First boat....SeaPro 228 Bay. :Maiden voyage. Two issues.

[spike]

WooHoo.  First boat and loving it. Bought this 2019 Sea Pro 228 and took it out yesterday for the first time (other than sea trial).  Going to enjoy this for sure.  I have a lot to learn for sure.  I was testing all of the goodies (power poles, gps lock on trolling motor, jack plate, 12” Simrad and the Suzuki 250SS) as well as tossing a line.  Caught three redfish and had a ball.  Two issues came up Ive got to dig into.  1) the engine showed High Temp / Overheat twice when i was idling.  Didn’t do it at all while running.  It has 95 hours on it so I’ll get it in for a 100 hour service.  Reading online maybe its an impeller issue..we will see.  2) MotorGuide Trolling motor was awesome to use with the remote and GPS lock.  Only challenge was the batteries weren’t fully charged and gave out after an hour.  Are those three batteries up front charged through the motor or do i need to do that manually (that doesn’t seem right).  Boat was sitting for about 2 months in total other than my sea check so maybe just went all the way down.  Everything is 2019 (boat, trailer, motor, trolling motor, batteries, etc).    Thanks for the add in the Sea Pro forum.  

[Juan]

Welcome to the forum spike. Man, you started out first class with that 228!
Assuming you didn't raise the jack plate while running and then forget to lower it while at idle, your overheating issue very well might be the impeller but impellers normally last several years or 2 or 3 hundred hours unless the motor picked up a lot of sand while running. I'd install a water pressure gauge. You can watch the water pressure to be sure your jack plate is set just right and also to monitor the condition of the water pump impeller. They're inexpensive and a DIY job if your just slightly mechanically inclined.

Your trolling motor batteries are not charged by the outboard and should be charged after every use and then left charged when sitting idle. You can purchase an onboard battery charger that will charge your trolling motor batteries and your house and start batteries at the same time. They come in different sizes and you'll need one that has a "bank" (or charging cable) for each battery. It stays in your boat and all you have to do is plug it in after a day on the water to be ready for the next trip.

again: Welcome aboard

[fraydknot]

Great looking ride!!! Welcome to the gang

[spike]

Thanks Frayd...  Glad to be part of the group.  Much to learn!

[spike]

Juan, thanks for the intel man.  I appreciate it.   It is possible that the Jack Plate was up higher for a time while idling, makes sense to me that I need to be careful during idle.  I’ll be looking for that onboard charger for sure.  Thanks again, big help.   Loving this boat!

[framer9]

Congrats on the boat!

[spike]

Hey Juan or others.  I’ve done a walkthrough of the boat and see this sportsman series three bank charger is in the space with the batteries.  I do not see a place to plug in power to it. Could that be somewhere else on the boat?  Appreciate your help.

[Juan]

Yep the plug in is somewhere else on the boat. Should be a standard 3 prong electrical connection and located somewhere easy to get to. Look at the sides of the console and in the splash well near the motor if you can't trace the power cord from the charger.

[freezerfiller]

Yep. Look for a covered plug in the console or a vertical surface. It should look like a standard 3 prong outlet you plug into your wall at home. I'd guess your overheat issue at idle is indeed a worn impeller where someone probably sucked a bunch of sand in there.