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Another batch of "new guy "questions


FXIGUY

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There seems to be a lot of talk about getting hard water stains removed quickly from our boats. Is this simply a cosmetic issue, or does the hard water etch into the gelcoat or does it pose other threats? I understand that the speed of drying the boat off is directly related to the amount of effort to remove the spots, Im just curious if there are other reasons.

Since I will be wet slipping my boat, I have a question about the bilge pump. Are the bilge pumps in Malibu's hard wired directly to the battery and separate from the distribution panel? I dont want to kill the battery switch and have the bilge disabled.

Im getting a list of the "odds and ends" stuff that I still need to purchase. I'm interested in a portable jump start/compressor for blowing up the air toys. Are the compressors on these potent enough to fill a tube in a reasonable amount of time(2 or three minutes) or are am I better off getting something dedicated to that like one of the Overtons Inflator/deflator pumps?

Lastly, my reason for buying the boat that I did was essentially to get back into skiing which I did a lot of growing up. I'd say when I ski'd last, I was a decent intermediate Slalom skier. What types of things should I be looking for to help me make my ski purchase. Everything Ive read so far assumes the reader has a considerable amount of knowledge already, which I don't.

Thanks in advance.

PS. I'll become a paying member once paypal quits jerking me around:)

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Im getting a list of the "odds and ends" stuff that I still need to purchase. I'm interested in a portable jump start/compressor for blowing up the air toys. Are the compressors on these potent enough to fill a tube in a reasonable amount of time(2 or three minutes) or are am I better off getting something dedicated to that like one of the Overtons Inflator/deflator pumps?

Go to Walmart and get a 12 volt pump made by Coleman for like 10 bucks works great (its in the camping section)

Edited by Living the Dream
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I thought the compressor on the jump start would work, but not even close. WAY TOO SLOW!

I got the Airhead inflator/deflator @ Walmart for about $12 and it works like a champ.

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As far as the jumper/pump. You're probably looking at the ones that are meant to pump up car tires if it's a one piece unit. Those won't fill a tube quickly at all, they are high pressure, low volume. You want high volume. Read this.

You'll actually want a real good, separate jumper. This is the best. Trust me. Then, like L.T.D. said, you just want a cheapy $10 air pump.

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Since I will be wet slipping my boat, I have a question about the bilge pump. Are the bilge pumps in Malibu's hard wired directly to the battery and separate from the distribution panel? I dont want to kill the battery switch and have the bilge disabled.

I can't speak for your specific boat but my bilge pump is hard wired. Key in or key out my bilge pump will come on. If you want to try an easy test…put the plugs in and fill the bilge with water with the key out and see if the bilge pump comes one.

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I would urge you to go over to the Independent Ski Test site and review the details on the various skis tested. Most of the testing has been focused on high end skis, but intermediate skis were tested a couple of times. The tests were done using several people to review each ski to offer a balanced review of any particular ski and done in a way to neutralize personal preferences. I would also strongly urge you to demo a variety of skis prior to a purchase and take any singular recommendation with a grain of salt. My favorite ski will be the next persons least favorite, so proceed with caution there, a ski purchase is a very personal choice. Being from WI, you should have a local dealer / pro shop within reach and they will be your source for demo's, it is standard practice in the industry to offer them. They should be able to do a good job of guiding you along and pointing you in the right direction. There has been a lot of development and improvements to a water ski in the last 5-10 years, so there are lots of options available from high performance carbon skis to wide profile skis that make life easier. Determine what you skiing goals are so you know what direction you want to go.

Also, you will want a good rope, handle, gloves and vest. Your handle choice is important, as an example, a straight handle will give me tendonitis but a radius handle is fine. Make sure you get a proper slalom rope, you will certainly want to try different line length's on that nice new boat you purchased to find the sweet spot in the wake.

