New 92 Malibu Euro F3 owner with bilge water amount and starting ?

[TheGrayt1]

Hey guys I am a new Malibu owner and we took the boat out 2 times now and have two hopefully simple questions

 

1. Is it normal for the boat to take on a little water throughout the day of cruising and pulling toys? I noticed some water under the doughouse below the engine and manually run the bilge for about 30 seconds every hour or so. When I pulled the boat out of the water and put her on the trailer on a steep incline I pulled the rear bottom drain plug and a good stream of water came out for roughly 90 seconds. Is that a normal amount? Is there anything I should check or be concerned about.

 

2. Right when I drop the boat in the water off the trailer or when we have been sitting for over 30 minutes or so it takes a little bit of cranking on the starter before it fires up. It is turning over fast but will not pop off for a little bit. I assume it is just taking a bit of time for fuel to hit the carb. I am starting  in neutral and giving a little bit of gas FYI. Any tips on getting her to fire up quicker? A fuel enzyme treatment or any other tips?

[justgary]

1.  Check the drip rate on your prop shaft in gear at idle.  Ideally, you should have 6 to 10 drops per minute coming into the boat.  Many other possibilities for leaks exist, but check that one first.

2.  With a carb, you generally need to pump the throttle before cranking.  For one thing, pumping will shoot gas from the acceleration pumps into the throat, and for another it will set the choke.  You probably need to open the throttle more fully and then bring it back closer to idle before cranking.  This will squirt a little more gas and set the choke fully.  Once you learn what the engine likes, it should consistently fire right up (assuming the carb is in good condition).

[TheGrayt1]

3 hours ago, justgary said:

1.  Check the drip rate on your prop shaft in gear at idle.  Ideally, you should have 6 to 10 drops per minute coming into the boat.  Many other possibilities for leaks exist, but check that one first.

2.  With a carb, you generally need to pump the throttle before cranking.  For one thing, pumping will shoot gas from the acceleration pumps into the throat, and for another it will set the choke.  You probably need to open the throttle more fully and then bring it back closer to idle before cranking.  This will squirt a little more gas and set the choke fully.  Once you learn what the engine likes, it should consistently fire right up (assuming the carb is in good condition).

Cool I will check on this and report back the next time we go out to the lake. If the prop shaft is dripping at a higher rate, how do you fix that?

Edited August 20, 2019 by TheGrayt1

[John I.]

Try tightening the nuts as described, before proceeding with repacking. 

https://marinehowto.com/re-packing-a-traditional-stuffing-box/

[Woodski]

JustGary nailed it on your questions, there are several sources on info to help you with the packing drip rate, one key if you adjust it is to verify it still runs cool simply cool to touch so you don't burn the packing or damage the shaft, the water is the lubricant.  There are also several options on types of shaft seals if / when yours is worn out.

On the starting, you usually need to prime (as described) the mixture on a cold start.  You might also need to adjust the choke to better match the conditions or engine fuel / air ratio mix on a cold start.  Also, don't prime it for a warm start as you can easily flood the engine.  If when warm it does not start, you will first need to determine if  1. vapor lock,  2. too much fuel or  3. not enough.  Several threads on vapor lock which is fuel boiling in the float bowls due to the heat that surrounds the carb when you sit for 15-20 minutes with a warm engine. as there is no escape for the air when not moving.

Welcome to Malibu boat ownership.