Hay BlizzND, I'm in Detroit Lakes

Bob86ZZ4 · 08-12-2010, 09:08 PM

Over at the family lake place for the weekend, right across the street from Detroit Country Club. Going to do some running and water skiing. We brought my boat up, it's my favorite tow boat:

If you're nearby you should stop over.

Bob86ZZ4 · 08-12-2010, 09:09 PM

Good thing I have the backup camera, only way I could check on the boat to make sure it was still there on the way up here.

Bob86ZZ4 · 08-12-2010, 09:11 PM

A bad picture but you get the idea:

GENECARP · 08-13-2010, 06:24 AM

Nice Bob, looks like great fun, G

blizzardND · 08-13-2010, 09:35 PM

Looks like fun, but your driving the wrong brand boat. I used to design Sugar Sand Jet boats in a past life. They are outta biz now after Gekko bought them out then went broke. The Merc engine Sugar Sands got way better fuel mileage than those twin Rotax. I used to spend hours and hours putting testing and break-in time on those small lakes between Fargo and DL. Brings back lots of memories.

Too bad we have company this weekend.

BTW the Community Picnic was Thursday were was ya?
blizz

Bob86ZZ4 · 08-14-2010, 05:58 PM

Oh no Todd, I've raced a bunch of those SugarLands, never been beat by one. But they all only had the single 120. I've got the twin 85's. My boat is a '96 and it's worked quite well for me all these years. A couple years ago I put in new Scat impellers and wear rings. Wow did that wake the boat up nicely.

I can't figure out why more people don't/didn't buy these small jet boats. They are the coolest things. I think Sea Doo wasn't the smartest at marketing them since they wouldn't let their PWC dealers sell them. A dealer had to set up a Sea Doo boat dealership under seperate licensing and such. I think it limited the dealers too much and lots of people didn't know anything about them.

We came up Thursday afternoon so we missed the picnic. Bummer.

blizzardND · 08-14-2010, 08:27 PM

Thats a '96?? Its in great shape!!!

When I left Sugar Sand Marine in 97, we were putting in 190's, 55mph in a 16' Tango Years later they were putting in 250's into 19' and 21' boats. The 190's would pop you right out on a slalom ski where the 120 was a drag on 2 skis.

Hardest pop out of the water I ever had was some kid out at our test lake with a souped up rotax Sea-doo wave runner, thought he was gonna rip the rope right outta my hands.

The little Jet Boats 13-16'were a fun boats to design and build. But once you get into the same price point as the I/O's the market goes to hell for the jet boats.You start spending a bunch of time and expense adding all the little stuff to add to the basic boat, gimmicks to sell against the I/O's and to me it was against the whole idea of building a zippy little boat you could suberge every now and then.

I know the fuel economy of those Rotax's was something we sold against all the time. But Sea Doo fought back hard using the big company to out market us. It was always a fun rivalry. We would take a new boat out and put a min of 8-10 hours breakin on the motor before we ever sent a boat to a boat test, then I would bring it back thru the plant and they would clean it up, wrap it as if it was "fresh" off the assembly line. The mags would think it was a "new" boat and race it against other "new" boats. Even the other Mercs we would always be a mile or 2 per hour faster!
-blizz

Bob86ZZ4 · 08-15-2010, 09:23 AM

Ya on the '96. I bought it new in Sept. 96. I always garage it when not using it. I put an hour meter in about a year after I bought it and that's only showing about 225 hrs now. So I don't use it enough. I've gps'd it at 52 mph in the past. Gas useage? Who cares, hahahahaah.
I ski with a O'Brien G4 Seige, very nice expensive ski. I use a full back boot too, so have to get up with both feet in. And spring and fall I use a wet suit. And I'm way overweight. So, that's the hardest thing to pull up. My boat pulls me up pretty good. Just have to hold my breath for a moment while I'm submerged before popping up. The wake, or lack of one, is the best thing tho. It's almost flat to cross over. Both my son's learned to get up on 1 ski when they were about 6 years old too (not my O'Brien tho). And they both got their watercraft operator licenses when they were 12. I just loved letting them drive the boat and take their cousins tubing and wild rides not worrying about getting cut up since there is no prop. My old I/O I owned before this I had to have the lower unit rebuilt twice, very expensive. No more gears and crap for me. Thrust diverters are the way to go.

blizzardND · 08-15-2010, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Gas useage? Who cares, hahahahaa

Sounds like all the dual engine Rotax drivers ever interviewed by Boating World. Then ask their spose whe they spend 120.00 a day at the marina! Ha!

:0 just rubbing some salt into that burning sensation near your credit card.

You really have a nice boat, and if the whole family can play together for an entire weekend.. thats.... Priceless.
-blizz

Bob86ZZ4 · 08-15-2010, 09:29 PM

It's kind of like the mileage on the t/c. Doesn't matter as much as my loving the ride. Actually, I've got a 27 gallon tank on the boat I think. I remember only one time when I had to get gas twice in a day. And that was a non-stop day. I actually didn't get to use the boat much this weekend. So I'm guessing we didn't use much fuel. But I got one run in on the slalom ski that was great!

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