Welcome to the Wisconsin and Minnesota Regional Forum!!

[WiskyDan]

I figured that I would start a "welcome" thread and list some topics that might be interesting. Feel free to list as few or as many as you want and add some of your own - I'll go first:

Where I live: Jackson, WI
Current boat: 2015 Yamaha 242 Limited S (2 years)
Previous boat/s: 2006 Yamaha SX230 (1+ year)
Years owning a boating: 3
Home lake/s or river/s: Lake Winnebago, Lake Butte Des Morts, Lake Winneconne, Lake Poygan, Lake Partridge, Fox River
Other lakes and rivers I've boated on: Lake Michigan, Milwaukee River
Tow vehicle: UHaul pickup
Trailer/Slip/Drystack: In/out warehouse at Skipper Buds
Marina location: Oshkosh, WI - Lake Butte Des Morts
Boat mods/upgrades: Two piece snap-on mooring cover, full SeaDek, Cobra Jet steering, Lateral Thrusters, JL/Rockford Fosgate upgrade ( 2 amps, 8 speakers, 1 subwoofer), Garmin 73SV chart plotter, Odyssey 34M-PC1500ST deep cycle marine battery (start), Battle Born 100Ah LiFePO 4 battery (house), Noco Genius 10x2 dual bank charger, Noco GB20 jump starter, Stoltz bow roller, Big Air flag holders, 18v Ryobi cordless inflator
Favorite boat mod/upgrade: Sound system
Future mods: Extra bilge pump, maybe a sound bar and another sub
Floatables: Happybuy 6'8' inflatable dock, Solstice 8' floaty ring, Airhead Aqua Oasis floating cooler,
Towables: None
Anchors: Large box anchor for bow, small box anchor for stern
Coolers: Two HO Stow-n-Go 38, one Yeti Hopper BackFlip 24
Winter storage: Heated indoor
Sucked up a rope: Yes, once
Forgot to put the clean out plugs back in: Not yet
Favorite sandbar if conditions are perfect: Waverly Beach - Menasha WI
Favorite on-water restaurant/bar: TJ's Harbor - Oshkosh, WI
JetBoaters.net members that I've met: drewkaree, 906Tony, Brad460, dietz2403, FSH 210 Sport

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Great job!

 

[jetboater4life]

Real Name: Derick
Where I live: Rochester, MN
Current boat: 2010 Yamaha 212 X (10 years)
Previous boat/s: 1997 Seadoo Speedster (10 years)
Years owning a boating: 20
Home lake/s or river/s: Lake Zumbro
Other lakes and rivers I've boated on: Island Lake (Duluth), Mississippi (near Wabasha), occasionally Lake Marion or Prior Lake (Twin Cities), Lake Superior
Tow vehicle: 2016 Yukon XL
Trailer/Slip/Drystack: EZ Dock BP5000 air assisted floating lift.
Marina location: Ponderosa Campground on Lake Zumbro
Boat mods/upgrades: see my sig
Favorite boat mod/upgrade: seadek, Lowrance Chartplotter, Perfect Pass, tower speakers, blue seas add a battery ACR kit, 2x wakemakers ballast kit system
Future mods: air inflator, soundproofing, fume/hiwater detector, seablaze x2 underwater light
Floatables: 6'10' airhead or wow inflatable mats, obrien 6'18' water mat, pool noodles, walk on water ball
Towables: Air Head 3 person slice, air head 2 person slice, gladiator switch 2 person, 3person hot dog, skiis, wakebards, kneeboards, surfboards
Anchors: Large box anchor for bow, small box anchor for stern
Coolers: Embroidered with our Name AO cooler family pack
Winter storage: farmers barn or my non-heated garage
Sucked up a rope: yep! 8 years ago
Forgot to put the clean out plugs back in: Yep probably a couple of times, made a mess of my nerf footballs once
Favorite sandbar if conditions are perfect: about an hour north of the Wabasha launch on the East side of the river there is a 100ft sand dune. My friend has a 100ft slip and slide and pumps water from the river to the top of it. Every kid on the beach spends all day going down that thing.
Favorite on-water restaurant/bar: We don't bar hop much but I enjoy a meal at the Pondy on Lake Zumbro after a long day of boating
JetBoaters.net members that I've met: not sure if I have met any however it feels like I have since I have been on this forum since it's beginning.