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There seems to be a lot of talk about getting hard water stains removed quickly from our boats. Is this simply a cosmetic issue, or does the hard water etch into the gelcoat or does it pose other threats? I understand that the speed of drying the boat off is directly related to the amount of effort to remove the spots, Im just curious if there are other reasons.

Hard water spots pose no real threat other than leaving an annoying crappy look to the boat. Use vinegar to remove them. Cheap and it works great! Other than that, keep your boat wiped down after each use and you won't have to deal with them as much.

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I am not a fan of wet slipping because of blister issues. I would suggest that you pull your boat out every 2 weeks and let it dry, do a good vinegar wipedown to remove waterspots at this time too. If the slip is in a marina, there maybe a scum line build up because of outboard oil and algae. You need to stay on top of this.

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I am not a fan of wet slipping because of blister issues. I would suggest that you pull your boat out every 2 weeks and let it dry, do a good vinegar wipedown to remove waterspots at this time too. If the slip is in a marina, there maybe a scum line build up because of outboard oil and algae. You need to stay on top of this.

I actually plan to pull it and wipe it down once a week. I'll need to take it out to fuel it anyway(no gas on the lake) so I'll kill two birds with one stone.

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I can't speak for your specific boat but my bilge pump is hard wired. Key in or key out my bilge pump will come on. If you want to try an easy test…put the plugs in and fill the bilge with water with the key out and see if the bilge pump comes one.

You will need to test your boat. Mine was not hard wired and if I shut off the batteries, then the bilge pump was off. I had issues with my batteries running down. I just recently had the bilge pump rewired to correct this.

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I am not a fan of wet slipping because of blister issues. I would suggest that you pull your boat out every 2 weeks and let it dry, do a good vinegar wipedown to remove waterspots at this time too. If the slip is in a marina, there maybe a scum line build up because of outboard oil and algae. You need to stay on top of this.

I moor my boat and leave it in for about 4 weks at a time. I have done this during the season every year. Last year, for the first time, I had some blistering on the gelcoat. If you keep pulling it out frequently it shouldn't be a problem.

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I moor my boat and leave it in for about 4 weks at a time. I have done this during the season every year. Last year, for the first time, I had some blistering on the gelcoat. If you keep pulling it out frequently it shouldn't be a problem.

How long is your season up there typically?

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I have the coleman 12V from Walmart I think.

Very fast and easy, and there is a 12V outlet near the back of the boat.

Also works great for airbeds when we are camping.

If you are going to use it for camping too, then i would get a 12V extension cord to get from the vehicle to the tent.

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How long is your season up there typically?

If you want, you can year round with a dry suit, heater, good gloves and booties. Best season is usually June - Sept. but we can have good weather earlier or later. I can't really speak to how long obski keeps his boat moored.

Once you figure out what ski you want, check ski-it-again.com. I have not bought from anyone posting there but I know that many bucrew members have.

For blowing up tubes, when we are on vacation (and have 110v at the beach) I bring the electric leaf blower. Takes about 5 seconds to blow up a tube. OK, maybe 8 seconds :innocent:

Edited by MalibuTime
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If you want, you can year round with a dry suit, heater, good gloves and booties. Best season is usually June - Sept. but we can have good weather earlier or later. I can't really speak to how long obski keeps his boat moored.

Once you figure out what ski you want, check ski-it-again.com. I have not bought from anyone posting there but I know that many bucrew members have.

For blowing up tubes, when we are on vacation (and have 110v at the beach) I bring the electric leaf blower. Takes about 5 seconds to blow up a tube. OK, maybe 8 seconds :innocent:

I use this for blowing up tubes :guns:

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This is why I love this site. Nobody knows me from Adam and yet answers all my questions. It's one of the most "clique" free message boards Ive been on.

Thanks everyone.

Brent

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This is why I love this site. Nobody knows me from Adam and yet answers all my questions. It's one of the most "clique" free message boards Ive been on.

Thanks everyone.

Brent

Wait a minute! You're not Adam!! Man, we've been dooped!!! :Tease3:

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