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Diving In!!! List of essential accessories


LarsJensen

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Hi Crew, 

I'm new to the forum and love all the information on the site. Purchasing a 2006 Sunscape '21 with Boat Mate tandem axle trailer and wondering what are some of the ESSENTIAL mods and accessories that will make life on the water, over the road, at the boat ramp, and in the garage much easier. I've reviewed many threads in the Mods and Accessories category but just need a starting point. The boat does have ballast, wedge, decent stereo but that's about it. Wisconsin is home and we are on the water when the ice isn't and we will also be taking long road trips (Arkansas, Arizona, Carolinas......)  tow vehicle is a '13 Yukon Denali (6.2 Liter, I think......it sips fuel when not running)

Thanks for the input!

LJ

 

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First off spend some time in the boat in your driveway.  Familiarize yourself with everything in it.   Next familiarize yourself with it on the lake without 5 people in it.  Don't know how familiar you are with boats, but learn how it drives, steers and reacts.   Do this with empty and full ballast as they respond differently weighted down  

 

What will you primarily be using the boat for?  Skiing, boarding, surfing?  

I'd say first thing I would do is upgrade the ballast if wake matters to you.  You're not going to be happy trying to surf behind stock ballast.  Pull the hard tanks in the rear and put in minimum 750 bags on each side in the rear.  Secondly I would make a suckgate or purchase one of you are going to be surfing.  Don't mess with listing the boat to one side when you can make your own suckgate or purchase one for a few hundred bucks. 

Before towing long distances I would inspect the hubs, tires and brakes.  If you trailer is like mine I'd go ahead and drain the oil, look at the bearings and refill the hub with fresh oil.  I think it's like 50wt racing oil if I recall.  Also check all the lights. 

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Congrats and Welcome to the site!  Asking the characters on this site what is essential is like asking a TV Salesman at Best Buy if an extended warranty is essential...:biggrin:

Is this your first inboard?  If so, I would recommend a boat hook.  It significantly increases margin of error around docks and so until you get the feel for the boat and don't need it anymore.  Just get close and use the hook to grab the dock/keep yourself from slamming dock, etc.

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+1 on the box anchor, extra impeller & tool kit 

life vests in multiple sizes - you never know who ends up going

trailer brake lockout tab - so you can move trailer by hand (someone sells magnetic ones on eBay)

extra prop, hardware and removal tools plus a small piece of wood to wedge between prop and hull

cash - keep some cash in the boat for covering the unforeseen 

spare tire with the ability to change it

Welcome to the TMC fam!

 

 

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Welcome to the 'crew!  you will love it.  Where in Wisconsin are you?  

+1 on above.  especially extra prop, puller, wood block, locknut, and cotter pin, diving goggles...extra impeller.

Make sure you have boater safety license.  When we bought our boat our whole family got certified.

Have a "boat bag" with all the essentials pre-packed so you don't have to worry about forgetting the stuff and you can go in a moments notice.  Include sweatshirts, towels, sunscreen, water toys, etc... After each outing take out and launder anything that needs to be cleaned and immediately put them back into the bag.  

Have a list of items to remember, like putting in all the drain plugs prior to launch.

For boat ramp, remember to pack lots of patience, understanding, encouragement, and laughter.  Especially never criticize or yell at your your wife, kids, others who are backing up the trailer, docking the boat, holding lines.  Lots of "thank-you's" and "it would really helpful if you would..."  If you stick to this eventually everyone will not only be capable, but will also be willing to help.  Otherwise it's a super stressful part of the experience.

Include also:

First aid kit

Danik Hook (adjustable for anchoring/tying to different line lengths); anchor, with buoy so if you drop any of it you can find them.

Extra line(s) and bumpers for tying up to docks/other boats

Small toolkit & Leatherman multipurpose took

Waterproof container with wet wipes, paper towels, cash, boat licenses, boater safety licenses

drink koozies

The Absorber chamois (or something like it) to wipe down the boat after every use

Extra ziplock bags for phones/etc.

