Newbie, bought AR240 2013.. time to mod it up..

[Matt Grab]

I recently bought a 2013 AR240 with 10 hours on it. It is in new condition and came with the limited cushions, all the toys (wake boards, skis, ropes life vest etc) wet sound speakers, sub and LED rings, LED under lighting etc... My first mod is Jeff's ultimate fins and EZ locks. I'm waiting for the next group buy on Seadek gray teak.

I'm starting off the forums with 2 questions.. I promise to pay it back with pics of the Seadek to help future members to see if the gray is for them. (My wife and I poured over pics on jetboatpilots FB account trying to figure out if we wanted the gray or mocha with a boat that had gray/white/off white vinyl.)

SOOO here it is..

I'm looking into VeVe bars or guide bars for the trailer... do the bars extend the width? The boat specs are 8"6 wide, my storage is 10 feet.

The boat has the extra LED lighting, stereo including wake board speakers and LED rings, and powered sub woofer. It only has the 1 factory standard battery..that concerns me. Is adding a deep cycle battery a DIY job, is it required in your opinion? I'm not the best regarding electronics FYI..

 

[Scottintexas]

glad to have you on board, update your profile with your location and maybe you have a member close by, it will also automatically put you on the member map,

I have veve guides and you adjust the width, obviously they have to be wide enough for the boat, guessing I think they would only stick out another 2-3 inches on each side,

for the battery, If you are planning on using your battery much I would suggest another one with a switch, it's an easy install and there should be some DIY links under the member tips/FAQ https://jetboaters.net/threads/faq-...-content-check-here-for-your-answer-first.81/

good luck

 

[Matt Grab]

Thanks Scott, updated the profile.

 

[Evil Sports]

Matt, I run guide less on my trailer with no issues and Im a pretty sucky captain

 

[Matt Grab]

Evil, My wife and I years ago had a typical ski stern inboard. She had no problem driving it, I ran the trailer and she the boat. Its crazy I own this boat and haven't driven it yet considering its a jet boat but so it is. (I got a great deal) I just want to make it as much a stern inboard as I can, we never had guide bars before but they are so cheap that if it prevents one single scratch and gives the wife even one ounce of confidence then its worth it weight in gold. (well maybe not gold any longer )

 

[jawsf16]

I had guides on my 210 and had similar storage width, it was a hassle because the guides bow out slightly. I ended up removing them because I didnt need them and it made storing it much easier.

Definitely do a second battery and run all your toys off of it. It is a simple DIY job...

 

[txav8r]

Welcome to the forum! You will love the knowledge base here and in short order, you will love the 240 more than any boat you have ever had. The guides may not prevent a scratch, that isn't the reasons someone would get them really. But they will help get the boat on the trailer and keep it there in a crosswind. Some may not boat in that type conditions and others will. The other reason to have guides is to help identify the end of the trailer both launching and recovering as well as backing the trailer...if you have LED lights on the guides, like my C.E. Smith guides have. The amount of power your running on the stereo, how long you stay with music/lighting/other equipment running while beached/anchored/moored, will determine how much battery usage your going to use. Most of the mildly modified stereo systems can live with a single battery for not much time engines off, but having a second is a no brainer to me...just insurance. And yes, you can do 100% of your own routine maintenance and all of your modifications yourself! Welcome aboard once again, and btw, we are here to help with any and all issues including mods and maint!

 

[GiddYupJoe]

Welcome @Matt Grab looks like you have a good start on mods! Here is a link talking about dual battery setups. May give you some insight.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/can-i-add-a-second-battery-to-a-sx230.3140/

 

[Matt Grab]

Thanks ya all. Believe it or not the biggest concern regarding DIY MX was the whole grease and intermediate bearing thing. We won't revisit that issue as that would be on par with "cobra vs TV" conversation. Thanks, I'm going to do the DIY second battery with perco switch. Promise to post pics as that is the best pay it fwd there can be on these type forums.

 

[Julian]

@Matt Grab Welcome and congrats on the new boat! Lots of great folks here to help if you have any questions!

 

[lddv1224]

Welcome aboard

 

[GTBRMC]

 

[Boat Crazy]

 

[JetPowered]

Congratulations on the addition to the family!

 

[Matt Grab]

Thanks everyone! I kinda wanted to upload a pic to test things out.. Is this schematic what I want with the 2nd battery DIY install?