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Adding Manual Wedge to '96 Echelon


mtman222

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OK Crew, I'm ready to make take the plunge and add a manual wedge to my 1996 Echelon.  As much as my wife and I like to slalom, we need to have more options as we primarily are spending more time on the boat with the kids and and glass water only lasts so long in Lake Powell and our local lakes.  My original teak swim platform has open slats in it, and I've read that some have added plexi glass to the bottom of it to prevent spray.  Just wondering everyone's opinion on if a new platform is necessary or if i can add a door and the plexiglass and just keep my current one.  Your thoughts, suggestions, and photos are most welcome. Thanks in advance for all feedback!

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I say go with the new platform.  It was one of the best additions to my boat, modernized it, made it look better, etc.  I got mine off a guy on this site, used, from a '06 Vride.  It was an exact fit.

But - the plexi and the door would be way cheaper, so if money is tight then do that for now.

 

Swim platform new.jpg

Swim platform old.jpg

Edited by Michigan boarder
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I'd say whatever fits your budget and you readily have access to is what you should use. I need the platform to be solid and flat more than I need splash control, as I have a dog with small feet and no wedge.

I've looked into getting full width filler strips for the gaps, but because they are curved it gets pretty expensive to do them in teak, even just buying planks and DIY'ing it as the planks would have to be at least 6" wide to accomodate the cut. Add the fact that most places that make the pieces (if you can't) would want you to ship the platform back and forth to ensure fitment and underside bracing, and you get pretty close to the price of a nice used platform pretty quick. Moving the existing boards closer together, adding a filler piece, and reshaping the edges adds up to about the same.

So I'm thinking of going a little less traditional and cutting up a white poly snowplow cutting edge to fill those gaps. I'll likely use the 9 original filler blocks as supports underneath, or I'll make those out of poly or aluminum. Michiganboarder only has the 6 outer blocks shown on his old one, mine has 3 more in the center as well. I already have two poly cutting edges, so no cost at all other than time. Might not be as 'traditionally' good looking as solid teak, but it should look just fine after checking out some pictures of the plasteak stuff. The other cutting edge I have will replace the back seat bottom risers/support stringers, as mine were missing when I bought the boat.

plasteak2_zpsfxxe76no.jpg

plasteak1_zpsd8rexfyv.jpg

 

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My platform has the door and I never use it to lower or raise the wedge, it's easier just doing it in the water.  I would prefer it not to have the door because it weakens the platform, you can feel it flex a lot more than my previous boat that didn't have the door.

Edited by MadMan
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I have the wedge with no door, at first it was cumbersome, but now we can switch it rather quickly.  Just make sure your last surfer/ boarder of the day puts it up before toweling off, because there's no dry way to do it

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