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Kesper North posted:Hey thread, if I wanted to tow a boat of 25 or fewer feet, what magnitude of truck/SUV/pullerthing must I contemplate? Is there is a sweet spot in price/performance in that category? I'm looking to buy a vehicle after some years of carlessness and I have no idea what's good, and "pulling a boat" is one of my requirements. Also, what sort of towing are you planning to do regularly? For example, my dad's 24' speedboat weighs about 5,000lbs which was (barely) fine for my Jeep Cherokee because the boat launch was a mile down a flat road.
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Dec 16, 2019 21:29
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n0tqu1tesane posted:... With the caveat that I'd definitely want 4wd for a tow vehicle for anything heavy, especially if it's a pickup doing the pulling. I’ve seen too many people have trouble one they get their light rear end over some wet algae. Granted, that was in Atlanta... n0tqu1tesane posted:... My biggest boating pet peeve is when I pull off to the side so I can fiddle with straps etc without blocking the ramp, and someone will pull past me so they can park on the ramp to do all that crap. That and people who leave their docking lights on like headlights.
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Dec 16, 2019 23:05
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 This is my dad's 24' boat with a 496 back when I used to pull it with my Cherokee. He now has an H3 he uses for towing his ~5,000lb boat. I'd trust pretty much any V8 Grand Cherokee* to do a better job than my regular straight six Cherokee. At the very least, there are options aside from pickup trucks that won't necessarily pull as well but will work well enough and I'd rather live with when I'm not towing. *There was a V-8 Jeep made that was known for overheating and dropping its valves into the cylinder.
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Dec 18, 2019 05:02
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Maybe I'll have enough time to work on my boat then.
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Mar 13, 2020 18:11
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I once dropped a pry bar off my dad's dock into chest high water. In the time it took me to go inside and change it had disappeared forever.
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Apr 25, 2020 16:15
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FrozenVent posted:Dude, those cracks are nasty but I highly, highly recommend not removing anything else without securing the rudder or pulling the boat. TheFluff posted:Yeah I'm on land. I go in the water May 8th.
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Apr 26, 2020 16:03
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Bought a neglected G.W. Invader from the mid 90's at the end of last year and have been working on getting it presentable (not that it matters because someone rear-ended my tow vehicle today). Most recently I replaced the gunk from where the swim platform used to be. Got a little aggressive with the acetone and obliterated a warning sticker. Guess I'll just have to remember not to go swimming with the boat in gear.  
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May 11, 2020 21:23
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Hadlock posted:A guy I sailed with once does this, his cost of living is so low he is a ski instructor in Vail five months out of the year and that covers the rest of his living expenses for the year. He posts a lot of pictures of him hanging out with cute coed ski students all the time so I don't think he hates his life decisions.  "You know, MacGyver used to live on a houseboat. So, you want to go back to my place and I can squeeze into your slip?"
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May 15, 2020 03:24
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Amy Pole Her posted:$1900 completed! Hoping to get ski done for similar money. GW Invader is from mid Michigan and is 20 feet which includes the swim platform and water-slide shaped transom so it's not as much useful space as that would imply (my dad used to have a 19ft Baja which was the same size as a few years newer 21ft Baja because they started putting swim platforms in the fiberglass mold instead of bolting them on). Here's some pictures I took to document the condition the day I brought it home. That big navy blue/purple stripe on the side? Black. Didn't realize until I scrubbed some oxidation off. Also, I think someone made shark fin soup out of my skeg.  Someone bothered to hand-paint the registration numbers onto the hull.  Came with a big removable panel in case I prefer a closed bow (I do not). I intended to get some reupholstery work done before the season started but whoops. I added a couple extra cracks to the engine cover by kneeling on the vinyl while it was cold during winterization last year.  Bonus: The boat I sold for practically the same amount I paid for the GW Invader. 
Cat Hatter fucked around with this message at 23:56 on May 19, 2020 |
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May 19, 2020 23:50
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n0tqu1tesane posted:Jet drive outboards and outboard conversions exist too, if you wanna get weird. I guess you can clean weeds out easier than a traditional jet drive at least. How does reverse work on such an animal? ... Nevermind, I think I see a reversing bucket on there.
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May 21, 2020 03:46
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Amy Pole Her posted:GW Invader is from Indiana and comes in a variety of sizes. Surely we’re talking about different boats. Nope, both the title and steering wheel say G-W Invader. That Wikipedia link also mentions a 20 foot Bravo ESC but mentions a cabin, which I guess is what the C was for because mine just says ES on the side. I've learned that they're not the easiest boats to research. Good call on the year for the Sea Doo. I liked that boat most of the time but I spent enough time tinkering on it to never envy having two engines, two pumps, and four carburetors to work on.
