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beretta5spd Outlaw
Joined: 15 Nov 2009 Posts: 189 City: Nipawin,SK, Canada
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Posted: Nov 16, 2009 7:29 am Post subject: First Post - My First Boat - The "Fakesetter" |
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Hey all this is my first post on your forum. Been lurking around here for a couple weeks and like what you all have going on. I thought I'd share my boat with you guys. She's a 1978 Vanguard 16 footer with a 115 Merc on her. The boat is only "supposed" to have an 80 or 85 apparently. The tower was a DIY out of 2" square tubing. In it's entirety it weighs around 150 pounds. Here's a teaser pic:
Here's the story. My best bud picked up this boat for $500 bucks with a rotten transom. He pulled the engine and cut out the old transom. Then cut 2 new 3/4 sheets of plywood to fit and fiberglassed over. You can hardly tell any work was done. I am a school teacher so for a project at school I had some students help me with the design and trig to find angles, etc. (A few even got to ride behind the boat.) Between him doing the transom and both of us doing the tower we probably put in over a 100 hours of work before we even used it. It also needed the bottom end of the leg of the motor rebuilt which I happened to have a friend who could do it for cheap.
So we taught kids how to board, between the two of us tantrums, 360's, even a toeside frontside 5 was spun (not ridden away from), we overloaded with I swear 800 pounds of ballast just it just to get that extra inch of wake. And when I had to move 7 hours away my best friend gave me the boat. I was shocked. Not as much as now owning the boat as the memories that went along with the boat. Shows you how much boating brings people together. Don't ever diminish how much time spent on the water can mean to friends and family.
On with the pics:
That's me giving the thumbs up
Up close shot of the boats side by side doing the Randall Harris wake to wake to wake jump from transgression.
Old faithful never let us die too far away from the dock
In the boat at this moment we have a fly high fat seat right full: (roughly 600-700 pounds. The front fuel tank has about 150-200 pounds of water in it. There were four guys, five wakeboards, a skate, and 4 full jerry cans worth of fuel making the 5 mile trek to the far end of the lake where the only real calm water was.
Towing five guys at once:
And a couple action shots:
Enjoy the pics....God has blessed me with some awesome friends to enjoy this sport with. Don't take for granted the people close to you that make this sport as enjoyable as it is. _________________ Isaiah 43:2 --> When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
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Wakebrad Ladies Man
Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas
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Posted: Nov 16, 2009 9:25 am Post subject: |
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Nice story. I always love seeing people who go to great lengths to meet their passion. It shows so much more love for the sport than someone who goes out and buys a wakeboat for the image but barely rides. _________________ You have just entered the twilight zone. |
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Okie Boarder Ladies Man
Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond
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Posted: Nov 16, 2009 10:35 am Post subject: |
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That's a great story. It is really cool how wakeboarding tends to bring people together. Good friends and good times. You guys did very well with that little boat. Looking at the smiles and fun activity shows you are truly blessed. _________________ If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular? |
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beretta5spd Outlaw
Joined: 15 Nov 2009 Posts: 189 City: Nipawin,SK, Canada
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Posted: Nov 16, 2009 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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We've put many many hours in that boat. Whether it was showing up at the beach after work in the early season and riding until dark or driving to the lake at 8 AM to make sure we got a pull in and then be at work by 9 we had a lot of fun so far. Much more to come. The current project I have on the go is making the tower fold. I chopped up the tower and installed hinges the other night so it folds almost right flat. It is less than 18" when folded so I can get it in the standard 7 foot garage door at my new house. Just have to weld some steel on that I can put pins through to pin it solid. Also being installed in the off season will be a stereo. New head unit with bluetooth so the blackberry with all the tunes on it stays dry in a backpack. Going to put 8 6 1/2" speakers in the boat. Four will go actually inside the boat and I have to make up some tubes to put the speakers in for the tower. Where I live is world class walleye fishing...all of the Crestliner / Lund / Tracker team boats show up here regularly as long as there isn't ice on the water. Workin our way up the river during a fishing tournament with boats everywhere blasting "the final countdown" by Europe is going to be epic. _________________ Isaiah 43:2 --> When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
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walb0244 Outlaw
Joined: 05 Aug 2009 Posts: 122 City: Terre Haute
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Posted: Nov 17, 2009 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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Nice boat. Me and my father-n-law bought a boat together. So now my mother-n-law, father-n-law, brother-n-law, my wife, and myself spend time together on the lake. It is nice I think. I'm the only one out of the 5 of us that has the wakeboarding bug. So I'm pushing for ballast and everything as of right now. The last time we went out my mother-n-law tried skiing and she hasn't done that in years. So it has gave us all something to do as a family. |
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beretta5spd Outlaw
Joined: 15 Nov 2009 Posts: 189 City: Nipawin,SK, Canada
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Posted: Nov 18, 2009 10:46 am Post subject: |
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See that's what it's all about...getting out on the water with people and having a good time. And I don't just say that because I don't own a 50000 dollar boat. If I was blessed to have a boat like that things wouldn't change. It's all about seeing others' succeed. After all, the only thing we leave behind for future generations are the things we give to them today. _________________ Isaiah 43:2 --> When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
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fman Newbie
Joined: 21 Jul 2009 Posts: 6 City: Roseville
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Posted: Jan 06, 2010 9:44 pm Post subject: |
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That boat is great! Any boat that gets you out on the water with family and friends is a sweet ride.... looks like it throws a pretty nice wake! I have always liked old school boats... that tower looks stout! _________________ 2008 22 SSV |
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chawk610 Addict
Joined: 06 Jul 2010 Posts: 668 City: Fort Worth
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Posted: Jul 06, 2010 9:18 am Post subject: |
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Love it!!! Cool boat!!! Love the tower... it looks bomb-proof! _________________ '08 Mobius LS |
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