Newbie happy to have found this site.

[soggyshoes]

Yes jdonalds, I was lucky enough to get the boat I have been dreaming about. About 8 years ago about 10 of my buddies rented a Yamaha in Las Vegas. We were shocked how well it pulled up a skier with so many guys and beverages in the boat. We all loved so many features in that boat. We even had one engine go down and were amazed at how well the boat moved 10 us with just one motor.
When we had kids my wife wanted a boat to take the family on that was a 'nice' boat (not a fishing boat). So I had been looking for a used one for a long time and there are none in the NW which says a lot. When the top selling boat has no used listings people must really be happy with their purchases. So I was justifying more and more for a new one. Meanwhile my wife saw there were a lot of used boats like Bayliners for 1/5 and thought we should just get something like that. In all this I convinced my wife to go with me to the boat show as a control so I 'wouldn't do something stupid'. She saw the 212x before she knew it was the boat I wanted and said if we got one we should get that one. Then once she got in it and it was game over.
The lesson is never, ever go to a boat show. Your kids will be stuck with a public education but grow up on the coolest boat around.

 

[soggyshoes]

I have not done any mods yet as I have not technically taken possession of the boat. I am waiting for the river to go down so I can do my check ride. Other than clean out locks, my wife made me promise that we would both get to ride in it a few times before I start doing mods. She claims that whenever I buy a new toy I buy it more shiny things than her. She still calls my motorcycle my mistress. I am baffled as to how she could claim such things.

What are tow valves?

 

[tdonoughue]

Well, in truth I had mine for probably a year before I did anything to it, so that is fair. Still, seems a shame to have all this spare time with the lake up and not use it...

Tow valves are ball valves you install in the middle of one of the cooling lines on each engine. If you go over wake speed (either by towing or on the other engine) while one engine is not running, water gets sucked up into the non-running engine into the cylinder. When you try to start it--bam. With the valves installed, if you have an engine go down, you shut off that engine's cooling line to protect the engine while you use the other one to get back (at more than a crawl). If towed, you flip both off to make sure no water comes in, regardless of towing speed.

Should be a good thread on installing them here somewhere... With pics...

 

[tdonoughue]

Found it! https://jetboaters.net/index.php?threads/how-to-add-a-shutoff-valve-to-your-boats-cooling-system.411/

 

[soggyshoes]

hey there...you're in my backyard! we bought our 212x from stewart at river city but luckily was able to take it out for a spin. you will be amazed once you get a test ride. i checked out hagg lake the other day and the water looked amazing. might be a option if the willamette doesn't lower soon.

bobbie,
Glad to see there is another local member.

 

[soggyshoes]

Thanks tdonoughue!
That is what I love about a good forum. I have now added tow valves to the clean out port locks as must do mods.

 

[tdonoughue]

Hehehehe. You will be assimilated.

Glad to help. Pass it on. And again, welcome!

 

[jdonalds]

I try my best not to look at the boat in the winter. It just depresses me. It just sits there outside, covered, and with the Battery Tender Jr. keeping the battery topped up. I don't winterize other than tossing in some StaBil so it is ready at anytime to go to the lake. It's just too cold and the water is cold too so wouldn't be much fun. Last year we had some 80 degree weather in February so I took the boat out for a 20 mile spin. That didn't happen this year though.

If I do get into the boat making engine sounds is part of the event. Vroom vroom.

 

[octavio3311]

Welcome Soggy!

 

[leeatmg]

I try my best not to look at the boat in the winter. It just depresses me. It just sits there outside, covered, and with the Battery Tender Jr. keeping the battery topped up. I don't winterize other than tossing in some StaBil so it is ready at anytime to go to the lake. It's just too cold and the water is cold too so wouldn't be much fun. Last year we had some 80 degree weather in February so I took the boat out for a 20 mile spin. That didn't happen this year though.

If I do get into the boat making engine sounds is part of the event. Vroom vroom.

I have to send mine away to the dealer to be stored. I have them do the winterizing, shrink wrap, store, and spring runup. Part of that is ease; I don't want to do the mechanical work. But part of that is that I don't want to see it sitting next to my garage all winter. It would just depress the heck out of me.

 

[txav8r]

I know being in the boat on the water will be a lot more fun than sitting in it in the dealers warehouse. Besides, it is going to start to look a little silly for a grown man to be sitting in a boat on the trailer making engine sounds pretending to be shooting out of the hole and doing spins. ...... or is that what most you have doing all winter?

This is exactly what a yammi lover does in the off season...until the "mod bug" bites...then he spends his winter months planning and installing all of his dream equipment and upgrades in his dream boat. I made a mistake with mine. One of the last things I did was to upgrade my stereo system. If I were to do it again, I would do that first! Because while your out there, listening to your favorite tunes with a cold beverage is FUN...and the vroom vroom and imagined spins and hole shots are better with boat music cranking!

 

[bobbie]

@soggyshoes might think of throwing on the thrust vector xl's before boating season too. river city put them on no charge. did you get the carbon or blue?? i'm sure we will run into you... lemon island on the columbia is also great for all day boating. i switched from a 2005 bluewater to the yamaha; i'm looking forward to boating in the columbia and not worrying about the prop hitting a sandbar!

 

[Raphael]

Welcome to the site!

 

[soggyshoes]

@soggyshoes might think of throwing on the thrust vector xl's before boating season too. river city put them on no charge. did you get the carbon or blue?? i'm sure we will run into you... lemon island on the columbia is also great for all day boating. i switched from a 2005 bluewater to the yamaha; i'm looking forward to boating in the columbia and not worrying about the prop hitting a sandbar!

bobbie,
I got the space blue one. I am going to give it a try without steering add ons at first and see if I can manage. I can't wait to play in it.
I know what you mean about the sand bar. I was heading up around Government Island a few years ago. The depth was fine and I was pretty sure I heading to the same spot I had gone to in the past when WHAM I was in a foot of water on a bar. I was able to get out and push the boat off. That was the first time I saw a boat that was backed up to the beach. It was a Yamaha and the family (including their dog) was simply walking off the swim step directly onto the beach. Such a cool boat.

 

[tdonoughue]

@soggyshoes I agree with your fin plan. I had the same one. I thought I would probably put them on, but decided to see how I did without them.

Two and a half years later, still am finless. Still might put them on someday, but I concluded that I would do audio first.

 

[txav8r]

The tow valve mod is a good mod for anyone that will frequently be shutting down engines and towing their boat. But you can just clamp off the line without fear of forcing water into the exhaust or engine. I didn't have the tow valves but I did carry a pair of plastic ratcheting woodworking clamps just in case. They work perfectly and give you a way to block cooling water in the off chance you ever have to run single engine or tow. I kind of considered the tow valve mod one of those things I would do when I was bored and ran out of other things to do!