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New to Me Sunsetter LXI - Proud to officially join the Crew


Toronto Boater

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Well I am happy to announce that I have gone from Crew lurker/boat searcher to official member with my new to me Sunsetter LXI. Link is below.

http://www.nowake.com/pre_owned_detail.asp?sid=06171381X4K18K2014J12I31I52JPMQ7011R0&veh=3683685

I water tested it, had compression and leak down tests, mechanical inspection and it showed great. Last owner took meticulous care of it, and I plan to continue the pattern.

I have been following the site and searching for over a year and finally landed a SSLXI, which I chose based on many of your suggestions as a great family ski boat. I have 3 young kids so an open bow was a must.

While I would much prefer to have a lift, unfortunately I can't at my lake site so it will have to be left in the water for several weeks at a time. Its not an option to remove it when I leave at the end of each weekend.

Would like your feedback on the following 2 things:

  1. ensuring the bilge works when it has to in order to remove any water when I am away. I plan on installing a second back-up battery for the bilge pump. Any other suggestions? It has a great cover, so significant water entry from rain is unlikely.
  2. keeping the boat safe on the dock. It is not particularly rough, but my thought was to install dock whips to keep my new baby off the dock. Any suggestions regarding which type etc. would be appreciated.

You folks have been extremely helpful in my search and I am grateful for all of the advice. I am a newbie (this is my first inboard - I am coming from a stern drive). I am proud to officially join the Crew.

Many thanks

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To ensure the bilge works, I would say just plug it up and run the hose into the bilge. Jack the trailer up so the nose is higher. The bilge needs quite a bit of water to kick on when flat.

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Add an additional bilge pump white you're at it.

I agree with this, have 2 pumps in there. You've got plenty of room.

BEAUTIFUL boat by the way, congratulations!

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As a fellow Sunsetter LXi owner and lover, you have just purchased a nearly perfect platform. You're about to discover this humble LXi will be the source of many happy times. Like, it has tons of hidden trunk space so you don't need a tower, and at WOT that boat doesn't porpoise at all, so everyone on your boat will be all smiles feeling the wind through their hair rather. It's awesome!

That said... its new to you so let the pursuit for the endless must-have leisure upgrades begin!

About the prop... much has been said in the past in general, but not much recently for the SS. The ACME 525 is my all around favorite with the 340 Monsoon. It is strong and silky smooth at elevations from 3600 feet (Lake Powell) to over 6100 feet. My stock 515 will only be used as a spare because it has slightly less hole shot and it sometimes loses cornering grip. At these higher elevations, with the 515 the boat is fast but can feel like it's doing a burn-out when pushed. I could probably fix that with more cup, but I also have a 449 spare that I've yet to try because the pitch is even 0.625 taller than the 515. My intent is to eventually test it too at Lake Powell for possible fuel efficiency and time saving top speeds on long channel commutes, but the 525 is so good that it's been difficult to give up any fun time for more knowledge.

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I'm super happy you got that boat!! Look into an ACME 525. You will be very pleased with the performance over the stock prop.

Congrats on a beautiful boat!

Before suggesting a Prop, should we not know his altitude?

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as for Whips, you can easily make a great set of whip VERY inexpensively....I am going to the marina this weekend, I will take some pics and post them if you like

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Toronto...275' feet approx

I totally agree, not a factor, I did not see where he said he was in Toronto....

Duh.....now I see his screen name....Toronto Boater......

But is that Toronto Canada?

:whistle:

Toronto, County Durham, United Kingdom

Toronto, Indiana, United States

Toronto, Kansas, United States

Toronto, South Dakota, United States

Toronto, Ohio, United States

Toronto, Iowa, United States

Edited by JB-FOOT
  • Like 1
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Well I am happy to announce that I have gone from Crew lurker/boat searcher to official member with my new to me Sunsetter LXI. Link is below.

http://www.nowake.com/pre_owned_detail.asp?sid=06171381X4K18K2014J12I31I52JPMQ7011R0&veh=3683685

I water tested it, had compression and leak down tests, mechanical inspection and it showed great. Last owner took meticulous care of it, and I plan to continue the pattern.

