Boats school me on them?

[Rocket1k78]

Originally posted by asp integra
If you really want a boat and you like music, may I suggest.... http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/boa/5745164829.html

At first i was going to ask why you would suggest a $50k malibu when op is looking to spend 14 max but then i seen the amazing tower set up lol Murrica!

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Originally posted by ercchry


Not sure how bad it is out this way, but back east (Ontario) they are pretty anal with the whole drinking and boating thing. People have actually got dui's for drinking on their docks!

At the cottage everyone just leaves their keys in their boats tied to their docks... Yeah, cops pull up and next thing you know you're fucked cause you are drinking on the dock, at the lake

That's crazy, I had no idea.

[4WARNED]

Originally posted by asp integra
If you really want a boat and you like music, may I suggest.... http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/boa/5745164829.html

Lol - if there was ever a boat that would get flagged by the RCMP at the boat launch before it even left the trailer, that would be it.

I can hear it now when the guy ordered that: "would you like a boat with your speakers?"

[revelations]

Originally posted by asp integra
If you really want a boat and you like music, may I suggest.... http://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/boa/5745164829.html

That thing is so to heavy that I get queasy thinking about it.....when its NOT moving it will be rocking though!! (literally)

[r3ccOs]

So... I decided to just get into it, "small time"!

Found me an old 96 sportster Seadoo with the 657x Rotax motor, which I know is getting long in the tooth by year, but recently had the Jet, top end, interior and gel-coat redone... as well as a new Bimi, battery and speakers added.

The trailer even came with new tires, bearing and winch and I picked it up for the NADA recommended price.

Haven't put it on the water yet, and am draining the 2 stroke motor as the guy used TCW3 instead of sled oil which is a low ash API TC oil

(BRP Rotax 2 strokes are basically sled motors after all)

I know people say Jet boats are a lot of work, but I've worked on sleds and it seems very simple to me, and the jet is easier than the track assembly.

The hull is perfect, the new gel coat looks awesome... only thing that I should get, but won't is a custom cover. I just bought a custom's accessories heavy duty towable cover just to use to keep the water out, and I won't be towing with it on, as I'm leaving it out at my trailer in Radium.

But just to make sure everything is good here before I drag it out there... any local small lakes you all recommend (without weeds, which means no no to chestaslew?)

Also... if we like boating "long term" I'll likely sell and upgrade to a Pontoon

[r3ccOs]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

So... I decided to just get into it, "small time"!

Found me an old 96 sportster Seadoo with the 657x Rotax motor, which I know is getting long in the tooth by year, but recently had the Jet, top end, interior and gel-coat redone... as well as a new Bimi, battery and speakers added.

The trailer even came with new tires, bearing and winch and I picked it up for the NADA recommended price.

Haven't put it on the water yet, and am draining the 2 stroke motor as the guy used TCW3 instead of sled oil which is a low ash API TC oil

(BRP Rotax 2 strokes are basically sled motors after all)

I know people say Jet boats are a lot of work, but I've worked on sleds and it seems very simple to me, and the jet is easier than the track assembly.

The hull is perfect, the new gel coat looks awesome... only thing that I should get, but won't is a custom cover. I just bought a custom's accessories heavy duty towable cover just to use to keep the water out, and I won't be towing with it on, as I'm leaving it out at my trailer in Radium.

But just to make sure everything is good here before I drag it out there... any local small lakes you all recommend (without weeds, which means no no to chestaslew?)

Also... if we like boating "long term" I'll likely sell and upgrade to a Pontoon

Maybe I'll ask this... what are the pro's cons of the following:

Ghost Lake
Newell
McGregor
Little Bow
Sylvan
Gull
Glennifer

[Dave P]

Best thing you can do is convince a friend to buy a boat.

[Mitsu3000gt]

We've been a boating family for almost 20 years and cost is nowhere near as bad as some would have you believe, aside upfront cost of a brand new Wakesetter or whatever if you go that route. We've had older boats too though (standard 16-17ft outboard, open bow), and sold them for the same money as we bought them for. Never had any major mechanical issues and were always maintained well. Never had to replace any canvas, vinyl, or trailer parts - proper care and standard preventative maintenance did the trick. Winterization is easy to do yourself, and you shouldn't have to replace a prop hardly ever unless you are driving in waters you shouldn't be. The worst part was the gas for the tow vehicle + the boat if you're running the boat all day, but chances are you are out with several people or another family so the cost is insignificant for a day's entertainment, and you can put purple rec gas in the boat which is cheaper. Our tubes, ropes, and boards lasted for years if not the entire time we had the boat. Wet-suits & life jackets from Costco were good quality and lasted a super long time. None of the negative boat sayings have ever applied to anything we ever experienced. Some of the most memorable years of my life were out on the lake with a bunch of family & friends, such a great place to be.

