Glad I found you all!

[Tollus]

I was off the old board for a while due to the winter and lack of boating. Bought a new truck, so I've been browsing a Ram forum this winter.

I checked in YJB and there was all kinds of drama going on and lots of people missing.

 

[itsdgm]

Yep. A bit of a shake up in the last month. But you came to the right place. Welcome to the site. Glad you decided to join us.

 

[Tollus]

Yeah, I think I'll be here for a while

I wasn't a terribly active member over there ~450 posts, but learned a lot and tried to pass on knowledge from my experiences. Gave me the courage to install Perfect Pass myself, install a new stereo with amps, etc. myself and to install a tower.

Hopefully I can pass some of that knowledge on here as well.

 

[leeatmg]

I was off the old board for a while due to the winter and lack of boating. Bought a new truck, so I've been browsing a Ram forum this winter.

I checked in YJB and there was all kinds of drama going on and lots of people missing.

Welcome from a fellow Ram owner!

 

[fairpilot]

welcome aboard

 

[txav8r]

Howdy Jeff! Good of you to join us FINALLY! Absolutely kidding! I somehow couldn't find you on my email list, and was shocked today to get the mail from you because it came thru with your name as though you were in my list...and yes, you were! I just somehow didn't find it in my searches...or you would have been here a few days sooner! But hey, we have only been open a week, you ain't missed nuttin' yet! But I am glad you emailed and that you found us! Welcome aboard!

 

[Julian]

@Tollus Welcome! Check out the links in my signature for tips on the board and more!

 

[jetboater4life]

Welcome aboard!

 

[Norboo]

Fancy seeing you here. LOL

 

[Norboo]

Yeah, I think I'll be here for a while

I wasn't a terribly active member over there ~450 posts, but learned a lot and tried to pass on knowledge from my experiences. Gave me the courage to install Perfect Pass myself, install a new stereo with amps, etc. myself and to install a tower.

Hopefully I can pass some of that knowledge on here as well.

very nice! when are you free to help with my boat? I'll bring all the beers you want.

 

[Tollus]

very nice! when are you free to help with my boat? I'll bring all the beers you want.

I'm game as soon as the weather warms up. Hard to believe the marina opens this weekend

 

[Norboo]

I'm game as soon as the weather warms up. Hard to believe the marina opens this weekend

I know, can't wait! Keith inspected my trailer yesterday and I am good to go. It's been a super long winter, I can't wait till I get out on the water and also to tee it up. LOL

Replied to you on the other site.

 

[Detonate]

I wasn't a terribly active member over there ~450 posts, but learned a lot and tried to pass on knowledge from my experiences. Gave me the courage to install Perfect Pass myself, install a new stereo with amps, etc. myself and to install a tower.

Yeah, me either... I had 419 posts in the last 6 years, 7 months, and 23 days!!!

 

[Tollus]

I know, can't wait! Keith inspected my trailer yesterday and I am good to go. It's been a super long winter, I can't wait till I get out on the water and also to tee it up. LOL

Replied to you on the other site.

Man, what a mess with the flooded engine!!! Twice, no less. To answer your post from the other site.....we bought a new house instead of a new boat, lol. We'll be sticking with the 230 for at least another summer. I have family with a property at Lake Anna and I can store the Yamaha for free there...so longer term goal is to get a cruiser for the Potomac and put the Yammie on a dock lift at Lake Anna. That way the wife and I have our boat close by and the kids's boat a little further, but still close by. Then we can just pick which we're using on any given day/weekend.

That Chaparrel is a nice ride btw.

 

[Gym]

Welcome Jeff. Looks like you've already kicked off your shoes and settled in. This is a real comfortable place to be.

 

[PEARCE]

Welcome from a fellow Ram owner!

Same here! Which Ram did you get and which forum have you been on? I'm on the Cummins forum with the same user name. I don't post over there much though.

 

[Tollus]

Got a 1500....I only tow the boat and drive around town, so it isn't much of a work horse. I traded in an Armada, which ironically can tow more than my RAM since I opted for a more fuel efficient gear ratio.

