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First Boat!!!


Marmonick

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Hey all, I just bought my first boat... 06 Malibu I-Ride. I am soo excited...its like i'm six years old on christmas eve!!! I cant wait for some good weather!!! I have not taken delivery because i dont think i could stand looking at it in my driveway with this cold weather we have right now. But I am so excited for May!

I already downloaded the gear list that you guys have on here. Thank you.

Anyways, if anyone has a good words of wisdom I am all ears.

P.S. The one thing that scares me about these ski boats is the prop sticking out on the bottom. Any horror stories anyone wants to share? Pics?

Thanks in advance!

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Hey all, I just bought my first boat... 06 Malibu I-Ride. I am soo excited...its like i'm six years old on christmas eve!!! I cant wait for some good weather!!! I have not taken delivery because i dont think i could stand looking at it in my driveway with this cold weather we have right now. But I am so excited for May!

I already downloaded the gear list that you guys have on here. Thank you.

Anyways, if anyone has a good words of wisdom I am all ears.

P.S. The one thing that scares me about these ski boats is the prop sticking out on the bottom. Any horror stories anyone wants to share? Pics?

Thanks in advance!

Congratulations & welcome to the site. Just remember, slow & steady wins the race. That applies to every aspect - preparation (don't do it on the ramp), backing down the ramp, loading onto the trailer, pulling up to a dock, etc etc etc. Take some time early in the year (now would be a good time) to get out & learn your boat - how it handles & reacts, both at high & low speeds. The same goes for the trailer, especially if you don't have much experience in towing. You'll thank yourself for this in the middle of July when the ramp is crowded & you'll be able to know exactly what to do & how to do it. And finally, if there are any boating safety courses available in your area, I highly recommend taking one.

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Hey all, I just bought my first boat... 06 Malibu I-Ride. I am soo excited...its like i'm six years old on christmas eve!!! I cant wait for some good weather!!! I have not taken delivery because i dont think i could stand looking at it in my driveway with this cold weather we have right now. But I am so excited for May!

I already downloaded the gear list that you guys have on here. Thank you.

Anyways, if anyone has a good words of wisdom I am all ears.

P.S. The one thing that scares me about these ski boats is the prop sticking out on the bottom. Any horror stories anyone wants to share? Pics?

Thanks in advance!

Are you talking about getting hurt by the prop? Or hurting the prop? They are much safer then O's or I/O's with the prop where it is, but you also can damage them easily if you strike something. You just have to be careful, and I guess it couldn't hurt (if ya got the $$$) to just buy a new prop now so you can have a back up in case you do hit something so as to not ruin your day/vacation on the water.

BTW- there is a group by for props going on right now on this site.

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Congrats on the new boat. Clap.gif Wakegirl nailed it! Take it slow and easy, because the learning process can get very, very expensive if you don't. The voice of "experience" talking here. Learn as much as you can about the boat now, take delivery on the water with your sales person and then practice driving the boat. You have 10 hours of break in ahead of you anyway.

Make sure you come back and ask questions if you have any, and tell us how that first outing goes.

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VERY slow around the dock and trailer. It will feel as though you have minimal control at slow speeds until you get the hang of it. Congrats and welcome!

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Hey all, I just bought my first boat... 06 Malibu I-Ride. I am soo excited...its like i'm six years old on christmas eve!!! I cant wait for some good weather!!! I have not taken delivery because i dont think i could stand looking at it in my driveway with this cold weather we have right now. But I am so excited for May!

I already downloaded the gear list that you guys have on here. Thank you.

Anyways, if anyone has a good words of wisdom I am all ears.

P.S. The one thing that scares me about these ski boats is the prop sticking out on the bottom. Any horror stories anyone wants to share? Pics?

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the sight. I also have and '06 iRide and I love it. Where did you get yours? What are the colors?

I'm assuming you bought either used or from dealer inventory since it's an '06. Post some pictures when you get a chance.

There are a few people around from Michigan. If I recall correctly there is someone from west bloomfield, which I believe is right in your 'hood. Maybe someone close by would offer to take you out on their 'bu and show you the ropes. When you pick up your boat I highly recommend a water delivery if the boat is from a dealer. Let the dealer take you out and explain things to you.

The hardest thing to get used to is "reverse". You really don't have any steering control to speak of. Reverse functions more as a brake than anything else. When left in reverse the back of your boat will slowly drift starboard. Remeber that and use it to your advantage.

There is a malibu crew get toghether in June. I won't be there, but it should be fun. Look at the 'bu crew events under '07 Michigan WOW.

Edited by B_Potts
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I'd recommend tying a fender to an anchor, throwing it overboard, and practicing slow speed maneuvering around that. It definitely takes some getting used to maneuvering these boats around docks, lifts, trailers, and people in the water. Take your time and you'll be fine.

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I agree with everyone so far, I have had both I/O, direct drive and V drive boats and direct/V drive is "SO" much different. MY I/O was so easy to control on the dock, you have the prop that pulls you around when your in reverse and foward the front turns right away while the back kicks out.

PRACTICE.....is worth it's weight in Gold and don't panic by over gassing when you feel you have made an error, that's my only advise.

Congrats on you new boat, I too am at the Christmas stage. This is my first "REAL" ski/wake boarding boat with a tower, I still get goose bumbs when I go out to the garage and see it Yahoo.gif .

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Hey all, thank you for your warm welcomes and good advice!

In response to all of your questions:

I bought my boat from Ron@Skiers Pier. Honestly he has been a great help with buying this boat. We (Nicole & I) looked for months to find the right boat and were sooo excited when we found this IRide. It is White and Black Iris with 160 hrs on it. I am told that it was used as a christian camp boat on the west side of the state. It is in perfect condition with a new boat warranty!!!

He has taken us on a test drive and the thing runs great! Everything seems to be in order. He did mention that he is going to take us for another ride when we actually take delivery of the boat (weather permitting).

I am a little apprehensive on parking the boat just from not being used to driving them. but I am very comfortable driving a trailer considering I am an AVID snowmobiler!

The one question that haunts me is the idea of not having control of the prop as you do with the I/O. How do you deal with this????

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I had similar concerns when I got my first one. However, you will soon find that you don't need that control anyway. It only takes about 2' of water. Anything less than that and you are in the wrong place. Tilt/trim is for bass boats! Congrats and good luck!

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Hey all, I just bought my first boat... 06 Malibu I-Ride. I am soo excited...its like i'm six years old on christmas eve!!! I cant wait for some good weather!!! I have not taken delivery because i dont think i could stand looking at it in my driveway with this cold weather we have right now. But I am so excited for May!

I already downloaded the gear list that you guys have on here. Thank you.

Anyways, if anyone has a good words of wisdom I am all ears.

Congrats and welcome to the group. I have a few words of wisdom to share.

SELL IT AND BUY A V-DRIVE. Tease.gif

JK. ;)

Good luck and hope to see you at the MI WOW.

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Congrats and welcome!

Where in Commerce are you? I moved from Lower Straits to White Lake a few years back...

I live on Carroll Lake....pretty small but its our first place, and its on the Lake!!! Yahoo.gif

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The one question that haunts me is the idea of not having control of the prop as you do with the I/O. How do you deal with this????
By planning ahead. You'll get used to the whole "pulls to starboard in reverse" thing and will start using it to your advantage. I can spin my little Sporty in a space just slightly longer than the boat...Skipper's Cove Marina at Lake Englebright has the smallest little turn-around area. With SacRiverRat as my witness, I once backed it into a space (at McClure) that was about 3 feet wider than the boat. You'll get used it, and then you'll be wowing all of the wallies on the ramp arguing with the significant others. :lol:
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