halfmoon

Yes. I just use the same hand pump grease gun that I use to grease my trailer bearings.

I can't help you with the stained hull, but maybe I can help with your stiff steering. You should have a grease zerk fitting in your engine compartment right behind the ski pylon. That grease zerk fitting is used to grease your rudder. I usually pump some grease in it at the beginning of the season. I've owned my 03 for around 11 years and have never had a problem with stiff steering. Hopefully this helps.

And if they do work... You still may want to replace them once you see how long it takes for them to fill your ballast tanks.

They still might not work even if you put new impellers in them (at least mine didn't). Even after I replaced the impellers on my old pumps you could her the pumps running but they never filled the ballast tanks. I ended up replacing my pumps with Johnson Ultra Ballast pumps.

Here you go.

Or you may need new pumps, especially if they are the old scc pumps. If they are the old pumps you can easily swap them to jabsco ballast puppy's or Johnson ultra ballast pumps.

I can't really help, but I bet if you called skidim.com they could point you in the right direction.

Years ago I purchased from Towerbiminis.com. I think I've had it for 9 years and it has held up well.

I would also say to check the manual drain plugs in the transom. Make sure they are tight and also check the sealing of them too. May need to re-seal them. My bet is the impellars though.

Aquaddiction, are you saying, opposite side of the surf wave (obvious), or are you saying, flip it so the gate is toward the bow of the boat?

take a look at towerbiminis.com

First congrats on the new boat. I have an 03 which should be set up similar to yours. The right and left switches fill and empty the ballast tanks. The third switch lets you view how much water is in each tank on the anolog gauge (mine doesn't work but yours might). When filling the tanks you can either be in neutral or the boat can be turned off. To fill the tanks faster run the pumps and unscrew the 2 manual drain plugs on the transom which help flood the tanks. You will know that the tanks are full when water starts pouring out of the holes on the side your boat. To empty the tanks push the same 2 buttons down and the water will empty out of the same two fill holes that are under the boat. Tips: if your pumps are the original scc pumps they may work anymore. If that's the case upgrade to new Johnson ultra ballast pumps or newer jabsco ballast pumps. Both are good and fill a lot faster then the old scc pump.

OH I thought he had replaced his old scc pumps with Johnson's. In that case those Johnson impellers probably won't work. The scc pump, at least the 03's were smaller, and that meant the impeller was smaller as well.

I had the same issue on my 03 last year. I couldn't find any parts so I bought a plastic cup holder, cut the bottom out, slide the cup into the hole and reattached the blower hose. Make sure you get a cup with an outer lip at the top so it catches the hull when you slide it all the way in. You may need to sand or file the lip down a bit if the blower grill doesn't sit firmly against the boat hull.

Order from wakemakers. https://www.wakemakers.com/johnson-ultra-ballast-pump-orange-impeller.html

Not sure if this right, but how I've been using my battery switch for years... switch 1 (1 battery) is dedicated as the starting battery while switch 2 (2 batteries) is dedicated as the accessory batteries. While starting and driving I have it on switch one and while floating and just listening to music I have it on switch two. I never have my switch on both. I let the alternator charge the starting battery and have an onboard dual battery charger for the accessory batteries that get charged at home.

Glad we could help!

Check out skidim.com. Their prices are usually reasonable and the staff is very helpful.

Russ, you may want to grease the rudder if there is difficulty steering. There should be a zerk fitting probably somewhere in the back compartment (not really sure where yours would be since mine is a vdrive). Also, this is way off topic, but I see your home lake is Hayden Lake. Just wondering what it is like and if the there are any hazards to look out for while boating. I ask, because at the beginning of August my family and I will be renting a house on the lake. Also, what are boat launches like and is there one that is better than the other? Thanks!

Call evolution covers. They are in the Seattle area. If he doesn't have a template for your boat ask him if you can drop it off.

Along with upgrading the hose I would upgrade the pumps if you haven't done so all ready. If they are the scc pumps upgrade to the Johnson ultra ballast pumps or the jabsco ballast puppy's.

To see if the water is being forced up while sitting still on the water just disconnect the hose at the ballast tank. Who knows, maybe you need to reapply sealant to the manual drain plugs?

Have you checked the impeller in the left pump? If the teeth are chewed up or missing then the water may be forcing itself up into the tank. Not sure if it will do this while the boat is just sitting since the pumps are above the waterline, but it could do it while you are on your way.

I agree with somepeteguy, open your engine compartment and trace your hoses from pumps to intake. You may not have check valves in your 04. My 03 doesn't have check valves, but they may have changed that in the 04's. Also, if your pumps are above the waterline then I believe it is unlikely that your tanks are filling from the ballast intake while just sitting on the water. You should check your manual ballast drain plugs under your swim step. If the drain plugs aren't tight water will flood your tanks.

Thanks dubguy! Looks pretty good for an older MB. Gonna have to build one in near future. Kind of funny, I live between Yakima and Tri Cities and am heading to Boise this Wednesday.