I have been following the site and searching for over a year and finally landed a SSLXI, which I chose based on many of your suggestions as a great family ski boat. I have 3 young kids so an open bow was a must.

While I would much prefer to have a lift, unfortunately I can't at my lake site so it will have to be left in the water for several weeks at a time. Its not an option to remove it when I leave at the end of each weekend.

Would like your feedback on the following 2 things:

  1. ensuring the bilge works when it has to in order to remove any water when I am away. I plan on installing a second back-up battery for the bilge pump. Any other suggestions? It has a great cover, so significant water entry from rain is unlikely.
  2. keeping the boat safe on the dock. It is not particularly rough, but my thought was to install dock whips to keep my new baby off the dock. Any suggestions regarding which type etc. would be appreciated.

You folks have been extremely helpful in my search and I am grateful for all of the advice. I am a newbie (this is my first inboard - I am coming from a stern drive). I am proud to officially join the Crew.

Many thanks

Welcome to the Dark Side....Owning an inboard is Never having to say "you're sorry"

Now all you have to do is learn how to back it up BOTH ways.....

Congrats

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Congrats on the SSLXI purchase! I have the same boat and it is an incredible, all-around boat.

I would be sure to plan on cleaning/waxing the hull more frequently since it'll be in the water more often. Sounds like your cover is in great shape so that should prevent a lot of water built up. Be sure to use that lockable trunk for all your goodies when keeping it at the dock.

Are there any projects you've got in the back of your head or is she the perfect setup?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Here is a copy and paste from an old post....but perhaps it will help you to understand and better handle driving your new to you "fixed position propped" INBOARD boat...

I have a closed bow 94 echelon as one of my boats currently and I have also owned a 95 open bow echelon....I LOVE THESE BOATS....

That Said, I just found some old articles I had posted in and thought you may find these helpful since you are coming over to the "DARK SIDE" from the I/O market....LOL

Here is what I had written for another person like yourself...

I wrote this a while back responding to an I/O Thread...think this is an appropriate time to re-post it...

SEE BELOW for my comments...:

interesting thread...i am going to put my two cents in here...here are my suggestions for you as a 1st time inboard owner...