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May 22, 2020 04:49
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MrYenko posted:
Nice to see Hydro Thunder getting an HD remake.
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May 23, 2020 02:34
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What is the normal way to pull a skiier with an outboard? I'm assuming either a Y rope or a skypole. I know this is a stupid question but I was raised on I/O's.
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May 23, 2020 14:43
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Snowmankilla posted:You guys are the best. Thanks for all the info. I know it is not the best to jump in so hard, but it’s kind of my wife’s personality. We wanted a place on Lake Erie, small shack, cheap as hell. Ended up with a 4 bedroom house with a bigger lawn then our actual house. Did you ever mention what you were primarily interested in doing on a boat? Chilling and getting some sun? Skiing? Tubing? Making Donzi owners rethink their life choices? For example, when looking for my current boat my wife wanted a place to lie in the sun which ruled out a couple Chaparrals and we both wanted something better at watersports than a pontoon and I don't like the way an inboard drives. Also, all the reasonably priced Baja's sold too quickly.
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May 23, 2020 16:05
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Snowmankilla posted:Chilling and tubing. Maybe learning to ski or wake boarding. Space for for around 6-8 to be comfortable. A beat up speedboat made by a company nobody has heard of and thats old enough to rent a car ...with potential. I posted about it upthread For you, I'd probably second the Yamaha recommendation. Jet boats are fun and you're looking at a size that should have enough room to lounge. They are a little weird to drive since, as mentioned, they don't turn at all when you pull back on the throttle and are coasting to a slower speed or if you stall, but you get used to it quickly. Also when reversing the steering is backwards to every other vehicle, which I never really got used to. That said, they're very forgiving to learn on and I've heard nothing but praise about Yamaha's reliability (as opposed to the usually higher performance maintenance queens made by their main competitor). Just don't go bombing through shallow water unless you/your mechanic enjoys pulling the pump housing to change the wear ring. Watching brown water shoot out the back of jet sprint racers makes my eye twitch.
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May 23, 2020 18:18
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wallaka posted:Ok, so I have now an 18 ft. runabout with a MerCruiser 140hp/3.0L. I’ve finally got it running well and tested gps speed at 37 mph. However, the rpms via the tachometer were at 2000 rpm. I think it’s a 19 pitch prop, still need to confirm. There’s virtually no way the tachometer is correct, right? Tach might be set for a two stroke (or something with waste spark) and halving the rpm number it displays. You can probably tell 2000 from 4000 rpm by ear as a sanity check.
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Jun 21, 2020 06:19
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wallaka posted:Ok, so I have now an 18 ft. runabout with a MerCruiser 140hp/3.0L. I’ve finally got it running well and tested gps speed at 37 mph. However, the rpms via the tachometer were at 2000 rpm. I think it’s a 19 pitch prop, still need to confirm. There’s virtually no way the tachometer is correct, right? As to your original question, if we plug in the numbers you gave and assume a 2.00 gear ratio as is common on a Mercruiser alpha one mated to a 3.0L, then we get a prop slip of -106%. So either you were driving down a waterfall or your tach is about 3000 rpm low. ... If you have an outboard I still wouldn't expect the gear ratio to be wildly different. Cat Hatter fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Jun 21, 2020 |
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Jun 21, 2020 22:22
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I'd skip the sanding at least until you get a sense for how well it will restore.  This was from when I first bought my ('94?) boat and found out that the purple stripe down the side was supposed to be black. Spent an afternoon with Bass Pro Shop brand combination wax/polish (it was noticeably cheaper than the 3M stuff I used to use) and a Harbor Freight wool wheel on their second cheapest rotary buffer (I've used a wool wheel attachment for a drill with similar results) and got everything all nice and shiny again*. Biggest problem in my experience is that this gets you 90% of the way there and you'll never want to bother spending the extra time/money to finish things off the right way. *No, I didn't take any pictures afterwards and that was two winters ago and it needs a wash at minimum now. The above picture was real quick by hand and a microfiber cloth.
