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I would like to start off by saying a huge “THANKS!” to everyone on this forum. Throughout the process I have gotten a ton of great ideas from others and found help resolving issues through the restoration process. When I bought the boat it was in fairly good condition, it just showed it’s true age more so than I cared for. Most of the work I have done this year is cosmetic, and next year I will be focusing on performance for surfing/wakeboarding. I will start off by adding pictures from when I got the boat in March.
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The first thing I did was to remove the original registration numbers and the boat name. The original owner decided that putting "I feel the need..." on the back was better than Mastercraft and had them painted on. I found that Easy-Off oven cleaner works wonders removing old paint but it was a bit time consuming. Here it is with the boat name removed, as well as the warning stickers
I also removed the ski ladder that came with it. I found that everyone kept leaving it down and it didn't look very good. Anyone have complaints not having a ladder? I know it didn't come with the boat,and it seemed it was only getting used when the ladies had to pee.... I replaced the boat name with domed chrome decals from waterskis.com and I think it looks much cleaner
I also wanted to replace the swim deck padding, although I don't have the funds for a new one at the moment. I found a roll of shop flooring at harbor freight and cut it to size as a temporary solution until I can find the $ for a Seadek faux
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Congrats, Wlecome and nice boat. I have the 200VRS version of yours. I love mine and have done a lot to it. If you have questions you have come to the right place for answers.
I can't say I'm stoked about your mirror decal on the back but if you like it thats all that matters. I just ordered my Seadek pad. I ordered mine in cool grey and it is almost white. I like it a lot. Haven't put it on yet but it is awesome. Paid $250. I would stay away from the faux teak. I think it would look hoakey on the molded platform imho
Be sure to watch your rub rail for leaks. I had to replace mine. I don't have the same engine so I can't give you any advice on that. Except don't power turn too much.
Other than that your boat looks great.
Was the interior replaced recently. It looks new but they kept the same design.
Oh, and I don't have the ladder and no one has any trouble.sigpicWhen I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 - 11Comment
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Thanks Traxx! I would love to see a picture of your swim deck when you get the seadek on! I was pretty torn with what color to go with and I thought the faux teak could be interesting but it's good to hear other opinions. What's the best way to tell if the rub rails are leaking? They are in pretty good condition but definitely something i'll keep my eye on. The interior is original from what I can tell but I hate the purple and that is something I am definitely going to change...Comment
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I'll throw in a couple idea's for you.
If your rub rail looks like it does in this video then you have a problem : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNDLPeEf1uw I took a video of mine leaking. I never noticed the leak until I started surfing the boat. The angle of attach against the water was all it took to make my rub rail leak profusely.
I installed a rub rail from Ranger boats since it was heavy duty and looked the same (better quality than the mc) double the rivets and 3M 5200 the heck out of it.
Here is a photo of my interior. I have the same blue and silver stripe on the hull but my interior was originally grey, silver, blue and of course white. I dropped the third color (grey) and kept the other two. You could easily do a blue white interior that would match the exterior. Agreed the purple is awful. In great shape but ... but it's purple.
Here is a photo of my new interior.Attached FilessigpicWhen I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 - 11Comment
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That interior looks awesome! I would like to do something similar but that will have to wait at least until next year. Thanks for the video, when I get the ballast installed I will keep an eye out for leaks but yours was very obvious. I have a surfboard on order that I should get this week and I am going to see how the boat does with 400lbs in the ski locker and all the passengers in the back.Comment
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I wanted to update the dash but I wasn't sure what the best way to do it was. I decided to try some carbon fiber wrap and use the original dash as a backing. It had some pretty bad cracks and was faded. I am happy with how it turned out except for getting the lettering back on the switch panel. I found some hobby letters that are used for model trains but I haven't had a chance to put them on so for now I just used a label maker to keep everything straight.
