Misty splash/spray back into boat???

[Hemlock]

Anyone else get a mist, or a spray back when cruising with their top up?

I've been in a couple boats that have high tops and I beleive this is the cause for the spray coming back into the boat, reaching the driver passenger seats, which doesn't make for a nice ride for the passengers behind in the other swivel seats or in my case, the jump seats in the very back. Boat is a Lund 1800 Fisherman... Would Wave Wackers help? I beleive this only happens with the top up. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks.

[randallt]

I have a Lund 1800 Fisherman and have never noticed this. I don't regularly use the top, but the few times I have I haven't had this problem. Do you have a kicker or trolling motor that could be "dragging"?

[Hemlock]

That's the problem, most people don't use the top that much...in my case, we have it up alot especially in the fall, on LOTW.

There's no kicker, nothing is dragging. I have seen it on my uncle's boat as well...it just seems to suck back any spray. I have a feeling it is due to the higher tops that they are making, causing a bigger draft effect, but I'm not sure, either!??

[CatManLee]

I don't have a boat with a big top on it, but it would make sense. If you're driving an suv on a wet roat the entire back is covered with "crap", so why not the same with a boat using a big top?

[randallt]

I figured that was stating the obvious. The problem I had one day on Mille Lacs was the water was coming through the zipper "right above the window to the bow". It was really windy and we were going cross wind and getting a lot of spray on the side. I ended up as wet as if it were down.

My question is do you have the side curtains? Do they work? and where and how much to get a set? I have also seen the full enclosure. IS this an option for our set up? or would you have start from scratch.

This will be the first fall I do any real amount of fishing, so I thought I would use this much more.

[Hemlock]

You can "seal" this boat up if you want. I do not have side or stern (aft) curtains right now. I've got a quote from a place here in town that does boat tops from scratch, modifications, you name it. Looks like I'm going to be around $500 for side curtains and a stern curtain. If you put the window in the stern curtain, it can make for a nice ride all sealed up. I wouldn't recommend it on a busy lake, or if you aren't too familiar with your surroundings, because it totally dulls your senses from a boater's perspective. We close up the full top late/early in the year, when there are very few boats out and about.

I noticed water leaking in through the seam of the top and the windshield too the other day, while out in big waves. The water splash would hit the top, and alot of it ended up right on my lap...anyone have a fix for that?

[DTro]

Sounds like the motor is trimmed down too far, or the motor is not positioned correctly on the transom.

But if it only happens with the top up, then forget all that.

[Northlander]

I also think its a vacume effect but my next door nieghbor had this problem with a poorly mounted transducer.

[Gissert]

I think Northlander is onto something with a vaccuum effect. IIRC, I remember something in the manual cautioning on exhaust fumes getting sucked into the boat area with tops up. I bet small water droplets would be prone to this as well.

Sometimes I can get a wiff of exhaust through the back window of my truck when it is open. This only happens at certain speeds, but a boat with a cover open in the back could behave the same way and suck the spray back in.

[Surface Tension]

If you could put your boat in a wind tunnel you'd see how the wind will swirl over the cover and into the enclosed area.

To stop this you have to get air moving through the enclosed area. I know that sort of defeats the purpose of having the cover but experiment with the amount of air moving though.

[Hemlock]

Thanks for the help guys...I know it's related to a vaccum effect, since it only happens whent the top is up. I'm not concerned about fumes. As I cruise along, it is just a small amount of mist being drawn back in. I might try what ST recommends and try to get some air flowing through, or might be a good wave wackers application. Old boat had a top that wasn't as high as this new one, and it didn't happen.