Todays Poll--Engine turn off

I rarely turn the engine off while switching riders and notice that few others turn off as well, is it dangerous? I had always thought that in idle the prop wasn't really spinning. I could just be an idiot but seems like a serious thing I should know! wouldn't want anyone to get hurt.

In idle, prop doesnt turn. I rarely turn my engine off unless we're changing riders and relaxing kind of taking a break at the same time, if its just get in and go and just takes three minutes then it stays on.

A mechanic once told me that it's not worth to turn your engine off unless its going to be off for at least 10 minutes because of the energy and gas it takes to turn your engine over again... anyone feel free to elaborate or contradict my statement.

(Message edited by spicychalupa69 on February 28, 2008)

I think the claim of it being a waste of energy to turn it on/off went out w/ fuel injection. I think the computers a way more efficient in the amount of fuel used during ignition.

Any mechanics want to chime in?

WW has a strong core of boaters on the Delta. You can't really turn off your engine or you end up in mud or the levy. Some of those stats may be misleading as a result.

if gas keeps climbing we should poll this again

I always turn my engine off because my boat had some trouble getting into neutral, and i can't tell if the prop is still spinning. So in my case with my old boat i feel that is it better safe then sorry.

CO is a concern especially while standing on a platform and I just play it safe and turn it off.

I can't believe 10 minutes at idle would equal one start up???? I would guess it to be about 30 seconds. Anyone know for sure?

the thing with turning the engine off is so you dont hang around the co emissions coming off. your not moving so the co will hang around the swim platform.....while your prob not gonna die , it certainly isn't good for you !

There are three reasons why I turn off the engine when a rider is getting in. Saving fuel is not one of them, since I doubt it will save much.

#1 - CO emissions don't smell good and they aren't healthy. Me and my crew enjoy taking out time getting out and getting situated and we don't want to worry about having a headache later from hanging out over a running engine for too long.

#2 - Safety. I know that most throttles have a lock on them when they are in neutral, but all it takes is for somebody to trip and fall on the throttle while the rider is next to the prop. Will your throttle lock hold up to the kind of impact? Maybe? I don't want to find out in that manner. Chances of that happening are extremely rare, but the consequences are extremely horrific.

#3 - It's scary for the rider, especially younger riders. The rider cannot see what's going on in the boat. They don't know if it's locked in neutral. They don't know if you have your hand on the throttle. They don't know if you know that they are that close to the boat. That's a lot of anxiety while the rider is climbing in. Obviously, some riders have complete trust in each other and this isn't an issue, but in most situations, I consider it rude to put them through this when it's pretty easy to turn the engine off.

Sometimes the prop does still spin in neutral, it can happen when the transmission is older and about ready for a rebuild (I don't know the actual technical reason). Happened on mine, would slowly spin in neutral. Once the tranny was rebuilt, doesn't spin at all.

We turn ours off whenever we can for safety reasons, because you never know. Thats why they are called accidents. However, there are time especially on the Delta you can't turn off. With the currents and winds you can end up in the tules or mud in a matter of seconds.

You actually would be very surprised how many inboard props turn slowly when the boat is in neutral and at idle. Older inboards seem to turn more at idle than newer ones, but even a few new ones will slowly turn.

Next time your boat is running on a fake a lake, hop out of the boat and take a look at your prop to see if it turns. Like I said, not all of them do, but quite a few slowly spin.


McFly
http://waterskiboatsdallas.blogspot.com

I turn ours off for the same reasons as Dave. +

#4 - Something about sitting on the lake with no noise, ahhhhhhh the serenity.

I think it is nuts to keep the motor on all the time. Safety is the first reason. If that throttle gets knocked out of nuetral, someone isn't making it back to the dock alive.

People who own boats can afford the extra gas it consumes during idling mode. Using that excuse vs. safety is lame IMO.

If my boat is on and idling, then someone is in the driver seat and nobody is in the water, except the rider.

I turn ours off every time. A while back a kid on the Brazos died because the prop "jumped" out of nuetral and his legs got caught in it. He died of blood loss before careflight could get to him. So I turn it off. Also I agree with Darren; it is realllly nice to just chill for a bit with no noise except for nature.

That's terrible.

I know it's safer to turn it off, but on our old boat it could sometimes take half an hour or more to get the motor going when it stopped/stalled. Just get into the habit I guess, once she's going she stays going til she's back at the ramp. I hate rowing back in on a dropping tide...

off every time

Gotta keep it off. Safety is a huge concern there. Besides, it saves a little gas.

The first year I had my boat I always left it running. After a similar thread on here like this one, I turn it off most of the time now due to safety reasons.

Off every time.
You save energy if you are going to idle longer that 15 seconds but that is not my reason. You save a bit of wear on the starter motor if you let it run but not enough for me to care about.
There is no CO going to the riders. There is no noise that scares my little kids some. There is no risk that reverse gets engaged. It is nice to have quiet. Four good reasons. Each one enough to make my decision.

Oh yeah I forgot about reverse. Ours isn't hooked up so there's absolutely no chance of backing over a rider, or anything else...

