2003 Skeeter ZX250 Questions

[Fords0202]

I recently purchased a 2003 skeeter zx250 with a 250hpdi and finally got her on the water. Ultra smooth, great riding boat. I wasn't on a very large lake but I got it up to just under 68mph before it wouldnt go any faster. I've been reading a lot about the motor and prop set ups on the site. It has a 26p Tempest Plus prop and is at around 1.5" below pad. After reading some of the post i feel like the motor needs to be lowered in the jackplate. I'm just trying to get the optimum performance and stability out of the rig. I'm going to be running it on big water( lake michigan/st.clair) along with small inland lakes.

Also, niether of my bilge pumps work. It has the touch pad controls, and i know they've been a problem, but i can her the relays or whatever controls them under that dash click when I hit the bilge buttons, so i'm assuming that the touch pad is working. I guess my question for this is has there been any know bilge pump problems with these? I wouldn't expect them both to have failed...... Also, are they located below the oil reservoir?

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,

Shaun

[MichAngler]

I fish St. Clair all the time in a 2006 Zx250 and I do about the same and I know I could squeeze a little more out of her but it’s rare you have the opportunity to run WOT on the big water and trying to get that last few MPH out of her takes you to a point that handling may suffer in rough water.

I would say leave it where it is, how often is a few MPH going to make the difference?

As for the dash panel most of the problems have been complete loss of power not just one or two switches. And if you can hear the click than odds are it is working. But with the history the panel has any things possible.

Yes the bilge pumps are under the Oil reservoir you will need to remove the mounting bracket to access them. But I would first check the fuses under the dash and some models still have the inline fuse on the power line to each pump.

If the boat wasn’t maintained very well and stored for a long period its possible the pumps are froze from scum in the bilge. A good cleaning will fix that and it doesn’t hurt to get down there and look for lose items anyways. You would be amazed at what you find.