msavold
Jetboaters Captain
- Messages
- 762
- Reaction score
- 1,382
- Points
- 237
- Location
- Columbia, MD
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2012
- Boat Model
- SX
- Boat Length
- 24
Back in May, shortly after we got our new-to-us 2012 SX240, I posted a thread blaming all of you for all the mods I absolutely had to do. (http://tinyurl.com/pzb6ttr) Since then, the list has grown and yet I've never gotten around to posting photos. Part of my hesitation has been that the mods I've done are mostly not innovative, mere copies of the brilliant ideas of others on the forum. But then as everyone on this forum knows, if there are no pictures, it didn't happen!
First mod was trailer guides - I knew that whichever way we went I'd want trailer guides so we had those a week before the boat. First time we went to launch the boat some guy asked if we would mind if he went back in to straighten out his boat on the trailer. Took him three tries. We got the boat out in one shot! So there. We got the CW Smith illuminated ones. I went back and forth between these and the VeeVee ones which are supposedly better quality - but I couldn't get those before delivery of the boat and our boat is going to spend most of its life on a lift so "lighter duty" ones were fine for us.
The second mod was to remove the carpets - all of them. Particularly running in salt water, I can't imagine how disgusting they would get in no time. Been running with a bare deck since then but I'm really happy that Will is running another SeaDek group buy. There's some chocolate over black faux teak in our near future!
Third was removing the POS stock roller - as has been said may times here, if you value the gel coat on th bow of your boat GET RID OF IT A.S.A.P.! I would/should have done it sooner, when I picked up the boat in NH but I wasn't sure if the trailer already had one and after I bought the boat it was out of stock at a bunch of places I tried along the route. Sigh.
We have a mile (measured) to run in canals to get to open water. We tried it a couple of times without TVs. I honestly did not find it that challenging but my wife was wandering all over the canal. A quick phone call to Will and problem solved.
At the same time, I got and installed Tru-Locks (no pictures). BIG fan of those and scratching my head as to why on Earth Yamaha would not have put these on from the get go. The only thing I've found is that there is a definite sequence to installing them and you have to get that right (push button down, push handle until lock clicks, and pull on the handle to make sure it's latched. Much more confident that there won't be a blowout than stock ones.
The battery we got with the boat was the original Interstate, three years old and it was dead the first time I tried to start the boat. Not confidence inspiring. With @MikeyL and others' recommendation, I went with an Optima Blue Top. I've enjoyed getting battery acid all over my clothes before so I know just how much fun that can be. GET A SEALED BATTERY! And a good battery tender. (For now, I'm using a single bank Noco Genius I had around. Need to upgrade when I put the second battery next week.)
Next step was to toss most of the stupid "warning" stickers. I did keep the ones near the helm, for now at least and the famous "orifice" sticker. I'll take that off too but first I need to find a place to keep it! (One curiosity - do I/Os have a sticker at the back graphically warning users that the prop may maim, amputate, kill, etc.?)
And a keel guard went on. Lots of fun places that we thought we'd want to beach the boat at around here but funnily enough we haven't actually done that yet (beach it, that is). We just motor in until it's a couple of feet deep and step in off the swim platform. It doesn't get any easier! So, Keel Guard - necessary? Meh. Not sure about that one - but it's nice to have on just in case, say the tide goes out when we're having too much fun, for example.
Also done were the addition of a Fusion HU and the head compartment mods, which I've posted in separate threads. And there have been some light gel coat scratch repairs but those are not complete to my satisfaction so they need to wait until later!
The last big thing we did was a boat lift - but I'll post that one separately since this is getting long and surely boring for all but me. And then there's the BBQ I got for my birthday - but that's yet another story.
Funny, reading this over it doesn't seem like that many things. Certainly don't understand how my wife could insinuate that I'm spending every waking moment reading about or modifying the boat! Over 35 hours on her this season since we got her and we're having an absolute blast! Even the Admiral admits she is enjoying it more than she ever thought she would. And the mods help, so, THANKS for the advice!
But I'm still blaming all of you when the bank statement comes in!
First mod was trailer guides - I knew that whichever way we went I'd want trailer guides so we had those a week before the boat. First time we went to launch the boat some guy asked if we would mind if he went back in to straighten out his boat on the trailer. Took him three tries. We got the boat out in one shot! So there. We got the CW Smith illuminated ones. I went back and forth between these and the VeeVee ones which are supposedly better quality - but I couldn't get those before delivery of the boat and our boat is going to spend most of its life on a lift so "lighter duty" ones were fine for us.
The second mod was to remove the carpets - all of them. Particularly running in salt water, I can't imagine how disgusting they would get in no time. Been running with a bare deck since then but I'm really happy that Will is running another SeaDek group buy. There's some chocolate over black faux teak in our near future!
Third was removing the POS stock roller - as has been said may times here, if you value the gel coat on th bow of your boat GET RID OF IT A.S.A.P.! I would/should have done it sooner, when I picked up the boat in NH but I wasn't sure if the trailer already had one and after I bought the boat it was out of stock at a bunch of places I tried along the route. Sigh.
We have a mile (measured) to run in canals to get to open water. We tried it a couple of times without TVs. I honestly did not find it that challenging but my wife was wandering all over the canal. A quick phone call to Will and problem solved.
At the same time, I got and installed Tru-Locks (no pictures). BIG fan of those and scratching my head as to why on Earth Yamaha would not have put these on from the get go. The only thing I've found is that there is a definite sequence to installing them and you have to get that right (push button down, push handle until lock clicks, and pull on the handle to make sure it's latched. Much more confident that there won't be a blowout than stock ones.
The battery we got with the boat was the original Interstate, three years old and it was dead the first time I tried to start the boat. Not confidence inspiring. With @MikeyL and others' recommendation, I went with an Optima Blue Top. I've enjoyed getting battery acid all over my clothes before so I know just how much fun that can be. GET A SEALED BATTERY! And a good battery tender. (For now, I'm using a single bank Noco Genius I had around. Need to upgrade when I put the second battery next week.)
Next step was to toss most of the stupid "warning" stickers. I did keep the ones near the helm, for now at least and the famous "orifice" sticker. I'll take that off too but first I need to find a place to keep it! (One curiosity - do I/Os have a sticker at the back graphically warning users that the prop may maim, amputate, kill, etc.?)
And a keel guard went on. Lots of fun places that we thought we'd want to beach the boat at around here but funnily enough we haven't actually done that yet (beach it, that is). We just motor in until it's a couple of feet deep and step in off the swim platform. It doesn't get any easier! So, Keel Guard - necessary? Meh. Not sure about that one - but it's nice to have on just in case, say the tide goes out when we're having too much fun, for example.
Also done were the addition of a Fusion HU and the head compartment mods, which I've posted in separate threads. And there have been some light gel coat scratch repairs but those are not complete to my satisfaction so they need to wait until later!
The last big thing we did was a boat lift - but I'll post that one separately since this is getting long and surely boring for all but me. And then there's the BBQ I got for my birthday - but that's yet another story.
Funny, reading this over it doesn't seem like that many things. Certainly don't understand how my wife could insinuate that I'm spending every waking moment reading about or modifying the boat! Over 35 hours on her this season since we got her and we're having an absolute blast! Even the Admiral admits she is enjoying it more than she ever thought she would. And the mods help, so, THANKS for the advice!
But I'm still blaming all of you when the bank statement comes in!
)
