Budget jetski project
Discussion
Just bought a knackered wetjet jetski, partly because my oldest daughter has 1. been getting really interested in marine creatures and the sea and there are a few wee islands she wants to go and see and 2. she has been really enjoying spannering on the car, and a 2 stroke is something she can really go in depth on, so we have a wee project.
the water jacket was filled with sand and the thing catastrophically overheated, so its rebuild time.
It was very cheap, so If it turns out to be terminally gubbed I should be able to break even breaking it for parts.
the water jacket was filled with sand and the thing catastrophically overheated, so its rebuild time.
It was very cheap, so If it turns out to be terminally gubbed I should be able to break even breaking it for parts.
Don't want to put a downer on your joint (father/daughter) project but if she is interested in marine environments a jetski is not the best vehicle to use and you may find it difficult to launch/use where you want as a lot of harbours ban these and there is a lot of opposition to their use.
Get her a small dinghy, inflatable or solid hulled, with a small outboard or better still, a mast and sails!!
Get her a small dinghy, inflatable or solid hulled, with a small outboard or better still, a mast and sails!!
she loves jetskis, I love jetskis, we have a friendly place to launch, and a few places she wants to visit. I'm aiming for this thing to be fully seaworthy under £500, and it fits easily in my shed and is easy to launch by hand.
I have had a couple of solid hull powerboats and jetskis before and jetskis are far less hassle for all the practicalities of getting out and having fun. I have done my rya level 2 powerboat course a few years back
I'd rather swim than sail. nothing against people that are into it but I have tried it and it isn't for me.
Plus how can you drag an inflatable banana behind a yacht?
I have had a couple of solid hull powerboats and jetskis before and jetskis are far less hassle for all the practicalities of getting out and having fun. I have done my rya level 2 powerboat course a few years back
I'd rather swim than sail. nothing against people that are into it but I have tried it and it isn't for me.
Plus how can you drag an inflatable banana behind a yacht?
Edited by OldGermanHeaps on Monday 4th March 12:48
Fair enoughski !
As for towing behind a yacht, it's only a question of scale!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTugOKkOFB0
As for towing behind a yacht, it's only a question of scale!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTugOKkOFB0
pequod said:
Fair enoughski !
As for towing behind a yacht, it's only a question of scale!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTugOKkOFB0
Even a 30ft foiling yacht could outrun a jet ski in heavy seas whilst towing a banana As for towing behind a yacht, it's only a question of scale!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTugOKkOFB0
so, the previous owner had a. 50 rebore and hone done before buying a new pair of oversize pistons rings and gugdeon pins, but no circlips or little end bearings before losing interest. I'm a little bit surprised the machine shop didnt acid dip all the brown and flaky scorched paint off.
overheat sensor is melted. I have a plan to ream it out, fit a thermistor and actic silver epoxy the thermistor into the housing, fit a digital temp gauge with a programmable relay output for adjustable overtemp limiting
goint to soak the head, cylinders and exhaust in diet coke, sand everything, sandblast the bits we cant sand by hand, vht paint the lot, hone the rust out the barrels, source piston circlips and little end bearings for the new pistons, 2000,4000 then polishing wheel the blueing out of the conrod little end, check and clean the reeds, carb and fuel pump diaphragm, check and flush the cooling system and hand skim the top mating face of the barrels and skim flat the cylinder head. we will need to take a fair chunk off the head, so it will be a high comp engine. great for performance and fuel economy, not so good because it will probably need to be strictly run on super unleaded or v power to avoid pinking. previous owner also supplied a new top end gasket set so all good there, just need to get the finger out now and actually do it.Oh and a fresh set of wheel bearings wouldn't go amiss on the trailer
there should be a zinc anode between the liners, that is missing, and parts for this engine are hard to come by now just cant get some things so ordered a kawasaki one and we can grind and drill it to suit.
Edited by OldGermanHeaps on Tuesday 5th March 00:14
crank is perfect no play in big end or crank, seals good and everything is free and easy.
got some gearbox oil soaking in there to remove the debris then i will rinse it out with petrol, then a dab of 2 stroke on the big end.
a bit of corrosion on the starter to dremel off and hammerite.
ordered new small end bearings and trailer wheel bearings and some stainless fastners to replace the corroded ones. found a bag containing brand new piston circlips inside the hull underneath the engine.
Wee nutters are getting excited. Oldest is really enjoying being let loose with tools.
Edited by OldGermanHeaps on Wednesday 6th March 21:41
I couldn't find the proper cylinder sacrificaial anode, so I tickled an evinrude outboard one with the grinder until it was the right size and shape.
titanium/stainless bolts and little end bearings arrived.
soaked some parts in diet coke which removed a lot of the corrosion. f
k drinking that stuff.
Sandblasted the corroded bits and gave them a coat of VHT engine paint. A flatten and second coat tomorrow.
Depending how long it takes to tidy my van tomorrow I might hone it, skim flat the head and barrel and build it up, do a compression test and see if she fires.
My van is in a state though so probably not.
titanium/stainless bolts and little end bearings arrived.
soaked some parts in diet coke which removed a lot of the corrosion. f
k drinking that stuff. Sandblasted the corroded bits and gave them a coat of VHT engine paint. A flatten and second coat tomorrow.
Depending how long it takes to tidy my van tomorrow I might hone it, skim flat the head and barrel and build it up, do a compression test and see if she fires.
My van is in a state though so probably not.
Pitting in the water jacket, probably from the lack of an anode.
it should skim out mostly
Using a tap and die sit to recut and clean up all the threads. I've created a monster. "No daddy thats not clean and sparkly enough, keep trying."
uploading all these pictures is a pain in the hole, is anyone getting any benefit from this or should I stop?
it should skim out mostly
Using a tap and die sit to recut and clean up all the threads. I've created a monster. "No daddy thats not clean and sparkly enough, keep trying."
uploading all these pictures is a pain in the hole, is anyone getting any benefit from this or should I stop?
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