I'm super paranoid when my boat starts running with the slightest amount of excess heat. My Sea Ray with 8.1L twin mercs was creeping up to 170 under load, and I'd get excessive steam coming out of the exhaust, which made me think it was a restriction somewhere. It was consistent on both sides. I started with replacing the impellers (which was overdue) and that didn't fix it, so I started looking around for flushing solutions.
Found some good youtube videos about using barnacle buster in a bucket, with circulation pumps, and frankly, it looked like a pain in the rear. I decided to leave it to the pros and found Barnacle Flush through a referral from my mechanic.
Let me tell you, these guys are no... bucket with a circulation pump mechanics. Johnny was very prompt and communicative throughout the whole process, including talking me through what they'd do, timing, etc. He showed up with a crew, and full equipment and did thorough inspections of the cooling system with cameras. Findings were all documented in his report. The team also noticed some issues with the motors, which I'm having addressed with my regular mechanic.
Overall, they're not the cheapest service, but you get what you pay for. You go cheap, you get the guy with a bucket. You go with Johnny and team, you get a very professional and solid job.
The dnd result, my boat is running dead on at 160 degrees at idle and under load. Right where it should be. I will add this to my periodic maintenance every 2.5-3 years to ensure my engines are running cool and at the right temp.
Thanks Johnny! read more