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Apr 14, 2021 03:08
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dialhforhero posted:So...shithouse is a compliment? Got it. A shithouse (or outhouse) is a temporary building to keep wind/rain/eyes off you while you're making GBS threads outside. To build one out of brick is considered overly sturdy/reliable. They are also not known for handling well. Cat Hatter fucked around with this message at 22:19 on Apr 26, 2021 |
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Apr 26, 2021 22:15
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How well does this sort of "inject epoxy into the void between fiberglass and rotted wood" repair work? Story time! A while back I bought this 90s speedboat (file photo from before I cleaned it) that I believe came with a V6 but currently has a V8. Its hard to get information about G-W Invader boats.  Opening it up after the winter I noticed the motor mount bolts on one side were loose and then just pulled them out with my fingers.  Unfortunately there is a big stupid fiberglass shelf under the motor but above any structure and runs the entire width of the boat and looks difficult to remove even if the engine was out.  Here's the engine hoist I made primarily out of my anchor chain and whatever wood I had lying around my shed.  Pulled off the motor mount and cut the cover so I could slide it out of the way and get to the motor mount support.  This is the same support from some other guy with the smaller version of my boat who had to replace basically the whole wooden structure of his boat.  From the scientific process of "whacking things with a hammer" I have determined that the rear half of the support is sound (as is the nearby stringer) but the wood has delaminated around the holes and into the vertical board that had a lag bolt run straight down its edge. My original thought was to get a thick steel L plate to completely cover the top of the support and bolt into the vertical stringer to make up for the support being soft right under where the mount sits, but the motor mount sits about 8 inches from the stringer and would only have only about the top inch of stringer to bolt into. So now I'm wondering about fixing the wood with epoxy and then if that helps but isn't enough, put a flat plate over top and lag it into the support to spread the load and give something to bolt into (possibly through bolted through the plate).
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May 17, 2021 21:23
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Kenshin posted:The next owner will loving hate you, but it'll probably keep you floating for now? I'm fairly confident they'd hate me more if I attempted to rip out the wood entirely and replace it myself.
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May 17, 2021 21:37
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For the most part a healthy battery and electrical system can usually start on like 11 volts so I'd at least check the battery capacity to see if they're still good.
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May 26, 2021 22:52
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Femtosecond posted:drat really because that makes me think there's some compounding engine issue too. I was in contact with a mechanic but he's suddenly been ghosting me. I might need to find someone else. If it's roughly the size of a car battery and not buried somehow, pull it out and take it to AutoZone (or similar) and they'll test it for free. Charge it first though. Sometimes a battery will still have 12v+ but can only hold as much juice as a AA battery so when you go to start the motor it will drop down to (let's say) 7v until you let go of the key. Could also be that the cabling or connections somewhere between the battery, motor, and back can't carry that many amps so if you don't have perfect voltage there aren't enough watts to start the motor. Check the battery first though, they often need to be replaced every few years.
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May 27, 2021 00:34
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Couple things. A ”12v" battery can't hold a charge over 13 volts so I wouldn't bother worrying about that. You could take a brand new battery, charge it to 13.5v and even fully disconnected it would be down in the 12s somewhere within a day. It should then stay at that voltage for months once it's reached the voltage it's happy with. Everyone has a different opinion on how much parasitic draw is acceptable, but 50ma is one of the lowest numbers I've seen thrown around for a car, so I wouldn't worry about 7ma. It could be a wiring or starter issue, but it could also be that your battery has chemically degraded to the point that it still shows full voltage but can't hold enough of a charge to maintain that voltage during heavy load. The battery is the easiest thing to check though so I'd either check the voltage drop while you try to start it (electrical tape should be fine) or take it to an auto parts store and they can put it on a much more sophisticated tester.
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May 28, 2021 02:54
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Femtosecond posted:Ah no I checked the drop across the battery, one lead on the positive, one on the negative. Well you tested the battery correctly and it seems fine so yeah cables would be the next thing to check. Make sure all the connections are tight and the cables don't crunch when you move them then check voltage drop where the big red cable connects to the starter.
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Jun 1, 2021 02:59
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I think you could easily argue that you feared for your safety from the people engaged in a hate crime against you and leave them. Just throw them a rope and drag them to shore (or pull away whenever they get near. Nobody would blame you.)
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Jun 2, 2021 16:34
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Hey, some of us have powerboats with structural problems right now.
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Jun 5, 2021 04:33
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Now I kinda want to pick up some shoulder length gloves for animal husbandry just to have on hand* if I need them. *Glove pun
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Jun 23, 2021 00:17
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Hadlock posted:... Go back in time and tell Bombardier about this before they built my former boat.   
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Jul 11, 2021 03:56
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Hadlock posted:Boat is still floating, I see no issues with this Thankfully they filled the hull with styrofoam. I suspect this is why the manual says to never leave the boat in the water. It didn't even have a leak, it just rained cats and dogs for about 3 days in a row.
