Helipilot11's Build Thread

[Helipilot11]

Wanted to start a build thread that follows all the progress/redos of the new boat. Here she is brand new.

Mod List (Will update with progress):
VeVe Guides

 

[Helipilot11]

One of the first mods was the VeVe Guides with CE Lights on top. The guides were covered in Beyond the Wake Guide post covers. I bought black spray paint to cover all exposed parts to match the boat/trailer. The install was pretty straight forward but read the instructions. I tackled the task without reading and I paid a price. I will show the mistake below. I love the guides! Worth the money while some people claim you do not need them (which you may not) but the one time you do I will be glad to have them.

Guides on the boat:



So the mistake.......
I did not use common sense and just bolted the mounts on the trailer and did not think about it. First time out the boat hit the post and it move to the side. I immediately knew I installed them wrong and way to go know it all.... Well looked at it and it came to me, move the bracket so the bolts mount closest to the frame. You can see where I originally had the bolts mounted.

I mounted mine pretty far back and it has worked out. Make sure to clear your gas cap as others have documented.

While I do not have pictures of the CE Smith light install it was pretty simple. Make sure you mount the amber forward and red to the back. I cut the end of the PVC post with a saw simple and straight cut in order to install the lights. The VeVe Guide post come pre drilled in order to install a bolt to prevent the PVC post from twisting and rising when in the water. Just measure the hole in the steel and drill it in the PVC. My guide covers were longer than the PVC pipe so I mounted the bolt so the pipe was not resting on the bottom stop (Picture Below). I ran the wires inside the PVC Pipe. I first mounted the lights on top and ran the down the pipe then pulled them tight as I put the pipe over the guides. Worked perfectly!

Pipes mounted above stop by a bolt on top with wires running down:

Covers down:

Wires running down:


At the connecting point by the light:

Painted CE Lights to match the black:

Covers on the post. There is a small cut in the padding material I exposed to allow the pads to clear the bolt holding the PVC pipe from moving that ran through the steel guides. Sprayed a ton of WD40 on the foam and on the post and they went on so easy my wife could of done it.


The only problem I have is with one of the CE Lights. Only about half of the LED lights work on both the red and amber lights. Going to call the company for a replacement.

@Englewoodcowboy

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

Thanks for the write up. What length are the guides? Every boat trailer I have owned in the past had the guides and those are a must IMHO, they will save your butt on a very windy day for sure as wll as giving you a nice focal point for backing an empty trailer vis your rear view mirror. One observation I see is I would move the mounts underneath the trailer to put a little more clearence between the hull and those hard square tubes or shorten them up. In the pic they look awful close that could potentially do some damage.

 

[Ronnie]

Nice write-up and pics. You can flip the mounts so that the longer part of them faces out. If you want a cleaner look consider running the wires inside of the guide posts. Also, it looks like your wheel chalks maybe upside down. The flat part is supposed to touch the ground and the curved side the bottom of the tire, you shouldn't need to use a cinder block but more support can't hurt I guess.

 

[Evil Sports]

Forgive me but I never had guides, I dont see the need for them other than a visual for backing down the ramp. Wait, I have a back up camera so scratch that reason. Been boating since 1993 without um.

 

[Helipilot11]

@Englewoodcowboy the square tubes are below the bunks so there is a slim chance of that hitting the boat. The guides are the 65". Check this video out.

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

Forgive me but I never had guides, I dont see the need for them other than a visual for backing down the ramp. Wait, I have a back up camera so scratch that reason. Been boating since 1993 without um.

I can understand someone not seeing the need for them when you have a back up camera I suppose. I would say it falls in the line of if you are a good boat captain, sure you may never need it, but everyone can and will have one of those days and that is when you will wish you had it when you come in too hot on a windy day and you catch off center and break a bunk, or worse yet, gouge the hull. Where the uprights become more useful is in backing an empty trailer without a camera, you have a reference point you can see with all three mirrors without having to focus looking at the ground and waiting for a fender to appear past the side of your vehicle in a curve etc. They are not a can't live without item but they certainly are one of those conveniences that once you have them, you miss them when you don't. I would categorize them as a cheap insurance policy.

 

[jawsf16]

I think guides are an excellent training tool. I put them on my 210 trailer for about two years and then removed them. After they were off. I never missed them. They definitely helped while I got more experience with the jet boat trailering tricks. After I was comfortable I found they just got on the way for storage and entering or exiting the boat while on the trailer.

This is kind of like the steering fins debate. Some love them some hate them but they are really just a training aide.

 

[Ronnie]

I can understand someone not seeing the need for them when you have a back up camera I suppose. I would say it falls in the line of if you are a good boat captain, sure you may never need it, but everyone can and will have one of those days and that is when you will wish you had it when you come in too hot on a windy day and you catch off center and break a bunk, or worse yet, gouge the hull. Where the uprights become more useful is in backing an empty trailer without a camera, you have a reference point you can see with all three mirrors without having to focus looking at the ground and waiting for a fender to appear past the side of your vehicle in a curve etc. They are not a can't live without item but they certainly are one of those conveniences that once you have them, you miss them when you don't. I would categorize them as a cheap insurance policy.