1. learn how to drive your boat BEFORE you bring it back to the dock....trailler....lift....etc....
2. do this by taking your boat out into the lake/river with another CALM ADULT....do not bring your children, or your friends/guests as this trip is not your 1st boat outing, it is your 1st trip out is between YOU and YOUR new boat...that's it!!!
3. the throwable cushion is and will be your friend during this initial exercise!!!
4. Plan on going out when you have great weather and little to no wind....and only when you are in NO HURRY getting back (you will need about 2 hours uninterupted) for your 1st trip
5. Find a launch ramp that has a dock to pull up next to, one that you can back the boat into the water next to a dock and tie it off while you or your CALM ADULT friend pulls the trailer back out of the water
6. Once your boat is sitting at the dock, spin it around with the motor turned off, so that it is facing towards the river/lake and so that you can pull awayfrom the dock and not have to start out by backing up...why start out in terror!?!
7. while your boat is still tide up to the dock (with bumpers between the boat and the dock) (remember, you're still sitting at the dock/ramp and tied to the dock) start your boat and slowly lift up on the throttle release just below the knob and ever so slowy and gently move the throttle forward until it slides into gear....(you never wanted to do this with your I/O) this is a fluid transmission and it will gently go into gear not CLUNK into gear like your I/O did) as soon as it goes into forward, pull it immediately back into nuetral....now do the same thing again and be amazed at how smooth that was....Now do the same thing in reverse.....and as soon as it goes into reverse gear, immediately put it back int neutral...
8. at this point you are going to know your new boat is so much nicer than your old I/O....and you will realize how you can be IN CONTROL with the throttle and FWD and REV...
9. OK, so now have your CALM ADULT friend untie your new baby from the dock and (LEAVE your bumper/fenders still attached to your boat) pull away from the dock and get out into open water without worrying about hitting other boats or docks...
10. stop your boat in the middle of the lake/river and turn the wheel all the way to the left...tap the boat into fwd and put it immediatly back into neutral...what you will notice is that your boat did not go fwd, but the stern kicked to the right....
11. now turn the wheel all the way to the right...tap the boat into fwd and put it immediatly back into neutral...what you will notice is that your boat did not go fwd, but the stern kicked to the left....
12. this happens because before your boat can go right or left, the stern had to kick out and point itself in that left or right direction...you are PUSHING the boat from the stern not TURNING the boat from the front as you would a car..
13.Now do the same thing in Reverse, changing the steering wheel position BEFORE putting the throttle into gear...start to realize how the boat moves left and right without GOING Fwd or Rev....this little activity will help you when you get back to the dock in about two hours....by putting the boat in and out of gear repeatedly without advancing the throttle, you will be able to almost spin your new inboard boat on its axis without traveling very far forward or backward....this will be the best thing for getting back to the dock withour doing damage to person or property...
14....OK now go drive your boat around a little and get the feel for how awesome your new boat is...notice how the bow does not rise up causing you to have to get out of your seat to see...when you push down the throttle....take the boat speed up to about 20 mph and sharply turn the wheel to the left and than to the right....notice how much flatter this boat turns and how it feels like it is tethered to the bottom of the river/lake and rides as if it is on rails.....
15....now take the boat speed up to about 25mph and turn sharply to the left and to the right.....see how everything is even better and faster/flatter turning than you ever dreamed of...and how you cant believe how a boat can drive like a car.....and a sports car at that.....
16...now at 25 mph turn the wheel as hard and fast as you can fullly to the right (not to the left or your calm adult friend will end up in your lap) Oh yeah, tell your calm adult friend to hold on!!!! you will experience your 1st feel of power and g-forces that you would/could/should NEVER have seen in your previous slug/pig/tub of an I/O boat that you prviously owned and now NEVER want to own or drive again!!!!
17....you have just experienced your 1st fully in-control POWER turn...you will come to love these turns.....but dont become "THAT POWER TURN GUY" as others will learn to quickly hate you.....haha....but know you know how wonderfull your new INBOARD boat is and how well it handles...
18....now that you are going 25mph, quickly pull your boat's throttle back to just before neutral (it will still be in gear but at idle speed) but still in fwd and you will be amazed at how quickly it slows down....if you had pulled it into neutral, it would have coasted to a stop and would have taken longer to stop....once it slows down to the just in gear idle speed put it back into the neatral position....
19....now it is time for you to become one with your thowable cushion....(remember the cushion?) take your cushion and throw it into the water as far as you can....now priactice pulling up to the cushion and having it sit just beside your drivers side....do not hit it with the boat as this is your pretend downed skier, your pretend rope and or pretend handle, or your pretend aunt Edna's hat that just blew overboard....
20.....now back up to the cushion and have it be just to the drivers side of the boat without hitting or running over it.....for those same pretend scenarios....
21....now proceed to try and do this on the passengers (your calm adult friend you brought along) and have he or she tell you when you have the cushion next to them without hitting or running over it...
22.....when you have successfully learned to be ONE WITH YOUR CUSHION.... you are now ready to go back to the dock and feel confident that you will be able to dock it with safety and YOU being in control....
23.....hell before you take it back to the dock.....do one more power turn (make sure nobody is around and you are not by a dock or other boats when you do it) after all of that tedious cushion practice you have earned it! haha

But get it out of your system now......or forever be known as "THAT POWER TURN GUY"...(and that guy is not a favorite of anyone!)



Go FORTH and enjoy your new inboard you are now an offical I/O HATER!!!!!I know....that was way more then 2 cents worth....

Welcome to the world of Inboards...


PS ... And yes you can make any inboard back up both ways...it just takes an understanding of how boats work, and understanding the laws of physics....if you are a non-believer and you are ever in PGH, I would be happy to show you how its done....

Here is some more on the subject....

