2020 Vx Cruiser HO

[Boyd95]

Just picked up a new 2020 Vx Cruiser HO! had a chance to take it out and break in the engine in the Assawoman bay in ocean city. Has plenty of power with the 1.8. I will be using it primarily in the Chesapeake which is brackish water and occasionally in Ocean City MD which is salt water. I sprayed the entire engine and pump with CRC 656 after the first ride. Dealer recommended this stuff, anyone else have any better recommendations?

Now it just needs to warm up to get in more riding!

 

[Scarab 215]

Nice, Congrats!

 

[Weeb]

Nice ride. I just started using 656. @swatski says it works great for him so I figured I’d give it a try.

 

[captainhook]

I used 656 for years but just switched to Fluid Film last year, available at Advance Auto now. It is indescribably better than 656.

Nice ski, I miss my SeaDoo but will go with Yamaha next time.

 

[Boyd95]

I used 656 for years but just switched to Fluid Film last year, available at Advance Auto now. It is indescribably better than 656.

Nice ski, I miss my SeaDoo but will go with Yamaha next time.

Ive heard good stuff about that too, I'll use the rest of the 656 and give fluid film a try. Trying to keep it looking new as long as I can lol

 

[InmyElement]

Awesome ride and color!

 

[VitaminSea]

Congrats. I have a 2016 VX HO Cruiser. The one thing I wish it had is electronic trim. On rougher days in the no wake areas and when you are trying to go slow, there is a lot of spray & a wet ride. The two things I have done to mitigate it is, I try not to fuel up past 80%, as the tank is so far forward it weights the nose down. I also had an island racing pump wedge installed (I believe Riva racing now has a similar product as well). The name is misleading, as it’s not a wedge, but an inset that goes in the pump housing and gives you a fixed ~2 degrees of tilt to help lift the nose. Very cost effective mode.

I also had the visual tale line removed (as on days when the wind is at your back, the spray will soak you if you are at a lower speed).

I have always used Yamalube spray with good results. It’s expensive compared to some other products. ($11/can). I just realized the other day that the back side of the bolts underneath the seat were rusting slightly. I never thought to spray “up” when spraying down the engine compartment. If you need a pic, let me know.

Also, the front storage compartment is not water tight, on rough days I get water in there. Might want to look at a 5-10L dry bag for stuff you want to keep dry.

Once your all broken in, let us know what it tops out at. Boattest claims 65/66, best I’ve seen is 63 (not complaining, just wondering).

have fun.

 

[Boyd95]

Congrats. I have a 2016 VX HO Cruiser. The one thing I wish it had is electronic trim. On rougher days in the no wake areas and when you are trying to go slow, there is a lot of spray & a wet ride. The two things I have done to mitigate it is, I try not to fuel up past 80%, as the tank is so far forward it weights the nose down. I also had an island racing pump wedge installed (I believe Riva racing now has a similar product as well). The name is misleading, as it’s not a wedge, but an inset that goes in the pump housing and gives you a fixed ~2 degrees of tilt to help lift the nose. Very cost effective mode.

I also had the visual tale line removed (as on days when the wind is at your back, the spray will soak you if you are at a lower speed).

I have always used Yamalube spray with good results. It’s expensive compared to some other products. ($11/can). I just realized the other day that the back side of the bolts underneath the seat were rusting slightly. I never thought to spray “up” when spraying down the engine compartment. If you need a pic, let me know.

Also, the front storage compartment is not water tight, on rough days I get water in there. Might want to look at a 5-10L dry bag for stuff you want to keep dry.

Once your all broken in, let us know what it tops out at. Boattest claims 65/66, best I’ve seen is 63 (not complaining, just wondering).

have fun.

Thanks for the tips!

I do too wish it came with the trim adjustment because as you said you pretty much get soaked while in no wake zones. I also wish it came with cleats like the VX Limited comes with.

Will also look for a dry bag, that front compartment does take in a lot of water, but some how the glove compartment stays dry

I took a look over at greenhulk and another popular thing seems to be changing the ride plate to the Gp1800 one and the intake grate, apparently it is supposed to help in rough water. The bottom of my ride plate is completely flat.

I currently have 8 hours on it and haven't completely opened it yet but I've gotten up around 60mph

 

[VitaminSea]

Ride plate is probably my next “mod”,

https://rivaracing.com/i-24075392-riva-yamaha-gp1800-vxr-vxs-performance-ride-plate.html

but at the moment I have a few projects on the boat... Not certain if I understand the value with the intake grate.

I believe the reason the front hatch allows water in is because of how much the nose “plows” through wave/wakes.

Cycle Springs in Clearwater, FL installs the forward cleats as part of their “value” package. I use’em all the time. IMO the rear cleats would probably be too low to be useful. Where I was going with this is, you might be able to have your shop install the cleats (looks like they are installed with rivets). Also use caution with docking - it seems that most floating docks allow the stern to slide under them, so I have a few scuffs, and now carry a fender set (Amazon.com : HULL HUGR PWC Fender, Black : Sports & Outdoors)

Happy riding! Really like the blue. Mine is the “tuxedo” black with white highlights...

 

[Boyd95]

Welp it was bound to happen lol. Do you think this is somthing I shoulda be really concerned about? Was cruising along in oc under 5mph around the sand bar and hit the bottom. I immediately shut the engine off and jumped off. But I guess i hit it just right to scratch it up. It’s crazy how easy things get scratched up no matter how carful you are

 

[Neutron]

Keel guard is a must if you beach a lot or possibility of hitting something
have them on both my skis as well as my boat

 

[VitaminSea]

Ouch, the Nanoxcel hulls seem to chip and sometimes de-laminate. One of those gouges does look kinda of deep. I am not sure how thick the hull actually is. I noticed that after a season I had some similar scrapes and a few smaller gouges on the bottom of my ski. I used Marine-Tex (sanded/cleaned the area, applied MT with some die mixed in, and then sanded smooth). Doesn’t look pretty, but the MT seems to be more durable than the stock outer layer of the hull.

I wonder if the Spectrum Gel Coat Paste would work (at the time I was unaware of this product)??

Just my experience. Let us know what you decide to do.

 

[Boyd95]

It appears to be very thin, even loading/ unloading on trailer it scrapes off paint the hull. I am ordering a keel guard for the rest of summer and will probably have it fixed over the fall. I wonder if its worth contacting insurence to see if they can cover it.