Baller Ed_Obermeier Posted March 10, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 10, 2015 How big a deal is it to leave your boat in a dock over night in a lake known to have zebra mussels in it, for say 5 days/nights at a time? The large Ozark region lake we've vacationed at for years we're now being told has zebra mussels and some of our crew is hesitant to ever go back to this lake now to vacation. My thought is that for no longer than our boats will be in it that it's not a big deal but I don't know what I don't know on the subject. Obviously we'd want to make sure we flush our engines and any ballast tanks before putting into any other lake but to me that doesn't make it a non starter. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted March 10, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 10, 2015 No worse than dipping it in a lake with them. Just make sure to clean it off and flush the water out of the motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Razorskier1 Posted March 10, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 10, 2015 Mussels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Ed_Obermeier Posted March 11, 2015 Author Baller Share Posted March 11, 2015 Thanks Jim... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashman Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Agree with oldjeep. We have them in most lakes in Indiana and I've never seen them on a ski boat or heard of them being a problem for the boat itself- more that they spread from lake to lake and become a pita on docks, structures, beaches, industrial water intakes and such. My current ski lake does not have them and we don't let boats that have been used on other lakes be launched at the ski lake. The things are razor sharp and my previous ski club had them- needed to use gloves for course maintenance or they would eat up your hands. Kids had to wear water shoes to avoid feet getting cut. I definitely wouldn't be scared to visit a lake that has them. One of the bigger reservoirs (Brookville) that I visit I really only see them if I'm fishing for walleye and hook a rock that's covered with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ lpskier Posted March 11, 2015 Baller_ Share Posted March 11, 2015 The good news with zebra muscles is that they will really clean up the water. That said, take every precaution not to spread them to another water body. Don't cut any corners on cleaning and thoroughly flushing. Your ski gear too. Lpskier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted March 11, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 11, 2015 Can't say that I've ever thought to clean up a ski, but not a bad idea. Main thing is to run your hands around the boat and make sure there are none of the snot like larva on it. Even better if you have a 140F + pressure washer available since they can't take the heat. We boat primarily in zebra mussel contaminated lakes (Minnetonka and Prior Lake), but also travel to my folks lake which is not. If you take some basic precautions, it shouldn't be an issue. As for the clean water - yup. There are a couple crystal clear bays in Minnetonka that used to be pretty gross. As long as you are deep enough that you can't stand on the bottom, it is awesome for swimming. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Wolfeie Posted March 11, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 11, 2015 It is important not only to flush out systems but also allow time for drying. Make sure the small pockets in the bilge area that collect water are allowed to dry out. Boats at Lake Powell are not allowed to launch unless they are completely dry going in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdubs Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 if there is no ballast - It has to be quite a bit less risk since there is no way those little pests could survive the temps after they make it much past the intake. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted March 11, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 11, 2015 @Jdubs - well you would like to think so, but they can actually be transported in your engine under the right circumstances. About 3 years ago I had a problem where my Bayliner wasn't warming up, pulled the thermostat and I had a little colony starting that had jammed the thermostat open. I'm sure by the time I pulled them out of there that they were dead, but they had grown there and some of their friends could have been pushed back out when I started the boat back up and everything was cool. This was in a garage boat that was only in the water once every week or 2. That is why it is a good idea to run the boat on a hose before you are going to non infested waters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kstateskier Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Has anyone ever considered a cartridge filter system for the raw water intake line to protect engines from sucking up the Larvae? I've seen the Mussell Mast'r system but it appears they are being installed on Ballast intakes, not engine intakes. It would require a filter housing with a 1 1/4 inlet/outlet and a filter with a low enough micron rating to filter out mussel larvae, but have a high enough flow rate to not starve the engine of water at high RPMs and maintain the pressure involved. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted March 11, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 11, 2015 Sounds like something that could easily get clogged with algea and weeds. Originally musl mastr was also marketing their filter for intakes - might have done some testing and found issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kstateskier Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 In theory so could your impeller. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted March 11, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 11, 2015 Maybe, but it could at least try to shred weeds. A micron filter could be easily clogged. Best bet would be to ask musl mastr why they don't seem to be marketing it for intakes any more. If you like I could dig up an old post where I found the fish tank filter and housing that they seem to be using. As I recall it was about $30 worth of parts - not including the lock bracket they built. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kstateskier Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 @oldjeep yes that would help. Their product is wayyyy overpriced for what it is. You're talking some water filter housing molded polypropylene and a $10 micron filter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted March 11, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 11, 2015 Here is the old thread - lots of good zebra mussel info in a link in the thread http://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/10955/centurion-offers-eco-conscious-filtration-system-to-prevent-invasive-species-transference And the filter housing that they seem to use http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018CFVVC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3FUQOIES8LU9I&coliid=INI01WHRW8WZ4 Then you just need a 10-20 micron filter. And reading back, it doesn't look like it was offered as an intake system. Wish I had remembered about this when I was at the boat show so I could look - because I'm having a hard time figuring out how this could be plumbed into their RamFill ballast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kstateskier Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Thanks @oldjeep. I'm wondering if the flow rate is high enough to keep from starving the engine of water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller oldjeep Posted March 11, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 11, 2015 I would doubt it. But you would have to figure out how many gpm the motor needs max, and then see if there is a filter smaller than a cooler that can support that plus whatever wiggle room you need for degradation from stuff in the filter. Easier to install a flush kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller eleeski Posted March 11, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 11, 2015 How about a chlorine flush? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kstateskier Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 @eleeski would also work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller thager Posted March 12, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 12, 2015 @eleeski Chlorine is pretty corrosive. Make sure it is diluted. Then follow with a fresh water flush Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller eleeski Posted March 12, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 12, 2015 I guess the real question is will the boat inspector allow the boat in their lake if it's wet but chlorine dosed? And how careful do I need to be to keep them out of my lake? Is a chlorine soak between lakes enough? How diluted? Our invasive species du jour is quagga mussels. I might not be too paranoid about them but many others are. Besides, I don't want my water clear - ups my dye cost. Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller kurt Posted March 12, 2015 Baller Share Posted March 12, 2015 we use bleach at most of the private ski sites in Michigan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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