The Armada got 12-13 MPG not matter what. I'm seeing 16-17 in the Ram and I'm under 1,000 miles, so I expect it to get a little better with break in and once I put synthetic oil in.

The forum I found was ramforumz. I have the same user name there as well.

 

[Norboo]

Man, what a mess with the flooded engine!!! Twice, no less. To answer your post from the other site.....we bought a new house instead of a new boat, lol. We'll be sticking with the 230 for at least another summer. I have family with a property at Lake Anna and I can store the Yamaha for free there...so longer term goal is to get a cruiser for the Potomac and put the Yammie on a dock lift at Lake Anna. That way the wife and I have our boat close by and the kids's boat a little further, but still close by. Then we can just pick which we're using on any given day/weekend.

That Chaparrel is a nice ride btw.

That sounds great!
I have never been to Lake Anna with a boat before. Where is a good ramp to put in? Which parts of Lake Anna should I be looking to explore first?

I’ve been meaning to ask, did you rewire the speaker wires or use existing wires?

 

[Suchawittygal]

Yeah, I think I'll be here for a while

I wasn't a terribly active member over there ~450 posts, but learned a lot and tried to pass on knowledge from my experiences. Gave me the courage to install Perfect Pass myself, install a new stereo with amps, etc. myself and to install a tower.

Hopefully I can pass some of that knowledge on here as well.

Welcome! You installed PP yourself?? It sounds like more and more people are doing that....Y'all give me some hope

 

[Tollus]

@Suchawittygal, you'd be surprised by how easy it actually is. The hardest part was running wiring from the helm to the engine compartment. There is a fairly easy path (not threading a needle), but I don't fit in the helm compartment. Once I got my wife in there, it was easy. I used a broom handle and attached the wiring to the end of it and pushed it from the back and far forward as I could, she was able to reach in and grab it and we were done!

@Norboo I reused the existing wire for the 4 existing speakers. I had to run new wire for the tower speakers. If it hadn't been 100 degrees the day I installed the stereo, I may have been more patient and run all new wiring. As for Lake Anna, the marina where Lake Country Marine is located has public ramps. I actually prefer Sturgeon Creek myself. On the road they are only a mile or so apart. On the water it's a little further based on the coves you'll come out of. The north part of the lake is more popular. Just above the 208 bridge (where Lake Country is located) the lake splits into an east and west finger. To the east you'll see Lake Anna State Park. You can continue up that way and you'll hit Hunters Landing where there is a little restaurant on the water.

We typically go to the west, we have family with a property up that way where we launch from and store the boat on their lift while visiting the lake. Up that way you'll hit Tim's Lake Anna - which is related to Tim's Rivershore on the Potomac. If you continue up that way you'll come to the sand bar. Since Lake Anna is man made, the sand bar is basically what used to be a hill. Now it's in the middle of a fairly open section of water, but it's only 2-3 feet deep. People anchor all around it and there is a volleyball court in the middle of the lake there. Depending on the weekend, it can be a little crazy and not very kid friendly and other times it is kid friendly. Hit or miss really. Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends are pretty much guaranteed to be crazy. The lake fingers off all over the place, so I'm giving you very general directions, you can easily take a wrong finger, but it won't go far. The lake is only about 18,000 acres and 1/3 of that is blocked off from the "public" side of the lake by dykes. The "private" side of the lake doesn't have any public access ramps (or any place to get gas or food) on the lake. Great if you have a house there since there isn't as much traffic, but also means you can't enjoy any of the amenities on the public side unless you tow your boat around to a public ramp. Which you'd be towing a lot anyway to fill your tank up. The private side is where the nuclear plant spills out their hot water. In the late summer the water in the cove right next to the plant is like a hot tub. We rented a house on that side for a couple summer vacations. My fish finder said the water temp in that cove was 104 in August!!! Like I said, hot tub. We stick to the public side now. Like I said, free place to launch, places to go eat and get gas, etc. The family's property doesn't have a house, so when we go for a week, we rent a house off the lake now and just use the property to hang out at all day long and to lift the boat at the end of the day.