I agree. I have a dedicated always on back up camera system with cameras on my tow vehicle and boat trailer but the guides are still useful on windy days and just generally where loading the boat is concerned. I learned this the hard way on a windy day at a busy ramp when I became "that guy" that took 30 minutes to load his boat properly. What a terrible way to end what was a great day on the water and a stressful way to start the 2 hour ride home.

I didn't have them one the first two jet boats I owned but found them very useful on the next two, both yamahas, maybe because the twin engine yamahas don't maneuver as well at low speeds, at least not as well as my single engine jet boats. The guide lights make the rig more visible at night weather loading or trailering. For around $150 (for the guides, pads and lights) it probably the best trailer upgrade available in my opinion. Fyi, I'm comparing their value to other trailer upgrades I've done (E.g. boat buckles, fulton f2 winch and jack, boat buddy ii, etc.). Finally, they can be customized color and pad wise to each users liking, which is good thing for guys like us.

Again, nice write up @Helipilot11 , thanks for taking the time to draft and illustrate it. My only question is what is next? What ever it is I hope you do a similar write up on it.

 

[Evil Sports]

Im far from a great or even good captain, I find the trailer on my 212 to be one of the easier trailers to load. Just leaving the last couple feet of bunk out of the water and driver her on. I guess if your ramp situation is tight the guides could be a good thing, for me they would just be another thing to break/maintain

 

[Julian]

To say that trailer guides are a training tool is a bit condescending in my opinion. Guides are awesome in windy and high current loading situations, or situations at free ramps where less that polite boaters are all over the place and a nice straight approach isn't possible or easy. If they are a "training" tool, then I've been training for a couple of decades!

Nice write up!

I had incandescent lights at the top of my guides and the crimp connectors to the trailer wiring failed so often I just eliminated them. So if you love them, consider wiring them with something better than those crimp connectors.

 

[jawsf16]

Don't worry Julian, one day you'll be ready for the Major League!

No condescension intended, just my opinion. I find zero need for them now under any condition, but I certainly needed them the first couple years under most conditions. I think this is an easy trailer to load once you figure it out.

Back to the thread. Keep up the photos @Helipilot11 we are all site photo addicts here of ANY upgrades!

 

[Ronnie]

I had incandescent lights at the top of my guides and the crimp connectors to the trailer wiring failed so often I just eliminated them. So if you love them, consider wiring them with something better than those crimp connectors.

Good point Julian. @Helipilot11 , my guides are completely pwc except for the mounts and the lighting components so the only problem I've had is with the electrical system failing at the connection points. I've recent redid my connections and sealed the new ones up with silicone (cheap and easy but potentially a little messy as well).

 

[Helipilot11]

@Ronnie do you have the product list for how you wired it? I have a long winter with the boat in the drive way. That would be easy mod to hide from the wife!

 

[Ronnie]

I didn't have a specific product list but here are the guides I have had for the past 5 seasons or so. Also included is a link to the smith lights I have. I think you have the same lights although yours have a black base. The only differences between your set up and mine are that you have different guides but since they are still hollow it wouldn't take much for you to reroute the wiring so it is in the guides instead of between the guide and the pad. If you don't have addition crimp connectors you could just spice the wires together with or without solder and cover them with electrical tape than seal them with silicone adhesive. I hope that I'm responding to your inquiry.

Here is another thing to consider. I read that you used wd40 as a lube for the pad foam. If the foam is rubber based (I don't know) the wd40 which is petroleum based will break it down faster, or so I've read (possibly on the side of the wd40 can). It may be safer to use spray in silicone instead. The same is true for the clean out plugs. That is don't lube the rubber seal on them with wd40.

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/product/details.cgi?pdesc=Fulton-Boat-Guides-pair&i=201169

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/pro...LED-Trailer-Post-Guide-Light-Kit-pair&i=73390

Misc.: I didn't realize that I had fulton branded trailer guides until now. My trailer upgrades are almost all fulton and I didn't even realize it. By the way I'm on my second or third set of pads since i got the guides. They just don't hold up well outside all year so I may cover them with a garbage bag each this off season. Seems silly to put covers on covers but at $50 to $60 per pair if I can get them to last twice as long (and no one sees them when the boat is stored in the off season) its not much of an inconvenience or eyesore to accomplish.

 

[Julian]

One trick I've used well in the past for sealing outdoor 12v landscape lighting connections is a hot glue gun.

 

[Evil Sports]

Makes me think of the Infomertial "Flex Shot" wonder if that would help

 

[jetboater4life]

Everyone's loading situation is different (unless you use the same ramp ). In my situation, I launch/retrieve on a shallow ramp in a fast moving current often in windy conditions. I don't have a bimini but my boards are always up acting like sails. The guides take the stress out of retrieving and help my wife when she backs up the trailer. I agree with @Ronnie that considering the price they are my favorite trailer upgrade/mod ... and ... the CE Smith lights look really cool at night.