Got our friends together a couple times a season for a good deep clean, waxing, 303 coating, etc. Doesn't take long at all. Cleaning the boat and prepping it for the drive home after a long day on the water is neither difficult nor time consuming. 20 minutes or so and we were on our way.

We knew other families with boats and their experience was similar to ours, again we did nothing special. I think it's something a lot of people go into without doing any research or due diligence, and that is when you end up having costly issues. We saw so many people doing stupid stuff out on the water over the years, or totally abusing their investment. I'll never forget I saw some guy drag his van completely under water because the tow vehicle was woefully inadequate for the boat. A lot of the bad stories you hear are avoidable. Some people owned boats and didn't even know how to back a trailer into the water - you can only imagine what else they were doing, and those are the people who get nailed with costs.

Boat technology does not evolve fast. It's a fiberglass tub and a giant motor haha. Tons of people also never use their boats - buy a used boat with low hours for a fraction of the new cost and you will not be missing out on much. We had a 2004 Wakesetter that we bought new and it's 90% the same as the 2017's. I think we sold it for $30-35K in 2012.

Most of the negative comments here seem to be centered around inexperience, bad luck, or shitty friends. We had a very different experience over a very long time and more than one boat. Lots of misleading info in here IMHO. There was nothing special about what we did and I don't recall a single accident, wrecked prop, or significant repair bill. And yeah, if you never actually use your boat, of course it's going to be a bad investment with a high cost per use...that goes for anything. We sold ours when it got too difficult to get people together and head out (after University).

Little Bow was our go-to lake for weekend day-trips, just over an hour from Calgary, super easy drive, warm in the summer, and bay after bay after bay so it's super easy to get a whole bay to yourself, and find calm water sheltered from the wind.

YMMV of course, but this idea that owning a boat is some sort of nightmare is blown out of proportion IMO. Buying a brand new wakeboarding boat for $150K to have fun is definitely not necessary either.

[Rarasaurus]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Maybe I'll ask this... what are the pro's cons of the following:

Ghost Lake
Newell
McGregor
Little Bow
Sylvan
Gull
Glennifer

Ghost lake - close which is nice. Not much for day use - coldest
Little Bow - nice day use and camping - gas nearby is tougher.
Sylvan - Crowded
Cant comment much on the others. We always went south since we live south end and found crossing the City with the boat a pain. Pine Coulee is close just east of Stavley and for just a quick day of boating we used that for proximity.

[r3ccOs]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Ghost lake - close which is nice. Not much for day use - coldest
Little Bow - nice day use and camping - gas nearby is tougher.
Sylvan - Crowded
Cant comment much on the others. We always went south since we live south end and found crossing the City with the boat a pain. Pine Coulee is close just east of Stavley and for just a quick day of boating we used that for proximity.

I hear pine coulee is stocked full of walleye in an invasive way and you can take home a few

do you need charts at any of these bodies of water?

[My_name_is_Rob]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Maybe I'll ask this... what are the pro's cons of the following:

Ghost Lake
Newell
McGregor
Little Bow
Sylvan
Gull
Glennifer

Sylvan, as mentioned above, very crowded and dirty.
Gull, dirty and shallow, but not nearly as busy.
Glennifer, Little deeper, still dirty, but there are some "cliffs" you can jump off of, and it's not usually nearly as busy as Sylvan.

[SOAB]

i don't know if i'd rule out Chestermere because a friend of mine has said that they dredge that lake multiple times a year so seaweed isn't that big of an issue any longer.

my cousin has a brand new Mastercraft wakesurf boat for this year. they replaced their 07 with it cause some major services were coming up. they are out on the lake every 2 weeks and at least 10 days every month.

fuel costs can be bad but don't have cheap friends. haha.

[r3ccOs]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

i don't know if i'd rule out Chestermere because a friend of mine has said that they dredge that lake multiple times a year so seaweed isn't that big of an issue any longer.

my cousin has a brand new Mastercraft wakesurf boat for this year. they replaced their 07 with it cause some major services were coming up. they are out on the lake every 2 weeks and at least 10 days every month.

fuel costs can be bad but don't have cheap friends. haha.

wakeboats with big marinized V8s and ballasts are just never cheap to run... imagine a 6.2 big block ford at WOT in a boat over 7k with ballast?

most decent bows with a V6 or even the 5.0 can be ran for less than a hundred bucks an outing.

hrm... chestaslew if in fact isnt' that bad for weeds, which is a killer for any PWCs or jet boats... I may give it ago

[Sdeibert]

My Wakesetter (when I had it; stolen in December ) was around $100 a trip in fuel. We always have 3 guys at minimum wakeboarding & surfing, around 4 hrs per trip on the water. Not much down time, just when switching riders.

Ballast was usually half on wakeboarding, full for surf.
Engine was an LSA with supercharger, premium fuel.

