pic.... but the cleanest ones I'm finding right now.

[mapleleaf]

Wotan, my vent hoses do the exact same thing as yours....but in a Conbrio!
Mine end in behind the trim panels, but I figured that still pushed adequate air from the venturi's to the bilge????

[SUPRA_ALLEGRO_LANE]

Why not just reroute them so they bring more air into the bildge area?

[Salty87]

This is strange. My gunnel intake hoses connect on either side just forward of the passenger compartments. You can see the port hoses if you remove the port bow cushion, and you can see the starboard hoses connect to the floor under the drivers footwell. Where they go after that? I have NO idea!

the hoses run from the intakes on either side of the hull to the floor...under the bow cushions. in the floor, they are buried in foam and enter the bilge forward of the bilge pump. those are the 2 sets of 4 holes...into the floor then into the bilge.



Why not just reroute them so they bring more air into the bildge area?

they have to go under the floor somewhere to feed air to the bilge.

[michael hunter]

Thanks guys, I'll try that. I'm looking at the manual from the link in the previous post and I do use the "P" turn when pulling a skier and I want to go the other way. That's not when I take waves over the bow because I have enough speed to stay over top of them. The problem is that I also do a standard "P" turn when going back to retrieve a fallen skier and I don't slow the boat until after the turn. So is the trick to slow the boat first, then turn and go back for the skier, allowing the wake to pass before turning back?

I think you got it when rider falls slow down to idle let the wake pass then turn in the
flat center of your wake.

Sluggo did you do that to your friend on purpose ? lol

[mapleleaf]

I f'd up and took a huge wave today, went over the wind shield and got the tower speakers wet.

Not so nice.....but glad you're here....

[Sluggo]

I think you got it when rider falls slow down to idle let the wake pass then turn in the
flat center of your wake.

Sluggo did you do that to your friend on purpose ? lol

I wish I was that good of a driver, but it was purely accidental. I did not even know he was up as I was concentrating on getting back to the person in the water.