2007 Q6SF--Newbie Tahoe owner

[cajun_rig]

Hey guys,

Just purchased a new Q6 SF (2007). Got a 4.3 in her and in very good condition. Its a black and white model (nice looking). I have looked at numerous F/S boats and Tahoes that have been cared for seem to be a good choice as with any boat I assume. A few questions for those in the know.

>I noticed that this hull is not a self bailing, if it gets wet inside, from either rain, cleaning, etc., where does the water go to, I do not even see a drain hole under rear seats so it could drain to bilge. I know some water will end up in bottom for bilge to take care of, but is this the only way to get the water out. I did see the one drain plug in back of boat (center). But it is almost impossible to get to with boat on a hoist in boat house, any secrets to this as well?

>The boat came with 3 batteries, one to start, one for trolling motor, and other to nothing. Any recommendations on a charger/switch to have these tied in. Could I switch the batteries that start engine on a regular basis and have engine alternator keep these charged? any ideas?

>The trailer (dual axle) had all tires with extreme wear to inside of all tires. The outside treads looked fine. Anyone else experienced this problem? Is it possible that there is to much weight for the factory trailer to handle and tire are bowing out, I have not checked tire pressure yet, but if the were low, would that cause this.

>I did not get any manuals for boat or motor.....anyone have any suggestions to a site or book i could go to that would help me with any preventive maintenance for motor.

Thanks for reading, any help will be appreciated.

 

[Mordekai]

Re: 2007 Q6SF--Newbie Tahoe owner

1. If it's anything like my q4, you will have holes in your ski locker lid that will drain the inside into the bilge and if you look at the bottom corner below the 2 back seat on the floor, there should be 2 more grates/holes that drain into the bilge.

Normally, you have a bilge pump that pumps out the water if it's slipped or it drains out the plug.

As for your batteries, be prepared to get into huge debate

Personally, I have only 2 not 3 like yours, hooked up to an automatic charging relay and a switch. I also have an onboard charger for when it's on the trailer on the house, I keep it plugged into the grid to keep the batteries charged.

Search for blue sea ACR or add a battery system.

Btw, here's a wiring diagram of how mine is if you wanted to see how it's all wired.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: 2007 Q6SF--Newbie Tahoe owner

Welcome to the Tahoe clan. I am no expert on batteries, but his diagram looks good. I have seperate trickle chargers on my 2 batteries, but that gets a bit cumbersom.

As far as the self bailing thing. I had this problem on my 01 Q7. I found the drains in the deck under the rear seats. Blocked by a board that held up the seats. Not sure if your year has this type of layout, but worth checking. I took out the wood and put pedastals in its place. I had to relocate my speakers too since they were in that peice of wood.

I would replace the tires and see how it goes. Could be as simple as someone swapped the tires to another trailer before they traded or sold the boat.

Something else to check on is your power steering cooler. If its plastic, get it replaced under the Mercruiser recall. If you do a search you will find several folks that had this break on the water and pump water into the bilge and overheat the engine.

 

[maddog2112]

Re: 2007 Q6SF--Newbie Tahoe owner

Welcome aboard cajun rig. I`ve got the 06 Q6 fish and ski, mine has the 5.0. It looks like whoever had your boat before you, had 2 batteries for trolling and the third for starting. I don`t know how they are hooked up. I`ve got the onboard charger charger on mine & I plug in when I`m in my drive. If I get a 2nd trolling motor battery, I will install some sort of switching unit as well. I just replaced all four trailer tires with 6 ply signet trailer tires at 50.00 apiece mounted and balanced. I keep my boat covered when not in use and when I have it wet after use, I keep the trailer jack cranked up in the drive to let water drain by gravity into the bilge thru the undersides of the 2 rear seats. Good luck and enjoy your new boat.

 

[cajun_rig]

Re: 2007 Q6SF--Newbie Tahoe owner

Thanks guys for your input....Maddog...did you have an issue with your tires wearing unevenly (inside tread wear) or did you change out due to normal wear?

I did attempt to clean (hose) inside of boat this evening. As expected, the water did not drain or drained very slowly under the 2 rear back seats. There is no drain cover unless its hidden under the carpet. It drained down in engine compartment and bilge took care of it from there. There is a direct line in floor ski locker to back, but does not help with rest of floor. Any recommendations on a fix for this problem? Maybe drill a 1 to 2in. hole under each seat and install a drain/cover that will help with flow to bilge?

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: 2007 Q6SF--Newbie Tahoe owner

I dont have any carpet and neither does my fathers 215. I bet they probably put the carpet over the drains.

 

[mccownk]

Re: 2007 Q6SF--Newbie Tahoe owner

Welcome cajun rig. I had an issue with inside tire wear on my 06 Q6 due to a slow leak in one of the rear tires. This caused excess load on the other tires. Replaced the worn tires and haven't had a problem since.

 

[maddog2112]

Re: 2007 Q6SF--Newbie Tahoe owner

Cajun rig, I had no uneven tread wear , just sidewall cracking on outside of tires. I wasn`t sure how much damage there was, but I knew they were at least 4 years old and I was getting ready for a long trip. I didn`t want to take any chances so replaced all four precautionary. I`ve read, it is possible to get uneven tread wear due to the different strains and stresses on sidewalls due to weight load during turns and such. The slow draining after hosing down the carpet is probably something you`ll have to live with. I always make sure I leave the boat open and in the sun for as long as possible for carpet drying. Good luck.