Before;
After;
When I ordered the transom decal I also picked up a new set of domed decals for the side, removed the 225 VRS EFI and replaced/ moved the registration from the side of the boat to the front(where it should have been...)
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Really like the carbon fiber upgrade! Nice workComment
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I see you also changed the side decals. You dont like the ones on there now. In your original photo they are silver and blue. If you changed them all to the chrome you have in the back I think it would round it out better.
I love your dash. I have been pondering what to do with mine. I got the PP and now and know the gauges I'm getting this winter. But mine is cracked and I don't like the bland grey it is now.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2sigpicWhen I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 - 11Comment
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Doing my dash soon too. May just put counter top laminate over it and get labeled rocker switches.Comment
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I know yours is a little bigger than mine but I run 600# sack in the locker on most days to save time plus have learned that passengers on the center of the pad is better than the edge. So move people around and see what works.
I have loaded it up with 600# in locker 600# in rear seat and 400# in bow and the wave is massive. Then just move your passengers to tweak it. So don't be afraid to slam it. just don't let off the throttle too fast or you will get swamped and always turn weighted side into the roller wave when you recover a rider. you can capsize so be aware.
What board did you get?
Are you plumbing your ballast in? That is my project for the winter. Next season no more pumps I have to fumble with. Can't wait
Your boat is a surf machine. It's wave will rival that of newer boats.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2sigpicWhen I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 - 11Comment
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That is exactly what I wanted to hear!!!!! I was very unsure of how the surf wake would turn out and it seemed impossible to find a clear answer on these older boats.Originally posted by Traxx822 View Post
My plan was to create an integrated system that runs off of one pump to start with. I am going to do an impeller style pump (reversible) to fill and drain the ballast bags. I plan on adding one fitting to the hull for raw water and having a system of 3 valves under the rear seat to select which bag to drain/fill. I figure this will give me the flexibility of having multiple bags but I won't have to invest in (3) $250 pumps from the start. It will be as simple as selecting which bag to fill/drain by selecting the proper ball valve and if needed I can operate all bags at the same time but at a much slower pace.
The bag I have in the ski locker is a 540lb but I can't get completely full and close the door so I guessed at 400lbs. I was planning on 600lbs on each side in the rear and see where that gets me.
I found a Liquid Force Fish onsale at the-house.com and it seemed like a good all around board. This year was the first time I surfed and it was behind a Tige with no ballast. It was a blast but I am still just starting out and am no where near ready for tricks. I figure next year I can upgrade to something more agile and keep the Fish for everyone else to use.Comment
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The carbon was really easy to work with and is very similar to counter-top laminate. The biggest PITA was getting all the connections for the switches off and on in the right spot so I could remove the switches to cover that piece. I like the idea of labeling the switches themselves but I want to keep the boat as stock looking as possible. When I get around to re-labeling with the proper lettering I will post a picture.
As for the side decals, they do have a chrome outline which ties the new transom decal.
Here is removing the original ones, which wasn't much fun;
And after;
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That does look better on the side in that photo.
Sounds like a good board to start with. That is strange your bag won't fit. Is there stuff in there or something. I'm having custom bags made for my ballast set up from wakemakers that are 900# each.
Also when I wakeboard I never fill them both up completely unless I have a full one in the bow. Usually I just fill about 300 each and call it. With that much weight you cannot maintain over 25mph without proposing real bad.
What size prop do you have on right now? May need to upgrade. I pit a surf prop on and it saves a ton on gas. worth the money.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2sigpicWhen I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 - 11Comment
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Also watch the bow. It is pointed slightly down and will take a roller wave over the bow easily. It will happen to you. Don't panic. Just drain. Haha. ..
Also watch your walk thru window when crossing waves from boats or in chop. The hull tends to flex and the window can drop below the starboard side frame and you will have to remove it and reinstall in order to fix it. Have to hit the roller pretty hard, but not as hard as you might think.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2sigpicWhen I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 - 11Comment
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