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Jul 11, 2021 18:25
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Elmnt80 posted:Do you not have a drain plug? Not super helpful when the boat is in the water unless the goal is an insurance claim.
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Jul 12, 2021 03:00
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Elmnt80 posted:Oops, I didn't notice that. Though tbh, if they hosed up wiring a bilge pump and float switch I could see some galaxy brain not putting a damned drain plug in. The funny thing is this was still a step up in terms of Sea Doo electrical systems! We used to have a pair of PWCs from the mid 90s that had enough parasitic loss to completely drain the batteries in about 2 weeks. I guess they never fixed that so they just put in a battery cutoff instead.
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Jul 13, 2021 16:07
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I would also consider a bowrider with an outboard or possibly a Yamaha jet boat. I don't know your family/friends, but I'd assume you're going to do more family outings than fishing once you actually have a boat so prioritize accordingly. That said, you look like you've actually thought about this properly so I think you'll do fine. Two years ago your budget would be fine but boat prices have been hosed since covid started so who knows? My friends and I used to wakeboard behind a pontoon boat, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you lean into it like my cousin who once pulled a beer out of his pocket, opened it one handed and drank it all while waterskiing behind said pontoon boat.
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Jul 23, 2021 23:42
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gvibes posted:... Two forward, two backwards, three+ on a bench.
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Jul 24, 2021 05:10
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bewbies posted:Couple more boat questions: If you're looking at a fiberglass boat, you can bring a small hammer to tap on any of the structural skeleton. If you hear a dull thud then that spot is hollow because the underlying wood has dissolved and all that's left is the fiberglass they coat it with to waterproof things.
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Jul 24, 2021 17:59
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The glib answer is that a boat is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it and right now there is unprecedented demand. Whether the buyer will regret their purchase in a few years is a different question. I'm curious who is buying all these boats though. Are boomers all deciding to change boats or did millennials all decide they can afford to buy a boat and they'd rather spend covid on the water?
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Jul 24, 2021 23:59
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Applebees Appetizer posted:So I think I'm going to buy a Jetski lol. Looking at used Yamaha VX Cruisers because apparently they are super reliable, four stroke, yadda yadda. Wear ring. It's not a deal breaker, but it's a couple hours of work to replace so it helps in negotiation. The jet pump surface around the impeller is designed to wear and be replaced or it causes cavitation that can erode the metal impeller or, in extreme cases, delaminate into chunks. You should be able to get a look at it from behind (put it in drive if it has reverse) or underneath if you hate yourself/want to inspect both sides of the impeller. Look for visible scuffs on the surface around the impeller. Look for tiny craters on either the ring or impeller indicating cavitation damage. If the impeller needs replacement (check for dings while you're looking) it's another couple hundred bucks. Ask what kind of water it's been operated in. If it's a sandy bottom they might have sucked up sand and accelerated jet pump wear, if they say a rocky bottom you can grumble about possible hull damage. Disclaimer: my experience is with Sea Doos, but they should be pretty similar in principle.
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Aug 3, 2021 00:34
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Applebees Appetizer posted:Yeah from what I'm reading it seems the VX Cruisers are the Toyota Camrys of jetskis, I never wanted to bother with them before because people that I knew that had gotten used ones were always in some sort of disrepair especially the two strokes. I can deal with a four stroke motor, gently caress the two strokes with the oil and noise and all that poo poo, two strokes are for dirt bikes. The only real advantages to two strokes:
Even worse is if you have a two stroke boat and then have to explain to anyone you bring to the lake "no, its not expected to start immediately. Yes, its supposed to smoke like that until it warms up". Almost missed the edit: You can jump start it with anything that will start a car. Just don't park right behind it because they like to spit groady water out of the exhaust on startup.
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Aug 3, 2021 17:55
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Applebees Appetizer posted:That's what I thought. How can a four stroke yamaha motor not last way longer than that with just regular oil changes? Maybe that's the average amount of time before someone lends it to their friend that hasn't internalized that you can let off the throttle or steer and they ram into a dock? That really sounds like how "cars fall apart after 100,000 miles".
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Aug 4, 2021 16:38
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n0tqu1tesane posted:I found an interesting boat on craigslist today. "For the guy who nobody wants to hang out with anyway" Going from the bottom profile in the back, I'm thinking he started with a damaged boat and started cutting off the damage and then just made it symmetrical and added a front?
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Aug 14, 2021 06:45
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