painting help

[hangman575]

i'm thinking about painting my ski. it's in rough shape and it would look better with a good coat of paint on it. so my question to anyone and all is can i flip my ski over to paint the hull with the motor still in it or will that screw up the motor in some wierd way? i bought this thing for $200, that my wife thought was a waste of money now i can't get her off of,you know another toy to beat around the lake on and now i want it to look sharp on the water. i've NEVER done any real painting on vehicles and thought i can't make it look any worse than it already is. any help is greatly apprecated.

[xlint89]

You can flip the ski over with the engine installed. Just follow the direction sticker on the back of the ski. As an added safety measure, I'd empty the fuel and oil tanks to prevent any spills.

[GT_Rambo]

Get plenty of before and after pictures of each step, Hangman. I'm looking to do this myself, but I only just got my ski. I think I'll wait til the season's over. That way, if I discover something that's waiting to surprise me in the motor or internals, I can do everything at once over the winter.

[K447]

You can flip the ski over with the engine installed. Just follow the direction sticker on the back of the ski. As an added safety measure, I'd empty the fuel and oil tanks to prevent any spills.

The sticker rotation direction is for righting an inverted ski.

For inverting a ski from right side up, you first want the exhaust system to be as dry as possible (run engine for a few seconds without hose, burp the throttle a couple of times, then turn off the fuel selector, and shut it all down).

Draining the fuel (definitely, for work safety) and oil tanks (less possible mess) is a good idea. Remember to take the battery out before you drain anything. If you have a fuel-water separator, make sure there is no water inside, and empty it.

If the inside of the hull is oily and dirty, now might be a good time to clean it up, before you start working on the hull.

You might want to take the jet pump and drive shaft off, to reduce weight, and get them out of the way. Put a plastic bag or tape over both ends of the through hull fitting, and the engine coupler, to keep dust and grit out of the bearings.

Grab the exhaust manifold, and firmly try to rock the engine. If it moves at all, check for loose or broken engine mounts. Don't invert the ski if the engine mounts are not all in good condition.

When it is time, rotate the ski so the exhaust system rotates down under the engine, not up and over the engine. Be careful to support the weight of the ski securely, and don't damage the steering.

When it is time to turn the ski back to right side up, use the rotation direction instructions shown on the sticker - exhaust side goes down under the engine, carbs go over the top.

When re-commissioning after the repairs are completed, be sure to purge air out of the oil lines, and check all the fuel and oil lines for age, looseness, or cracking.

Another member here recently repaired his hull.