One thing I forgot to mention is how to get a LH prop to back up to the left or Port side.... (reverse what i am going to say if you have a RH prop that wants to back up to the Port/LEFTside in the first place, and you want to back that up to the STBD/RIGHT side)

What makes an INBOARD turn is a combination of prop thrust and water passing over and or past the rudder which in turn diverts the water and pushes the boat in the desired direction FROM THE REAR OF THE boat.....the more power you give it the more water passes past the rudder and the better it turns.....that is GOING FOWARD!!!! However, when you go in reverse you are not pushing water past the rudder any longer but instead the water thrust from the prop is now going towards the bow of the boat.....leaving only prop thrust to do you turning....that is why the boat wants to back up in only a straight back or to a favored side at first...

So here is what you must do to get it to back up the opposite way...

Remember the rudder? that thing that water MUST pass over and past in order for it to do its job.....well if you back up slow and long enough, eventually enough river or lake water will pass it to start finally directing it to the desired opposite side, but usually by the time that happens, it is too late.... you are already way off course or have hit something....

So here is what must happen....
Enough water must pass across the rudder and must pass fast enough to get it to go the opposite direction....

Put the boat into reverse and right back out again, put it back into reverse and right back out again with the rudder straight back.....do not give it any throttle. just reverse....what is starting to happen is water is starting to pass over and past the rudder without the counter desired action of prop thrust (providing you are not giving it any gas) now that the boat is starting to back up rather straight...turn the wheel in the direction you want to go in reverse and leave it in gear.....you should start slowing turning in the desired direction....dont be throttle happy.....and you should be HAPPY....

Now if you want the process to go even quicker, then you must start with your stern facing the direction you want to go.....BEFORE you put it in reverse....

How you do that is either by PUSHING the boat in the desired direction from a hard object on the opposite side of the boat like a dock, another boat, a lock wall, or a boat trailer guide when backing off of your trailer.....OR......

By TURNING the wheel to the RIGHT if you want to back up LEFT and putting the boat in FWD and IMMEDIATELY putting it back in neutral....and repeating that 2 or 3 times, if you do it correctly, the stern of the boat will go LEFT and the boat will not have move forward more than a foot if at all.....the key here is IN AND OUT OF GEAR in FWD....

Once the boat's stern is now pointing way to the PORT or left side, you can return your wheel position back to FULL LEFT and only after you have moved the wheel full left, put it back in reverse and quickly back out following the procedure I outlined above a few paragraphs before....(If you put it back in gear while the wheel is still turned to the RIGHT, you will negate EVERYTHING you just did)

I assure you, once you get the hang of this technique, you can amaze your friends and fellow INBOARD boaters.....Your I/O friends (if you have any) won't be impressed, as their sleds back up well....and they will just be wondering why it has taken you so long to figure out how to drive your D*MN low free board boat in the first place... LOL

Backing UP???....at least an I/O does something well....but that's no reason to own one....

Just another 2 cents worth..... OK. more like $1.02 worth...

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Thanks for all of the tips and congratulations. A few answers and follow up questions:

1. I am in Toronto, Canada, but do my boating up in the Kawartha Lakes on Lower Buckhorn Lake, near Lakefield. Any other Crew Members on Lower Buckhorn or in the Kawarthas?

2. I will definitely look into that Acme prop. My primary uses will be slalom skiing (for me) and family skiing/kneeboarding/tubing for the kids. Sounds like the 525 is the best choice.

3. On the bilge, battery issue - if i were to install a second bilge, would this require a second hole in the hull? I was thinking only of a second battery to avoid any further holes.

4. ideas on the whips - or homemade solutions would be helpful.

Cheers all.

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Thanks - yes No Wake treated me well.

I am still trying to figure out the best way to moor the boat when I am not at the lake since I have no choice but to leave it in the water. I have read in other forums some mixed views about dock whips. Would you folks feel safe leaving the boat on the whips for a week (or 2) when I won't be there? I am worried about changing water level, and storms/rough water and what the risks are. Many thanks.

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I'm not doubting that you have thought it thru, but what is the reason that you cannot remove the boat from the water before leaving every weekend? Bouncing some ideas around might develop an alternative solution to mooring. I get very nervous mooring a boat.

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