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A few questions about my 97 sunsetter VLX


the_dude

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So I recently purchased a 97 VLX. I've got a few random questions now that I've become more familiar with the boat.

1) It has the Walters V-drive unit. Last weekend was the first real boating I've done with it. I noticed the light came on halfway through the first day and sure enough it was low on oil. It came on again Sunday and Monday after a few hours of boating but it was not low on oil. The light only came on after boarding for a few hours and then only when in neutral or idling in gear. As soon as you throttled up to 900 rpms the light went off. At first I thought this was a problem but after reading the walters vdrive information that came with the boat it seems like this is normal operation since the light goes off before 1200 rpms?

2) If I add the twin 400 lbs vdrive ballast to the rear do I need to do anything to reiforce the ABS pannels on either side of the engine? They are hinged on the bottom and have thumb screws for the top corners but seem pretty flimsy with the thought of 400lbs involved. Do the square sacks stay put?

3) The teak swim platform looked awesome when we bought the boat. After using it 3 days straight for putting on wakeboards it looks like a layer of paint came off. Is there teak paint or is that how the oil acts?

4) When I first drop the boat in the water off the trailer it will eventually overheat unless I gas pretty hard in neutral. It did this each of the three days from last weekend. Once I gassed it over 2K rpms the temp dropped down to normal and was fine the rest of the day. Is this normal? Does the impellar not prime all the way until the RPM's are brought up? If this is the case if I forget to do this until I see the temps creeping up is it going to trash the impellar?

Thanks.

This is my first inboard boat. I've been using a jetboat for the past 16 years so all these extra considerations are new to me.

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I use oil on my platform so I don't have those issues as often. Usually 1-2 re- apps a year keeps it looking good. Not sure what you have on yours. Sounds like your thermostat is hanging up and when it gets hot enough its finally opening, I would try replacing it first to rule it out.

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Yeah I thought about the thermastat, though it should open regardless of the waterpressure. The boat would overheat if I didn't blip the throttle. Once I blip the throttle the boat is fine until I take it out of the water again. All three days we did a lunch break where we docked the boat in a slip and took about 1.5-2 hours to eat. If it was a thermostat opening issue I should notice it at other times than just the first drop in of the day. Right?

The first time I took the boat out I thought the impellar was bad so I changed it. Does this indicate a problem elsehwere in the system or is this normal to fully prime the impeller?

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#1 Normal operation of the light.

#2 I agree, I think fat sacs against those engine side panels is too much weight but, I think everyone on here doesn't reinforce them.

#3 You need to oil it every once in a while with teak oil. Unless the previous owner put some weird stuff on it, which, it sounds like they may have.

#4 Good call replacing the impeller. Did you look at the trans. cooler screen just upstream of the pump for any debris? Seaweed, bits of the impeller? I'd replace the T-stat just to be safe. You shouldn't have to rev. the motor to cool it down.

Welcome to inboard boating now:

B ust

O ut

A nother

T housand

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2) If I add the twin 400 lbs vdrive ballast to the rear do I need to do anything to reiforce the ABS pannels on either side of the engine? They are hinged on the bottom and have thumb screws for the top corners but seem pretty flimsy with the thought of 400lbs involved. Do the square sacks stay put?

No need to reinforce the panels. The dividers on my '96 VLX are only a peice of carpet that snaps in place. I use the 400lb bags for boarding and even a 750 for surfing with no problem. The Fly High sacs hold their shape well and will not put too much pressure on your panels.

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