my 2009 VLX: finally

[chrisVLX]

Hi there,

after five months torture of waiting I finally towed her home on Wednesday! I still can't believe how beautiful she is! I got a few doubt about the color combination I 've chosen (reuben/black) but when I saw her. no doubts anymore!

First of all some pics from the trip home:

the next day we dropped her into water: from the first minute on, I fell in love! Its just a perfect boat! I put some more pics on my flickr account this weekend!

some pics of the VLX and other stuff!

I can't wait for the weekend to come to get back on the boat!

So long, greets from Austria

Chris

[aylor11]

Great looking boat. We pick ours up tomorrow! Congrats again and enjoy!

[jtrovato]

What's with that trailer? Can you even launch the boat with that trailer or does it have to be lifted off with a crane?

[SacRiverRat]

I assume you aren't planning on doing much towing with the car. Boat looks great, how exciting

[CedarLakeSkier]

What's with that trailer? Can you even launch the boat with that trailer or does it have to be lifted off with a crane?

I was going to say the same thing. That trailer does not look like it was made for that boat.

On the colors though... They look great.

[bigD]

What's with that trailer? Can you even launch the boat with that trailer or does it have to be lifted off with a crane?

I was going to say the same thing. That trailer does not look like it was made for that boat.

On the colors though... They look great.

Hope the ramp is steep and deep

Beautiful boat and pretty Sic tow rig

[txdyna65]

Beautiful bu, congrats

[brlanha]

Hi there,

after five months torture of waiting I finally towed her home on Wednesday! I still can't believe how beautiful she is! I got a few doubt about the color combination I 've chosen (reuben/black) but when I saw her. no doubts anymore!

First of all some pics from the trip home:

the next day we dropped her into water: from the first minute on, I fell in love! Its just a perfect boat! I put some more pics on my flickr account this weekend!

some pics of the VLX and other stuff!

I can't wait for the weekend to come to get back on the boat!

So long, greets from Austria

Chris

Whats up with trailor, and might wanna consider a different tow vehicle. On the flip side, the boat rocks!!!

[wilhelmwake]

Fantastic looking boat!!! I cant wait to get my boat home from the dealer!!! 2 and a half weeks to go and then, finally....

How wide is that trailer of yours?

Did you order that malibu emblem separately to the transom or did it come as standard?

Again great boat would definitely want to see more photos!!!

[mcbean7]

Congrats on your new Bu! The colors look awesome. Good choice.

[obski]

Very classy looking boat. I feel your excitement.

[AzSyndicate]

Trucks are not common in Europe, so a different tow vehicle might not be an option.

Nice boat. You will love it

[chrisVLX]

hey,

thank you all!

You are right - the trailer doesn't fit to the boat - the (classy looking) us-trailers arent allowed in Austria without some serious reconstructions! And it would be quite expensive... I don't plan to travel a lot with the boat, just the 500kilometers home.

I don't know how wide the trailer is - its not mine. Launching the boat was no problem, now its swimming for this year! The malibu emblem on the transom is standard - I think, I didn't order it!

I own a truck, but 500km in a Mitsubishi - no way! The benz is awesome for towing and long distances! A nice US-truck (like a Dodge RAM 1500) would cost in Austria about 60.000 euros, which is in USD about 90.000 - I decided to invest in a 'Bu! good choice or?

[AzSyndicate]

The BU was a great choice. Big tow Trucks are just too $$ in Europe . Hope you have fun!

[TheKiwi]

Get yourself a Toyota Landcruiser dude, they aren't too bad price wise. Failing that, get yourself a sprinter van ahahahah! Just kidding. Love the wagon!! What model is it?

Bu looks sooooo good.

Edited April 11, 2009 by DodgyKiwi

[chrisVLX]

No thanks, Toyota isn't my choice. My Mitsubishi Pickup is ok. The Benz is an E500 4matic.

