looking for advise on type and location of thru hull water pick ups.i have a 97 35'lightning single step with 2"imco shortys that love to pick up weeds the boat runs between 105--110 mph on a rail ,i dont want to mess any thing up with hull changes but the weeds are a big problem for me.opinions and advise would be great from the fountain family.thanks guys!

Do you run see strainers? Another option would be to switch to Sportmaster shorties - you might lose a mile an hour or two but the openings for them are a lot smaller than the one big Imco opening.

yes,k.e. strainers.the problem is the weeds clog up at the main inlet between the drive and the transom plate,which means to remove the weeds the drive has to be pulled.

Robert,

Monte, mv 35, is a close friend of mine. If you are still working with Ben Robertson on your set up do you think you could pick his brain for some info that might help Monte out ? This weed deal is a real problem for him, left him stuck in Canada on saturday afternoon, had to go back with the trailer to get the boat. I think offshore pick ups thru his strainers are the way for him to go, he is concerned about placement and effects on the performance and handling. If there is any way you could maybe get him any info I would really appreciate your help.

BTW I am going to call LCM in the next day or so to see what they have come up with. How is your set up comming along ?

Hi Peter,

Ben had it just a tick under 90 when he was here but he left last Saturday. With a prop change we should be able to get into the low 90's. To get any more than that I would have to start messing with my X dim. At this point in the season I am just going to get a set of mufflers for it - maybe tweak the props and leave it alone.

We'll see what happens over the winter.

As for the clogging issue I'm sure the Fountain factory would have an answer. Just call and ask for customer service.