 

[WiskyDan]

I need to ask about the EZ Dock and get your thoughts. I was pretty close to pulling the trigger on a wet slip this year but I want the boat up out of the water.

Looked at two options but couldn't make up my mind so I decided to stick with the dry stack for another season:

1. Standard boat lift
2. Air Dock

A used standard lift can be had for $5000-$7000 and I got a quote for the Air Dock for about $3500 IIRC.

The EZ Dock looks pretty nice - how do you like it? How does it compare cost-wise to the other two options?

 

[jetboater4life]

I need to ask about the EZ Dock need get your thoughts. I was pretty close to pulling the trigger on a wet slip this year but I want the boat up out of the water.

Looked at two options but couldn't make up my mind so I decided to stick with the dry stack for another season:

1. Standard boat lift
2. Air Dock

A used standard lift can be had for $5000-$7000 and I got a quote for the Air Dock for about $3500 IIRC.

The EZ Dock looks pretty nice - how do you like it? How does it compare cost-wise to the other two options?

It's OK, can be a pain to push it off the lift sometimes. I have to silicone spray the bunks otherwise it takes two strong guys to push it off. Some people have rigged up a pully system. If I had to do it again I would probably do a boat floater. For a price quote check with Jeff at Coulee region docks out of lacrosse. I bought mine used 6 years ago.

 

[viper15]

Where I live: Wausau, WI
Current boat: 2017 Yamaha AR195 (owned since new)
Previous boat/s: 1989 VIP w/ 115 Merc tower of power
Years owning a boating: 6
Home lake/s or river/s: Lake Wausau, Lake Du Bay
Other lakes and rivers I've boated on: Lake Tomahawk, Lake Solberg, Lake Holcombe
Tow vehicle: Ford F-150
Trailer/Slip/Drystack: trailer
Marina location: NA
Boat mods/upgrades: mooring cover, thrust vectors, lateral thrusters, Lowarance fish finder/GPS, remote stereo controls, LED lighting, Reborn wakeboard & ski racks, Stoltz bow roller
Favorite boat mod/upgrade: NA
Future mods: tower speakers
Floatables: none
Towables: Big Mable 2-person
Anchors: 2 plastic coated navy-style
Coolers: shallow one that slides under the bench seat
Winter storage: Heated indoor
Sucked up a rope: Not yet
Forgot to put the clean out plugs back in: yep
Favorite sandbar if conditions are perfect: the one with lots of sun and few people
Favorite on-water restaurant/bar: the one that's open with cold beer
JetBoaters.net members that I've met: none

 

[drewkaree]

Tow vehicle: Uhaul pickup

I SO wanna take you car shopping ?

 

[biffdotorg]

I SO wanna take you car shopping ?

I get it though, if you tow twice a year, why own a truck. I could never get away with that, but since COVID, my truck sits in my pole shed giving me onstar warnings that my tires or batteries are low. At least SXS and Sled season are coming. It will get a workout then.

 

[biffdotorg]