[68Slalom]

Congrats on the new boat

If you don't mind me asking, what are the reasons for not allowing US looking trailers in AUS. It looks like the one you have isn't much more stable than the ones we have here, in fact the boat is more secure in the ones we have. Is it width?

[chrisVLX]

Congrats on the new boat

If you don't mind me asking, what are the reasons for not allowing US looking trailers in AUS. It looks like the one you have isn't much more stable than the ones we have here, in fact the boat is more secure in the ones we have. Is it width?

The probs in AUSTRIA (not Australia ) are that the light system and the axles with the brakes aren't allowed here! If you ask me, this is totally stupid, but the government makes the laws ... :-( I got an offer for an US-trailer that fits the laws of Austria + Germany but the price was quite high...

Believe me: if the boat is in the lake, I don't mind about the trailer!

[pennery]

Either you guys are way better drivers or you aren't doing 120 km per hour like we do in our part of the world.. Call me crazy but not a chance in (you know) I would tow that boat 500 km's with that car and no trailer brakes to top it off...

But that is an amazing looking boat..... Glad you made it home alive

[barefootski]

Sweet looking boat! Love the color combination. Also, I like the wheels on the Benz. I agree with everyone here that I can't imagine towing that boat with the Benz but I understand the circumstances. I have an Audi A4 and I cannot see towing my Response LXi with my car, although I know your Benz makes more horsepower and torque than my 2 liter turbo engine. Enjoy!

[DONTW8]

Nice boat.

We have an 2007 E350 4Matic with the Sport Option. 18x8's, cross drilled brakes, lowered, etc. We really love this car. We ordered it for my wife and she just would not let me get the E 550 because of the gas guzzler tax implications. The E350 is quick enough and it handles great with much quiet and comfort so you can cover huge distances in a day and still be happy. We've got an 06 Carrera 4S Convertible too which is really an improvement over the 1999 Carrera we last had.

I see you have an RS6 which is a killer car. Very fast and very rare in the USA. One of my buds had one until a year ago when he traded it for a 4S Targa.

I thought it was virtually impossible to find ski-able water in Germany or Austria. Do you have to tow very far to use your boat ?

Do you use some kind of equalizing load leveler hitch on your Benz ?

The brakes and power are fine but the engine and transmission cooling are not adequate to tow a big boat like yours for my taste.

From the pictures do you hoist the boat off of your trailer every time ? Or are there ramps like here in the USA ?

[johnsvt]

Nice boat...towing must be different vs. here in the US.

[wilhelmwake]

The us made couplings are not CE approved and they do not have a hand brake also the hydraulic disk brakes are not allowed in europe (at least the case in finland), only the wire initiated drum brakes (knot is the brand) are allowed and each wheel has to have them. The trailer width cannot be more than 2,6m, but the trailer is not required to be wider than the boat or as wide.

Yes I agree the US trailers are much better, but they are just pure torture to get modified here and actually believe that it is currently almost impossible.

[SacRiverRat]

The us made couplings are not CE approved and they do not have a hand brake also the hydraulic disk brakes are not allowed in europe (at least the case in finland), only the wire initiated drum brakes (knot is the brand) are allowed and each wheel has to have them. The trailer width cannot be more than 2,6m, but the trailer is not required to be wider than the boat or as wide.

Yes I agree the US trailers are much better, but they are just pure torture to get modified here and actually believe that it is currently almost impossible.

Weird, they ditch the far superior disc brakes for electric drum... I suppose that works ok because the trailer isn't put in the water (which doesn't explain why it is galvanized)

[wilhelmwake]

No you understood it partially wrong, the brakes are 100 percent mechanic and yes the trailers are meant to be used exactly the same way as in the US. you submerge them in to the lake and back the boat off the trailer and then vice versa. Also the couplong needs to work automatically, when you reverse the brakes need to disengage automatically.

Edited April 13, 2009 by wilhelmwake