ST3 SAR/Anti Debris Intake Grate

[FishPro2019]

I've got crap stuck in my impeller on more than one occasion and could not find a grate that would limit small sticks and objects form getting picked up. I'm not a fan of the vibration it induces or having to pull the ski out of the water to get whatever is caught free. Are there any other options out there? Shown below is a modified oem grate based on the spacing and design of the SAR grate. I haven't had a had a chance to bolt it on and try its performance but will soon. I had a fish pro, but recently traded it for a RXTX, I noticed the same intake grate on both, so all ST3 hulls must have the same standard intake grate.

[grump444]

Wondering if you had a chance to try this out, and how it performed? I'm looking to modify the grates on our 2-GTi's.... loads of wood debris on the coast. Appreciate any thoughts you have!!

[FishPro2019]

Not yet, I'm in Denver and my riding season is short. Just barely got out of the break in period last summer. I wanted to verify top speed here at altitude before making any changes. I'll install it over winter and will definately report back with how it affects performance next summer. Floating sticks and debris have ended my day early in the past as well, this is what has me wanting to try it. As long as perfrmace dosen't suffer in a major way I will leave it on.

[Paddleboard_bronco_dad]

That’s a great idea, I’ve worked on the older sar units with the anti debris grates. Have you gotten to test it yet? Any issues with welding the cast aluminum?

[FishPro2019]

No chance to test it yet, we are expecting a big snow storm this weekend. It's typically May before its warm enough to get on the water here in Colorado. I didn't weld this one, it's mostly a concept/prototype. We used a CNC machine to cut slits into the OEM grate that the new slats fit into. They fit very tightly on their own, but we then sandblasted and etched the pieces to get them as clean as possible then used an industrial liquid aluminum bonding agent on all the joints.