Off every time, even if they just hop on the platform to tighten screws or something like that

90 percent of the time it off when anybody is near deck....

Rarely off I can see the CO issues but come on the prop r u guys not riding behind inboards how would you hit the prop while comming off the swim deck? I can barely reach it almost my whole body has to be under the boat and I'm 6'. Idk plus I ride on a river and with the current I'm not ending up in the weeds/ my rope getting all tangled under my boat.

What if someone hit the throttle in reverse? I always turn mine off because we usually chill for about 5-10 minutes between sets. And then it is nice and quiet.

you use more fuel during start ups but turning it off would be safest. During start up the ECM goes through a check list and has a preset fuel air mix. but when it idles the ECM is constantly calibrating for the most efficient mix.

Yah tru nick idk its still pretty improbable that u would hit the prop.

Always turn mine off.... and I'm always seriously annoyed and concerned when I ride with someone who leaves it on all the time.

How 'but engine hours for resale? Turn it off when you don't need it, and save a few bucks.

pretty much what ryan said, on the delta so we only turn it off on two occasions.

1. if somebodies hanging off the back to take a piss
2. if a n00b is coming back in since most of the time they end up with the board under the deck like an idiot and theres possible safety issues with both

Well I'm hoping this doesn't portray me as a badguy by going against what most have said, but I never turn it off. We would ride all day, switching riders somewhat efficiently, and only turn it off when stopped for lunch.

Also, some mentioned being in the Delta... that is probably another reason why I would never turn it off. You ALWAYS have to be on your toes with the current and retarded boats coming down the sloughs.

On the Delta, almost never turn it off due to safety, on the lakes or an open area, almost always turn it off...due to safety...I am pretty religious about communicating with my rider if the engine is running, even more so with the driver if I am riding and about to hop in.

Ditto about communicating. When I swing the rear around to the rider when picking him/her up, I yell out "neutral" when I have put it into neutral so they are fine swimming the rest of the way to the deck

I turn mine off all the time,have a good laugh,talk about the person ride and give the next rider some ••••• about what we expect to see ha ha.

Almost always off for safety and no more noise.

When the engine is off for 5 sec it's already more fuel efficient then keep it running... So it's a real bad excuss to leave the engine on for fuel savings.

(Message edited by Laptom on February 29, 2008)

Silly not to turn it off.

We never kill the engine when switching riders, unless, like some other have said we are gonna be hanging out for a bit and chillin while switching riders. Otherwise, it runs all day long. As a technician, even with fuel injection, you still use more fuel when you are constantly starting and stopping your engine. Fuel injectors still have to dump in enough fuel to spark, just like carb'd engines. While idling, the injectors don't dump much fuel, under power is another thing. The most likely reason for a prop spinning if your boat is in neutral, would be loss of friction material within your tranny after prolonged use of the boat. This shouldn't be a problem except with older boats or boats that are run hard constantly. I can see where some of the guys with kids would kill the motor. As long as the driver is aware of what he's doing and knows his boat and the area they are in, there should be no problems leaving your engine in idle while switching riders, it won't really save you gas to turn it off and on all the time. As for me and the guys and girls I ride with, we always leave our boats in idle

Always off - unfortunately I've seen what a prop can do to a human body and it wasn't pretty.

1)Always off, Murphy is always lurking, waiting for his law to be broken.(what ever can happen, will happen at the worst possible time)"sh^t happens".
2) Leaving on for fuel economy! gimme a break, 1000# of ballast will burn waaaaay more fuel.
3) With the currents you river riders experience, is it not possible for the rider to get pushed from the current into the prop?

Be careful out there!

I never said that we did for economy, trust me, with 5 to 6 people and 2000 lbs. of ballast on board, fuel is the last concern of any of us, we all know its not really a cheap sport to begin with. Personally, I feel it is a better way to help extend life of an engine, like I said, it won't really save any more gas turning it on and off than leaving it idle. To each his own. I can see and agree with points on both sides. I too have seen what can happen when props meet flesh, however I've never once seen anyone injured from an inboard driven prop, especially when in neutral. The injuries I've seen and heard about have all been outboards, not saying it cannot happen with an inboard, but I just haven't heard of it happening (I'm sure it has somewhere though). Do what you're comfortable with. Sure it may bite you in the butt one day, but so could going big and wiping out, only to smash into something thats hidden underwater and injuring yourself that way, we all take risks in this sport every time we get on the boat.

I always turn mine off in between riders. Of course most of my riders are very slow getting ready to go. Getting old sucks!

We turn off usually, unless the rider is ready to jump in (30 seconds to get ready)...

Also, when using a fake a lake...you should pull out the small knob to ensure that the drive is not engaged...There is no water lubricating the driveshaft, and damage can be done. There might be some sort of sealed driveshaft, but that is not on our boat.

Lifetime(30 years plus) on the Delta, the only times I shut down, I ended up on or near the levee/rocks. Too much current, tight sloughs, idiot drivers, you need to have it ready to go.

If someone is in the water anywhere near the prop, the boat is OFF.