Really good cooler (RTIC) & extra snacks that you WANT on the boat (no cheetos, cherries, dark soda, messy anything)

Dive shoes (or other water shoes) in case you have to get out in the water in rocky/zebra mussel lake bottoms

Frisbee, water ball, other toys.

Extra towels & sunscreen

1-set of novice equipment (combo skis, wakeboard, tube, ropes, velcro straps to keep the ropes manageable)

Mods:

backup battery (if you like hanging around and listening to music)

+1 on suckgate.  definitely worth it instead of listing if you want to surf

Rain-x on the windshield

Wind block shield for bowrider thru-way

Heater (you are in wisconsin)

  • Like 2
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57 minutes ago, MalibuNation said:

:welcome: Lars

Here is a nice list for you:

 

Thanks MalibuNation! I really appreciated that the list included TP. Because you just never know...

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3 hours ago, braindamage said:

Welcome to the 'crew!  you will love it.  Where in Wisconsin are you?  

+1 on above.  especially extra prop, puller, wood block, locknut, and cotter pin, diving goggles...extra impeller.

Make sure you have boater safety license.  When we bought our boat our whole family got certified.

Have a "boat bag" with all the essentials pre-packed so you don't have to worry about forgetting the stuff and you can go in a moments notice.  Include sweatshirts, towels, sunscreen, water toys, etc... After each outing take out and launder anything that needs to be cleaned and immediately put them back into the bag.  

Have a list of items to remember, like putting in all the drain plugs prior to launch.

For boat ramp, remember to pack lots of patience, understanding, encouragement, and laughter.  Especially never criticize or yell at your your wife, kids, others who are backing up the trailer, docking the boat, holding lines.  Lots of "thank-you's" and "it would really helpful if you would..."  If you stick to this eventually everyone will not only be capable, but will also be willing to help.  Otherwise it's a super stressful part of the experience.

Include also:

First aid kit

Danik Hook (adjustable for anchoring/tying to different line lengths); anchor, with buoy so if you drop any of it you can find them.

Extra line(s) and bumpers for tying up to docks/other boats

Small toolkit & Leatherman multipurpose took

Waterproof container with wet wipes, paper towels, cash, boat licenses, boater safety licenses

drink koozies

The Absorber chamois (or something like it) to wipe down the boat after every use

Extra ziplock bags for phones/etc.

Really good cooler (RTIC) & extra snacks that you WANT on the boat (no cheetos, cherries, dark soda, messy anything)

Dive shoes (or other water shoes) in case you have to get out in the water in rocky/zebra mussel lake bottoms

Frisbee, water ball, other toys.

Extra towels & sunscreen

1-set of novice equipment (combo skis, wakeboard, tube, ropes, velcro straps to keep the ropes manageable)

Mods:

backup battery (if you like hanging around and listening to music)

+1 on suckgate.  definitely worth it instead of listing if you want to surf

Rain-x on the windshield

Wind block shield for bowrider thru-way

Heater (you are in wisconsin)

Thanks BrainDamage! Yep, in Stoughton, Wi just south of Madison about a mile from Lake Kegonsa. 

Also, still learning the lingo on the forums but what does a +1 mean? Is that an endorsement? And what's a Suckgate?

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3 hours ago, nlouthan said:

+1 on the box anchor, extra impeller & tool kit 

life vests in multiple sizes - you never know who ends up going

trailer brake lockout tab - so you can move trailer by hand (someone sells magnetic ones on eBay)

extra prop, hardware and removal tools plus a small piece of wood to wedge between prop and hull

cash - keep some cash in the boat for covering the unforeseen 

spare tire with the ability to change it

Welcome to the TMC fam!

 

 

Great stuff! Is the block of wood used to keep the prop stationary while wrenching off the fastener?

