New Motor Time

[Rednucleus]

Our faithful club 2014 at Hilltop Lake in Arlington WA is getting a nice upgrade after 4000 hrs - btw the original engine still runs well. Here's the link over on Ball of Spray describing the upgrade. I just got a new hip in Jan and a new Denali C85 so really looking forward to trying everything out in June!
https://ballofspray.com/forums/topic...=getNewComment

[SilentSeven]

4k hours. Sweet.

[Rednucleus]

Yeah, all you need to do is change fluids regularly and run your boat every day and it wil last forever. Love skiing behind this tug!

[charlesml3]

Our faithful club 2014 at Hilltop Lake in Arlington WA is getting a nice upgrade after 4000 hrs - btw the original engine still runs well.

I drove a ski-school boat several years ago that had over 8000 hours on the engine. I couldn't tell at all. It pulled strong and steady and ran like a champ.

-Charles

[Scooter G]

500 hours a year, that's impressive, and you're probably only running maybe 8 months out of the season.

[Rednucleus]

Scooter G - there's a smaller group that skis year round. Only thing that keeps us off the water is ice. Even Nov thru Feb I'll bet it gets used 2+ days a week. I love my dry suit!! Mid season I'm sure it gets used multiple times a day.

[Scooter G]

I like it, hard core!
My dry suit is no longer dry, got my money's worth I guess. Just haven't been able to pull the trigger on the expense of a new one.
If anyone has a good "sale" source, or suggestions on brand, I would love to hear...

[MN Ryan]

Dry suits? Man, you guys are hard core. Even if I had one, I would never be able to convince my family to come along to drive the boat, and I don't have heated storage aside from the big winter nap. I do need to find a wetsuit, though.

If you guys want to see real hard core, do a little online searching regarding the folks that winter surf Lake Superior on MN's north shore. It's nuts!

[SilentSeven]

The PNW is perfect for drysuits...doesn't get THAT cold here....maybe in low 40s and all the best water is 'not in july'. But you do need a ski posse who's all onboard with the plan. I prefer to ski twos vs threes as either you're driving or your skiing. I only get cold when I'm sitting in the boat doing nothing (like observing).

[SilentSeven]

My dry suit is no longer dry, got my money's worth I guess. Just haven't been able to pull the trigger on the expense of a new one.
If anyone has a good "sale" source, or suggestions on brand, I would love to hear...

If it's a bag type suit with latex seals, you can typically replace the seals without too much effort. A well manufactured suit uses a heat based glue and you essentially warm the bad seal with hair dyer or heat gun (careful) and peal the seal off. Clean the cuff area with solvent, add new drysuit glue and attach the new seal. I've done this multiple times with my suit...still using the same bag for...um...a really long time.

If you want to know more, I can link you to OS systems in Oregon who sells the seals and the glue.

[Interjon]

I have had great success with the O'Neill Fluid Neo. It fits more like a wetsuit, than traditional drysuit, but it is dry.

[Scooter G]

Thanks for the info SilentSeven, much appreciated. I think this one is Fubared beyond repair, it wasn't very expensive and definitely got my money's worth out "the bag". Loved getting in the water and floating around like the stay puft marshmallow man until the air got burped out of it, never got old.
I've glanced at the O'neil suit a time or 2 Interjon, I might take another look, thanks.

[Rednucleus]

Scooter G Wileys in Seattle has baggy nylon suits at a fair price and they last a long time. Mine has a 1992 date in the collar. Seal changes is all it has needed and I use it 5-6 months out of the year.