Where I live: Pelican Rapids, MN
Current boat: 2011 Yamaha 242LS
Previous boat/s: SeaDoo X20 w/Merc 240efi, ShuttleCraft with Yamaha GP1200r, Other GP1200, GP760, and a pair of GP1300R's
Years boating: Nearly born in a boat 53 years ago
Home lake/s or river/s: Franklin Lake, Otter Tail County, MN
Other lakes and rivers I've boated on: Many lakes in Central MN, and larger surrounding lakes (Lake of the Woods, Missouri River, Sakakawea)
Tow vehicle: 2018 GMC Sierra Denali
Trailer/Slip/Drystack: Galvanized Trailer for short trips and storage. Otherwise it lives on a Floe 5000 VSD, covered lift
Marina location: NA
Boat mods/upgrades: mooring cover, snap on cover, thrust vector wake, lateral thrusters, Simrad Sonar/GPS, Fusion RA70NSX with NMEA remote, JL 1000w amp, JL 6.5" Speakers, 2x JL 10" Subs WetSounds Sound Link audio broadcaster, Monster swivel wake/Surf rack, Stoltz bow roller, Chocolate over Black SeaDek, NOCO Genius 10x2 bank onboard charger with thru-hull AC port,
Favorite boat mod/upgrade: Lateral Thrusters
Future mods: Trade for a 255xd
Floatables: Sams Club Lily pad, and a colleciton of swim saddles
Towables: Scheels/HO Havoc tubes, and HO Single tubes
Anchors: Box anchor in the bow, coated navy style in the stern
Coolers: RTIC 20 with Chocolate over Black SeaDek topper to match the flooring, larger RTIC's and Yetis for long days
Winter storage: 40x70 pole building, un-heated, My boat is no wussy, and can handle -40f
Sucked up a rope: nope, we tow from the tower, and someone is always responsible for watching the rope
Forgot to put the clean out plugs back in: Nope, Cobra EZ locks with cord help remind me
Favorite sandbar if conditions are perfect: Wherever our friends are at. But Pelican Lake nearby is always fun.
Favorite on-water restaurant/bar: Zorbaz locations are scattered around central Minnesota, The originals, Detroit Lakes and Little Pine.
JetBoaters.net members that I've met: The member I bought our boat from in Hilton Head. Drove 3200 miles round trip to buy it! No regrets!

 

[WiskyDan]

I get it though, if you tow twice a year, why own a truck. I could never get away with that, but since COVID, my truck since in my pole shed giving me onstar warnings that my tires or batteries are low. At least SXS and Sled season are coming. It will get a workout then.

I SO wanna take you car shopping ?

I have an SUV that could tow it easily (it even has the tow package installed) but I baby the hell out of it and don't want to use it for that. I've had the SUV for about 3 1/2 years and have only put about 27,000 miles on it - I mostly just look at it as I'm walking through the garage.

I bought a little two-seater at the beginning of summer and my girlfriend said "great, now you have two vehicles that you'll hardly ever drive......"

 

[Madcityami]

Where I live: Madison, WI
Current boat: 2010 sx210
Previous boat/s: none
Years owning a boating: 3
Home lake/s or river/s: Lake Mendota/Monona
Tow vehicle: Acura MDX
Trailer/Slip/Drystack: Drystack
Marina location: Madison, WI
Sucked up a rope: just gobs of milfoil
Forgot to put the clean out plugs back in: Not yet
Favorite on-water restaurant/bar: UW Memorial Union

 

[ryanweber24]

Where I live: Madison, WI
Current boat: 2018 Yamaha AR195
Years owning a boating: 2
Home lake/s or river/s: Lake Monona
Other lakes and rivers I've boated on: Lake Mendota, Lake Waubesa, Lake Wisconsin, Castle Rock Lake, Pewaukee Lake, Green Lake, Golden Lake, Lake Kegonsa, Beaver Dam Lake
Tow vehicle: 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee (V6, factory tow package)
Trailer/Slip/Drystack: Trailer
Boat mods/upgrades: JBP Package (full seadek, thrust vectors, rear cushions), Lucky 13 cone, keel guard, stoltz bow roller, LED padded trailer guides, radial tires w/ aftermarket rims, boat buckles
Favorite boat mod/upgrade: Seadek
Coolers: Coleman Stackers (2 under bench seat)
Winter storage: Indoor, not heated
Sucked up a rope: Not yet
Forgot to put the clean out plugs back in: Not yet

 

[Bdog]

Where I live: Twin Cities, MN
Current boat: 2019 Yamaha AR195
Years owning a boat: 3
Home lake/s or river/s: Lake Sylvia
Other lakes and rivers I've boated on: I'm trailing so lots! Too many to list!
Tow vehicle: 2022 Chevy Tahoe High Country overkill 6.2L
Trailer/Slip/Drystack: Trailer
Boat mods/upgrades: full seadek , stoltz bow roller, trailer guides, radial tires w/ aftermarket rims, boat buckles
Favorite boat mod/upgrade: Seadek
Coolers: Yeti
Winter storage: Indoor, covered, not heated.
Sucked up a rope: Not yet
Forgot to put the clean out plug back in: Not yet