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I am on lac LaBelle halfway between Madison and Milwaukee.

Yes, +1 is like saying "ditto" or yes, I agree.

suckgate is a term for a panel that mounts to the side of the boat via suction cups (hence the name) on the opposite side of the surfer and creates a better surf wave by pushing the water away from the boat, causing it to crash back into the wake. It's called "delayed convergence". The concept was introduced by Malibu several years back and there are now a bunch of DIY gates. 

https://www.suckgatewakesurf.com/

http://www.missionboatgear.com/?gclid=Cj0KEQiAifvEBRCVx5up6Ojgr5oBEiQALHw1TmHq0DZCXNCUKh9BH9bWEPRFV8dMT-p1o85d0kujpvYaAk4k8P8HAQ

search suckgate on the site and you will see tons of hits.

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Just now, LarsJensen said:

Great stuff! Is the block of wood used to keep the prop stationary while wrenching off the fastener?

Yep. It keeps the prop from spinning so you can remove the locknut

Edited by braindamage
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Quick question, do I have to "quote" in order to "reply" to a response? Still learning.

(and I'll carry any purse as long as it's full of cash?)

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Craigslist is great to find good boat jackets cheap, charger that fits your cell phone, walmart for tube rope & dock lines cheap, we found some cool smiley face hip hops on amazon for $1 a piece. Wake makers all ways has some tow rope on sale.

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Just now, braindamage said:

if you want your reply tied to a specific post then yes, use quote. Otherwise you can just scroll to the bottom and create a new post

Thanks again, and if I tap on the "like this" icon do you get notified? I'll go back and read the "how to's" again as well. 

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Just now, LarsJensen said:
Just now, LarsJensen said:

Thanks again, and if I tap on the "like this" icon do you get notified? I'll go back and read the "how to's" again as well. 

I get notified on the site when someone likes or replies to my post, but not by email. I'm not sure how to adjust that setting. It's been a while.?

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Just now, braindamage said:

Also...one other thing...you will hear a lot about posing pictures. The term is "pics or it didn't happen"

so do you have any pics of your soon to be new to you BU?

Yes, have picks but none that I took. I pick it up Thursday the 23rd. It's not mine yet. But the guy I'm purchasing from has been great and has bent over backwards for me to ensure I'm getting a great boat with peace of mind. All the details of the transaction are complete and in place. Just waiting for work PTO to make the 1,500 round trip and tell the bank to release the funds. 

On iPad now but looks as if easier to load images from desktop. Looks like we load images to online photo storage sites and then paste code?

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9 minutes ago, LarsJensen said:

Yes, have picks but none that I took. I pick it up Thursday the 23rd. It's not mine yet. But the guy I'm purchasing from has been great and has bent over backwards for me to ensure I'm getting a great boat with peace of mind. All the details of the transaction are complete and in place. Just waiting for work PTO to make the 1,500 round trip and tell the bank to release the funds. 

On iPad now but looks as if easier to load images from desktop. Looks like we load images to online photo storage sites and then paste code?

Yep. I use Photobucket but some people have had issues. I don't think its easier on a desktop. I almost exclusively use my iPhone 

From photobucket, select picture, pick the "send picture icon" select copy, select "direct" links. Go onto Malibucrew site and paste link. The link should show up as a picture. See example below.

691F7515-E431-4B00-A99E-D6B92E7C4EB0_zps

Edited by braindamage
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2 hours ago, braindamage said:

Yep. I use Photobucket but some people have had issues. I don't think its easier on a desktop. I almost exclusively use my iPhone 

From photobucket, select picture, pick the "send picture icon" select copy, select "direct" links. Go onto Malibucrew site and paste link. The link should show up as a picture. See example below.

691F7515-E431-4B00-A99E-D6B92E7C4EB0_zps

How's this?  https://www.flickr.com/gp/147694837@N08/iA8Aa1. That's via flicker but will try my photobucket account on the TEST category. 

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