New guy here, from East TN

[Blkrvrbart]

Welcome! Nice lookin’ rig. Best family fun you can ever find!

 

[That_Jeep_Dude]

Welcome!

What they all said. Additionally: I went withe the Cosco batteries last time I replaced a couple years ago. Seem to work fine, and much cheaper than some of the alternatives. At $79, the worst that can happen is that you have to replace them in a few years instead of 5-8, right?

The other thing to watch out for on these boats is the hole that will form in your wallet. BTW, you probably need to add grab bars to the front... How is the stereo? Do you have your EZ-Locks (you need those)?

Again, welcome!

We were actually in the Costco parking lot earlier in the day as I had planned to buy their brand of batteries... But, the line was literally out the door and around the building to get in so we decided that Walmart was a better option for the day! At $79 I don’t think they can be beat, especially when I keep them plugged in to my new on-board charger!

Ok, explain to me the grab handles and EZ-Locks. This is the first I’m hearing of these things.

 

[That_Jeep_Dude]

Congrats from a fellow East TN'er. What lakes you plan on runnin her on?

Thanks! We live in Cleveland so we will be on Paksville Lake most of the time. We also have some great friends who have a house on the Hiawasse River with a private dock and boat ramp that we have full access to. Additionally, my parents live on Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville and they also have a private dock, so we will be spending some time in the Nashville area. We have already talked about doing the Vol Navy this year too!

 

[tdonoughue]

Ok, explain to me the grab handles and EZ-Locks. This is the first I’m hearing of these things.

With pleasure!

The EZ-Locks are here: Cobra EZ-Locks. They are made by @Cobra Jet Steering LLC , who is very active here on the board. More importantly: they work. The plug latches can (and some say will) eventually let loose while underway. The pressure from the jet will push the loosened plug up and shoot it into your back deck, probably breaking it, certainly affecting the hinges, and definitely ruining your day on the water. These are a secondary locking mechanism that make it impossible for those latches (called dogs) to let go. Cheap and easy insurance.

Grab handles: I can't find my thread on it for where I put them, but see https://jetboaters.net/threads/bow-grab-handles.18356/ for the idea. Basically, you buy the handles that they have on the sides (the little ones) and you add a set of them to either side of the anchor locker. I put mine up right next to the locker; this thread shows them a bit away from the locker. But the idea is the same. Absolutely necessary if you use that bow ladder. Very helpful even without it, just for boarding the boat on the trailer...

Welcome!

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Cobra EZ-Locks here is a link to the EZ locks
2 bad things can happen with a push button clean out plug, the violent eruption of the plug while under way or worse the plug partially comes out, moves sideways and starts to allow a ton of water past it filling the engine compartment as you wonder why the boat is acting & handling strangely then an engine ingests water and the reason becomes apparent and very costly.
Here are a couple videos for understanding the ezlocks

and

 

[That_Jeep_Dude]

Cobra EZ-Locks here is a link to the EZ locks
2 bad things can happen with a push button clean out plug, the violent eruption of the plug while under way or worse the plug partially comes out, moves sideways and starts to allow a ton of water past it filling the engine compartment as you wonder why the boat is acting & handling strangely then an engine ingests water and the reason becomes apparent and very costly.
Here are a couple videos for understanding the ezlocks

and

Thanks for sharing! I will be ordering these ASAP!

 

[That_Jeep_Dude]

I’ve always loved the Chattanooga area, though have never spent any time there. (Just driving through on the way south.)

If you haven’t seen this, check it out in your spare time. Group of guys floated from Knoxville to the Gulf over the course of 3 weeks and made a movie out of their journey. Shows some of your awesome TN scenery. Cool views of the Chattanooga waterfront at night.

I’m on shift at the FD today and had some time to watch this all the way through... Wow. I actually feel bad that I am on my phone looking at the forum right now after seeing their disconnection and what a difference it made for them. I’ve been on the stretch of river a number of times south of Chatt and I can tell you that it is absolutely breathtaking! There’s actually a marina right there called Hales Bar that has floating houses/cabins that you can rent and I think we are going to do that this year as well!

 

[PJ73]