Product Information
General Troubleshooting Guide
Congratulations on your purchase of Sea-Legs, the pontoon lift that goes where you go. This is a quick-reference troubleshooting guide for Sea-Legs owners and dealers, as needed.
New Sea-Legs carry a limited warranty of two years from date of purchase. If this guide does not resolve the problems you are experiencing, contact your Authorized Sea-Legs dealer (the dealer who sold you the legs) or Sea-Legs directly at 952-934-7000 for further service.
Prior to Troubleshooting
Familiarize yourself with Sea-Legs
Has your dealer shown you Sea-Legs in operation? Have you received and/or reviewed the Sea-Legs operating instructions? Do you have a remote control for your Sea-Legs? Have you seen Sea-Legs on a neighbor's boat, or reviewed the Sea-Legs website (particularly our FAQ page)? Have you seen a Sea-Legs brochure? The answer to many of your questions may be found in this way.
Inspect your legs
Before you attempt to troubleshoot Sea-Legs that appear to be malfunctioning, take a moment to inspect your Sea-Legs modules (legs) for any rock, mud, weeds, or other impediments that may have collected on the legs.
Identify / visually check Sea-Legs components
Open the seat compartment that holds the Sea-Legs pump. Visually inspect it to see if all the hoses and wires appear to be properly connected. Locate and identify the power unit, the hydraulic hoses, and the remote control box (grey rectangular plastic mounted to a vertical surface).
Consider environmental factors
If you are on an uneven surface, Sea-Legs will not balance your boat left-to-right. In extremely mucky conditions, Sea-Legs will sink into the muck and will work harder upon initial retraction. In water that is too deep (over 5 feet), Sea-Legs may not be able to reach the lake or river bottom.
General Troubleshooting
Customer questions about Sea-Legs operation generally address one of the following areas.
No power / weak power (pump not operating; no sound when raising or lowering, or legs struggle to lift or lower the boat)
Likely causes
- Weak boat battery, or battery not rated to at least 850 CCA (cold cranking amps).
- Disconnected or poorly connected power cables (red/positive and black/negative) between boat battery and Sea-Legs pump.
- Remote control receiver not connected to pump.
- Electrical connection or wire loose.
- Dead battery in remote control transmitter.
What to do
- 1.
Check your battery. Charge or replace as needed.
- 2.
Check all wires and connections; tighten any that are loose.
- 3.
Listen for the pump “turning over.” If it is, you have power.
- 4.
Check the remote control transmitter to ensure the remote is working.
- 5.
Check fuses on the pump and remote system wire harness.
Remote control does not work, or is weak or intermittent
Likely causes
- Remote control has not been activated (press On/Power button to activate).
- Remote control antenna is obstructed or has been cut off the receiver.
- Remote control receiver has been placed in the bottom of the seat compartment and has either gathered moisture or is obstructed.
- Battery is dead or weak in the remote control key fob.
What to do
- 1.
Activate the remote control by pushing the On/Power button.
- 2.
If equipped with an indicator light, make sure it illuminates while functions are pressed.
- 3.
If there is no activity via the transmitters, try the toggle switches on the receiver box.
- 4.
If the transmitter does not operate but the toggle switches do, open the transmitter and replace the battery(s). The common battery is a CR2032.
- 5.
Water, moisture, or condensation will cause remote hand units to fail.
To operate Sea-Legs without a remote control
Each Sea-Legs pump includes 2 hard-wired toggle switches that allow you to extend or retract Sea-Legs. Simply open the seat compartment that contains the Sea-Legs pump and use the switches on the receiver to raise or lower your boat as needed.
Low oil (Sea-Legs straining to extend or retract, or “stuck” in an up or down position)
Likely causes
- A hydraulic fitting (between hose and cylinder under the boat, or between a hose and the pump in the seat compartment) is loose and leaking oil.
- System was not fully bled upon installation.
- System was improperly filled (oil level too low) when installed.
- Hose or cylinder is leaking.
What to do
- 1.
Open the reservoir cap and check your oil levels. With the Sea-Legs fully retracted (tucked up under the boat), oil level should be within ½” to 1” of the top of the reservoir.
If you are low on oil
Your Sea-Legs dealer may have additional Sea-Legs oil to add to your unit. If not, locate a marine supply dealer or farm supply store and ask for Chevron Clarity ISO Grade 32 (SAE 10) hydraulic fluid. This fluid is recommended because it is both environmentally friendly and biodegradable.
If you have a visible oil leak
Check around and under the boat for visible oil spills. Sea-Legs oil is environmentally friendly, but even small amounts will be very visible in the water. If you see any oil, you may have a loose fitting or leaky cylinder (unless you overfilled the reservoir and oil spilled that way). Carefully tighten all fittings (be careful not to overtighten). If your cylinder is leaking, or a hose has been cut or is leaking, call your dealer or Sea-Legs for further instructions.
Air in Sea-Legs lines (Sea-Legs stopping and starting during extension or retraction)
Likely causes
- System was not properly bled upon installation.
- Air has been introduced due to low oil levels.
- Your pressure switch is malfunctioning, sounding the alarm and stopping the pump.
What to do
- 1.
When Sea-Legs encounter an air pocket (even a small one), the pump will shut off and an alarm may sound. If this happens, wait a few seconds and continue extension or retraction.
- 2.
The air will, over time, work itself out through a vent hole on the reservoir cap.
- 3.
The easiest and fastest way to bleed your lines is to run Sea-Legs fully up and fully down 2–3 times from a deep point in your lake.
To disconnect your pressure switch (and alarm)
You can operate Sea-Legs without the pressure switch. If you do, your alarms will not sound and you will have to listen for the legs reaching full retraction under your boat, at which time you should stop retracting. The pressure switch is a small cylindrical device on the side of the pump with one purple and one white 90-degree connector. Detach either connector to disable it. After several uses you should re-connect the pressure switch again.
Legs are stuck in the extend (boat up) position and will not come down
Likely causes
- Your rear leg is ahead of your front leg (rear leg extended “over horizontal center” compared to the front leg). This removes the gravitational advantage the heavier rear of the boat has in getting the legs to retract and lower your boat.
- Your oil level is low and is air locked.
What to do
- 1.
Raise the front leg so that the front of the boat is higher than the rear.
- 2.
If both legs are fully extended, start by lowering the rear leg to get it ahead of the front leg on retraction.
- 3.
Once your front leg reaches a height equal to or above your rear leg, your Sea-Legs should “unlock” and retract normally.
- 4.
Check the oil reservoir to make sure the oil level is about ⅓ full. Add oil if needed.
Front leg restriction
To provide smooth and level operation, extension flow to the front leg has been restricted. You may notice that your front leg extends at a slower pace (or sounds like it is laboring more) than the rear leg. This is normal and cannot be adjusted.
If you are experiencing a problem not listed in this guide, call your Sea-Legs dealer or Sea-Legs at 952-934-7000 and ask for the Service Department for further assistance.
Rev Spring 2013
General Troubleshooting Guide
PDF · Download a printable copy