A lot of new jet ski riders don’t know this, but your jet ski is like a giant vacuum.
Jet skis can suck up anything that gets in its way and even do damage to the pump. That is why you need to be careful when you run your jet ski around shallow water areas.
Avoid Damage – How Shallow Can A Jet Ski Run?
When you’re out riding or if someone else goes for a spin, you need to keep in mind that you can’t run your jet ski no lower than 3 feet of shallow water, or you risk damaging your jet pump.
Even though your jet ski lacks an outdrive, it doesn’t mean you can go in any depth of water, sure, it’ll float in a few inches, but if the engine is on your need at least a few feet of water under you.
Your jet pump is so powerful that anything below 3 feet, like sand, rocks, or tree branches, can be pulled in along with the water and damage the jet pump. Even though there’s an intake grate designed to block larger items, smaller things like sand, seashells, and rocks could still slip through.
Why don’t they put protective meshes in front of the intake? I’ve got an article explaining the reason jet ski manufacturers don’t add a protective mesh cover over the pump’s intake here.
See How I start My Jet Ski To Avoid Sucking Up Debris
I like telling people to be at least waist-level before starting their engine. One trick I do while I’m in low water is that I put my foot on the reboarding ladder and then push off with my other foot to run me in deeper water before starting the engine.
I’ve been at the boat launch before seeing people hop on in less than a foot of water, and before I can get to them, they fire up the engine and suck up all kinds of stuff. It ruins their day because now you got to take the ski in and get the debris removed from the pump.
Luckily, many manufacturers like Sea-Doo have a Wear Ring that can protect the pump in case you suck something up. But it’s not perfect and once it’s damaged it needs to be replaced.
Let Me Show You How to Beach Your Jet Ski Without damaging it
While beaching, you need to turn the engine off before you reach the shoreline, how you do that is by pressing the engine stop button on the handlebars.
If you see the bottom, it’s usually too late.
Run the ski towards the beach and move in that direction. Once you’re 5 jet ski lengths away, you can turn the engine off and coast in. Your momentum will carry you in and gently touch the beach.
Even if you come up short, you’re often close enough to hop off and can beach it yourself.
An even better idea is to not beach and instead keep the jet ski floating in the shallow and use a screw anchor to keep it in place.
It’s still possible to suck up things when going fast
Yes, even if you run your ski over 60 mph over shallow water, you will still suck something up.
It’s best to go around the shallow marker areas at all costs while on your jet ski. Be aware of once the water level is down.
You might get lucky a few times, but eventually, you will suck something up if you keep driving over shallow areas, no matter your speed.
I Didn’t Go Over Any Shallow Areas But Still Sucked Something Up?!
This is a very common response I get from people.
They don’t remember sucking something up, and some even go as far as to say I’m lying to them.
Sucking something up is not always obvious. Sometimes, when you suck something up, the engine shuts off, and clearly, something is wrong. Other times you don’t hear or feel anything, but the next time you try to start the engine, nothing happens.
If the rock is big enough, it will jam the impeller and stop the jet ski’s engine along with tearing up the wear ring. If the rock is not big enough, then it could get stuck and ride with the impeller cutting a groove in the wear ring. And sometimes the rock bounces around in the impeller and gets spit out the rear, only leaving a trace of a damaged wear ring.
You don’t always realize it because the watercraft engine is loud, and everything is happening underwater, so the sound of the rock destroying the wear ring is not apparent.
Tree bark or sticks are the worst about being quiet, and they are often the ones that get spit out and leave no groove in the wear ring. The worst part about sticks is that they can float, and they can blend in. This is the reason I tell people to wait 24 hours before riding after rainstorms. The wind could knock all the sticks loose, and they float out in the water, waiting to destroy your wear ring.
Let’s Talk About The Jet Pump
Jet skis use jet pumps to propel it in the water.
Inside that pump is an impeller and it’s tucked inside the housing. Where people get it wrong about jet skis is that they think they use “jet engines” and that is not true. Jet engine’s tolerances are far too tight to handle what the abuse jet skis go through. The jet pump is simply a housing around a propeller to pump water through and uses a nozzle to steer and a bucket to control reverse.
The PWC engine is connected directly to the impeller, so if the engine is on, it’s always processing water. This is why going into reverse and revving the engine won’t break free any clogs.
Around the impeller is a wear ring, and its job is to protect the impeller and pump from serious damage. The wear ring is plastic and weaker than the surrounding parts, so it takes the abuse and could be replaced.
In front of the jet pump is an intake grate that is used to block big objects from being sucked up. And no, adding a mesh in front won’t help like you think it can.
Unclogging Your Jet Ski After Sucking Something Up
There is no good way to say this, but if you sucked something up, then you need to take the jet ski out of the water and get it fixed.
If it was a rock, it can damage the impeller. If it was a stick, then it more than likely only damaged the wear ring.
I’ve even seen people suck up snakes and maps before, and even those things can do damage. The good news is that, sometimes, no damage is done, and the jet ski only ran rough until the item was dislodged.
If you never turned a wrench before, the best thing to do is get the ski to a repair shop or your local dealership. If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, the process is not hard, but it has gotten harder with the use of braking systems.
Below is a video to give you an idea on the way to remove objects from your pump. Every model is different, but this video does a good job of letting you the basics.
Note: you cannot get to the jet pump from the inside the jet ski’s hull or by removing the foot pads. I’ve had a few people tear everything up thinking there is access to the jet pump from the inside your hull. Everything you need is on the outside, and thus why you need to remove it from the water.
FAQ
Will Warranty cover it?
No, sucking something up is not covered under the jet ski’s warranty, nor will a dealership cover the costs.
It’s not a manufacturer defect or covered under warranty if you drive over shallow waters. Expecting them to cover damage to your PWC from driving over shallow water is like expecting the car tire shop to pay for you driving over a bed of nails.
Does Jet Ski Insurance cover sucking something up?
Generally, no jet ski insurance won’t cover damage from riding in the shallow, but I’ve seen a few rare cases of insurance companies covering it.
I wouldn’t expect your insurance company to pay for it, especially if it means a rate increase, but there are some circumstances that cover it, and it could be worth it.
What Is The Cost To Fix damage From shallow Water Riding?
The answer is not so simple.
The cost will depend on the damage that was done.
A new wear ring like the kind for Sea-Doo will cost anywhere from $50 to $200.
A new impeller, if it was damaged, it’ll cost $100 to $500.
If you plan on doing it yourself, you’ll need the impeller removal tool along with the mechanic set of tools to take the pump apart.
Labor wise, you’re looking at an hour, if not 2 hours, depending on the model and the shop you take it to. It’s not unheard of a repair shop to charge $180 per hour, if not more.
After all is said and done, you’ll see anywhere from $400 to $1500 to fix the ski after sucking stuff up at a repair shop. More or less is possible depending on many factors, but this is only to give you an idea.
Is Sucking Things Up common?
Many new jet ski riders will get put off from jet skis because they either sucked something up or hear stories from others.
To be honest, so long as you’re aware of your surroundings, avoid shallow areas, and know where your tow-rope is, it’s not that common. You often have to run out of your way to suck something up or simply luck of the draw. You can go the whole life of your jet ski and never suck something up, but let someone else ride it, and they suck something up every week. It can be different for everyone.