 

[Bdog]

Also it's for sale in the spring!! 130 hours

 

[TheShreve]

Where I live: FDL, WI.
Current boat: 2017 Yamaha SX195
Previous boat/s:
Years owning a boating: 2
Home lake/s or river/s: Green Lake, Long Lake, Winnebago
Other lakes and rivers I've boated on:
Tow vehicle: 2018 Toyota Tacoma
Trailer/Slip/Drystack: trailer
Marina location: NA
Boat mods/upgrades: Thrust vectors,
Favorite boat mod/upgrade: NA
Future mods: Marine Mat, upgrade the ugly A$$ trailer rims. Graphix.
Floatables: Lilly pad
Towables:
Anchors: Standard Yamaha
Coolers: What ever one fits for the trip
Winter storage: indoor
Sucked up a rope: Not yet
Forgot to put the clean out plugs back in: NOpe
Favorite sandbar if conditions are perfect: Party cove
Favorite on-water restaurant/bar: the one that's open with cold beer
JetBoaters.net members that I've met: none

 

[Rakkaone187]

Where I live: Twin Cities, MN
Current boat: 2020 Yamaha AR195
Previous boat/s: none
Years owning a boating: 2
Home lake/s or river/s: Prior Lake
Other lakes and rivers I've boated on: Lake Minnetonka, Lake Bemidji, Lake Itasca, White Bear Lake, Crystal Lake, Lake Mille Lacs, Cross Lake, Spider Lake WI, and Cedar Lake-New Prague
Tow vehicle: 2018 Toyota Sequoia
Trailer/Slip/Drystack: Trailer
Marina location: NA
Boat mods/upgrades: Thrust vectors, Perko dual battery setup
Favorite boat mod/upgrade: NA
Future mods: Marine Mat, boat buckle, trailer wheels/tires, interior LED lighting
Floatables: Aqua Lily Pad
Towables: Airhead Slice 2ppl
Anchors: Standard Yamaha
Coolers: Engel 35, anything carrying cold drinks and Sammy’s
Winter storage: Indoor
Sucked up a rope: Nope
Forgot to put the clean out plugs back in: Negative
Favorite sandbar if conditions are perfect: Lake Bemidji State Park
Favorite on-water restaurant/bar: BayView Bar & Grille Lake Mille Lacs
JetBoaters.net members that I've met:

 

[jburt26]

Love this thread. Plan on catching up with all of the related Wisco threads. New here but I am in Appleton and trailer the boat to Oshkosh Sandpit area for landing. Currently selling the Regal 1900 for a 212 LTD S. Been to alot of the spots you all mentioned and grew up in Appleton area, but did not necessarily experience them from the water. I feel like I can add a lot but also learn alot! Also spent decent time on Waupaca Chain and Three Lakes Chain. Cheers!

 

[WiskyDan]

Welcome @Rakkaone187 and @jburt26 !!

We’re doing in/out at Skipper Buds this year (boat stays on trailer in warehouse and I drop it in and pull it out when I want) so we will be at the Sand Pit more often than we have in the past.

 

[drewkaree]

Welcome @Rakkaone187 and @jburt26 !!

We’re doing in/out at Skipper Buds this year (boat stays on trailer in warehouse and I drop it in and pull it out when I want) so we will be at the Sand Pit more often than we have in the past.

Forgot to tell you, build some wood chocks for the wheels on your trailer. They may have something there, but it may not be there when you get back. Ask me how I know ?

Text me, we're headed up next weekend and I've got some 4x4's I can cut for you.

You can just use 2 eye bolts in the ends of the 2 pieces and connect with a short piece of rope. Easy removal and storage. I might have some rope for you too.

 

[WiskyDan]

My boat comes out of storage on Saturday - taking it to Team Winnebagoland to have it run up for the season.

@drewkaree and I changed the oil and spark plugs last season but I just don't have the time to do it so the dealer will take care of it. My YES warranty ran out last August so I'm going to have the dealer inspect the timing chains for wear.