[lincolndood]

I had a look through this thread just in case it was mentioned but it is not. Have you looked at the 2006+ SeaDoo speedster 150? We bought one about 4 years ago with 60hrs on it for 10800. It is a 4 seater (could put 5) 15ft boat with 3 engine choices (155hp, 215hp, 255hp). We got the 155hp and its been absolutely great in terms of reliability. We change the oil and spark plugs (3 of them) and thats it. Its fairly light (1800lbs with trailer) and can be towed easily, and its great on the lake. It will get up to about 70km/h and it has no trouble pulling me out of the water wakeboarding (~230lbs). This was our first boat and we couldn't be happier with it.

Also the 1.5L 3 cyl 4 stroke engine will go all weekend on a tank of gas. We've had ours 3 weekends in a row on a tank of gas!

[r3ccOs]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I had a look through this thread just in case it was mentioned but it is not. Have you looked at the 2006+ SeaDoo speedster 150? We bought one about 4 years ago with 60hrs on it for 10800. It is a 4 seater (could put 5) 15ft boat with 3 engine choices (155hp, 215hp, 255hp). We got the 155hp and its been absolutely great in terms of reliability. We change the oil and spark plugs (3 of them) and thats it. Its fairly light (1800lbs with trailer) and can be towed easily, and its great on the lake. It will get up to about 70km/h and it has no trouble pulling me out of the water wakeboarding (~230lbs). This was our first boat and we couldn't be happier with it.

Also the 1.5L 3 cyl 4 stroke engine will go all weekend on a tank of gas. We've had ours 3 weekends in a row on a tank of gas!

So far I'm very happy with the sportster, which hull wise is still very similar but I have alot less power than your 4tec engine with my old 2 stroker. That said, boy they are still quick and can really hit waves, and handle like a jetski with seats.

one thing I don't like about the engine is that if i'm not WOT, it really lugs as it is a 2 stroke and the powerband is almost just off and on. Did a compression test and the engine is running well... but they can be a bit of maintenance on the PTO Jet, which requires lubrication every 10 hours (not sure about the newer ones)

but I did learn my lesson and the kid threw the dock line in, which got sucked up by the Jet. Luckily not long enough to get to the impellers, but wraped in the driveshaft so bad that the shop had to remove the plugs, the jet and driveshaft to disloge. for good measure rebuilt the hull sleave and so far its running well...

Then a neighbor's kid decided to climb the boat while I was getting it ready, sat on a storge cubby and broke it, and while getting out, stepped on the cupholder and pushed it threw...
grr Marinized right?

Boats :P

oh and a great place to boat, I feel now better than little bow or mcgregor (same kinda thing) is the other side of stavely at Pine Coulee...

That said, all the boys brought their big toys out to play today, and there was almost nothing less than a 70k boat in the water... Mastercrafts, Moombas, Tige, MB sports.
Luckly the water was cold so nobody was waking it up and just anchored to fish.

[speedog]

Does anyone go to Twin Valley - it is a bit closer to Calgary than Pine Coulee.

[r3ccOs]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Does anyone go to Twin Valley - it is a bit closer to Calgary than Pine Coulee.

I wouldn't say it is, and there is more weeds in McGregor, Little bow and Twin valley... BUT pine coulee is pretty boring and has tons of horseflies

Man have I learnt my lesson, got water into my tank as I hit some waves well over the vent for the breather... I didnt' see this as being the issue until my boat basically wouldn't fire, and luckily its a 2 stroke, so had to syphon the tank and keep using the starter to get the water out of the motor. (FFS)

so far the compression is fine, so I'm going to take it back out, but it took alot of troubleshooting.

good thing about 2 stroke PWCs and jetboats from Bombardier and Scarab is that its basically a sled on water, so the PTO connects to a jet drive instead of a CVT.

2 stroke block is designed to be rebuilt (top end) or replaced, and the Jet has easily and designed to be replacable parts... (but never cheap obviously)

[r3ccOs]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I wouldn't say it is, and there is more weeds in McGregor, Little bow and Twin valley... BUT pine coulee is pretty boring and has tons of horseflies

Man have I learnt my lesson, got water into my tank as I hit some waves well over the vent for the breather... I didnt' see this as being the issue until my boat basically wouldn't fire, and luckily its a 2 stroke, so had to syphon the tank and keep using the starter to get the water out of the motor. (FFS)

so far the compression is fine, so I'm going to take it back out, but it took alot of troubleshooting.

good thing about 2 stroke PWCs and jetboats from Bombardier and Scarab is that its basically a sled on water, so the PTO connects to a jet drive instead of a CVT.

2 stroke block is designed to be rebuilt (top end) or replaced, and the Jet has easily and designed to be replacable parts... (but never cheap obviously)

ugh, water is out of the fuel finally (3 siphons and 2 filters) and then now my engine is overheating "ARG"

anyone good at fixing plugged cooling systems in a seadoo?

[Mitsu3000gt]

I sure wish we still had our boat, the weather this year has been absolutely phenomenal and would have been perfect for a record number of boating days.