Advice on adding features to boat...

[ChrisW23]

I am looking for some advice about adding features to our boat. We have a 2001 Sea Ray 182, 4.3L V6 Merc, ~365 hours. 2nd owner, we purchased in 2005. Only used in fresh water (Lake Austin and Lake Travis in Austin, TX). Boat has been great for us; enough power for boarding/tubing, fairly fuel efficient, few problems, fits in my garage for easy storage, always get annual service from a certified boat mechanic.

My kids are getting bigger (now 11 and 8) and have really fallen in love with the water, wakeboarding, tubing, swimming, etc. My wife and I are considering a swim-platform to gain valuable space at rear of boat and a ski tower to optimize the skiing/boarding/tubing experience.

I would appreciate your thoughts on adding such features to an 11 year-old boat as described above? Would you spend the money (platform $1200-1500, tower $600-1000)? This is our 1st boat, should I expect another 7-10 years of reliable performance if properly maintained and taken care of?

I really appreciate the input from the community.

Thanks to all!

ChrisW
Cedar Park, TX

 

[dingbat]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

You will not get out of it what you put into it so you have to ask yourself, it is worth X amount of dollars to have one.

If you have the money to throw away, why not? if not, is there a cheaper way to do what you want to do?

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

If you like the boat and the layout works for you keep what you have and modify it. A newer/different boat brings it own new set of challenges and it has just as much potential to breakdown as the one you are familiar with.

" if not, is there a cheaper way to do what you want to do?"
And remember the cheapest way is not always the best or least expensive in the long run.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

If the boat has been well maintained by you and been functional for 7 years, there's no reason to think it won't last another 10 years if you keep the maintenance up. Keep in mind, tubing and skiing are not done off of a tower, and almost every trick a wakeboarder can do can be performed without the tower as well. The tower has become more of a status symbol for wakeboarders than an actual necessity. I'd be buying a nice fatsac for bigger wakes before I'd mess with a tower. If it works for you now, keep it. Otherwise, you are looking at shelling out more money for a bigger boat with the accessories you want and an unknown mechanical history. If you want the tower/platform, get them, as you can't really look at any increase in resale value.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

to answer your question, I don't see any reason why you won't get another 7-10 years out of the boat; you sound like you'd maintain it correctly.

However, boats do shrink with age. But children grow, and double in size when they bring friends (hint: teenagers do not want to hang out with you unless they can bring friends.) Middle-aged adults grow, too!

So consider whether you are accomplishing "more room" with a platform as opposed to an up-size.

personally, I agree that the tower is not money well spent. Just depends on what you do.

 

[salty87]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

i'm going to disagree with some of the earlier comments but i'm local to your area. austin is a huge wakeboarding town. towers are very common. i think in this case, if re-sale was a concern, a tower only helps your boat. same with the swim platform. if you get to use them for a few years and get a decent re-sale, the cost is just part of enjoying your boat more. will you re-cover your costs?...probably not, boats aren't investments and using them in the meantime isn't 'free'.

a tower with racks for the boards is a great thing to have. is it necessary to wakeboard?...no.

"this is our first boat"...most people, esp with kids, don't keep their first boat for a very long time. as cookin' mentions, kids grow and have friends.

 

[halfmoa]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

Well ChrisW, you weren't too specific so I'm going to generalize too. I'll add some basic info that I and others have learned the hard way.

Everything gets fused. Everything.
Marine wire is worth the price.
Every piece of metal you add to you boat needs to be stainless steel or aluminum. It doesn't matter if you're not on salt water. Yes, even that one single screw you're replacing in a hinge.
Antiseize all bolts.
Di-electric grease is your friend.
If you're looking at the weather forecast to see if you need to winterize, you need to winterize.

 

[ChrisW23]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

i'm going to disagree with some of the earlier comments but i'm local to your area. austin is a huge wakeboarding town. towers are very common. i think in this case, if re-sale was a concern, a tower only helps your boat. same with the swim platform. if you get to use them for a few years and get a decent re-sale, the cost is just part of enjoying your boat more. will you re-cover your costs?...probably not, boats aren't investments and using them in the meantime isn't 'free'.

a tower with racks for the boards is a great thing to have. is it necessary to wakeboard?...no.

"this is our first boat"...most people, esp with kids, don't keep their first boat for a very long time. as cookin' mentions, kids grow and have friends.

Thanks, Salty87. While I generally agree about 1st boats and kids growing and quite frankly, would love a newer, bigger boat, the cost is way too prohibitive for me to go that route. Not only the boat cost, but then storage as my 18 footer maxes my garage now, and I would need a different tow vehicle. My wife's 2wd Tahoe does fine now, but could not handle much more. I also have a 19 year old son getting out on his own. His friends were definitely part of the mix over the past few years, but we have been able to manage ok. At least enough that we don't "need" to change boats...

We'll continue to stew on this one for a bit.

Thanks.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

I'd go with the tower - mainly for storage of the boards and skis. Makes it a lot more pleasant to use the boat without equipment all over the floor. Never really understood the appeal of the platforms

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

Ive been where your at and looking back now i refer to that part of life as the true golden yrs. There is nothing like watching the kids grow learning to ski tube swim fish the whole gammit of boating. IF it does not hurt the budget absolutely venture on with the adventure. A happy wife excited kids it does not get any better than that....they will leave someday and it's excitng at first.. but life get's pretty boring in a few yrs....When they come home it's very refreshing..so build those memories and live life well...Umm skip the platfrom..you may need the 1500 someday for a drive or something...300 hrs is very low for a well sevriced boat...just a thought

 

[southkogs]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

The swim platform is something of a universal "+" for people. They really are a nice add-on to any boat. You may not get your money back out of it resale-wise, but if you can afford it you'll probably like the addition.

A note about the tower: They're probably a help with wake boarding, but for water skiing they're not that good (except for hangin' gear on). My experience is that they make skiing more difficult. I would think that they're probably bad for tubing too (but I've never tubed off one).

Hope you can find some inexpensive stuff!

 

[southkogs]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

The swim platform is something of a universal "+" for people....

...Umm skip the platfrom..you may need the 1500 someday for a drive or something...

The swim platform is something of a universal "+" for (SOME) people ...

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

but for water skiing they're not that good (except for hangin' gear on). My experience is that they make skiing more difficult. I would think that they're probably bad for tubing too (but I've never tubed off one).

You never ever ski or tube off a tower

 

[spdracr39]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

I'd go with the tower - mainly for storage of the boards and skis. Makes it a lot more pleasant to use the boat without equipment all over the floor. Never really understood the appeal of the platforms

That's really all I use my tower for. But it looks cool

 

[rparde]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

I would be concerned that the boat will no longer clear the garage door with a tower installed. It may end up costing you more with added storage of vessel. I have been looking at the wakeboard holders that mount to cleats or the ones that connect to bimini's. Also, my vote would be for the swim platform, wish I had one myself.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

I would be concerned that the boat will no longer clear the garage door with a tower installed. It may end up costing you more with added storage of vessel. I have been looking at the wakeboard holders that mount to cleats or the ones that connect to bimini's. Also, my vote would be for the swim platform, wish I had one myself.

They fold down

 

[twangmaster]

Re: Advice on adding features to boat...

don't worry too much about it lasting another 10 years or so... i've got a '96 SeaRay 175 that has been garage kept since new, and I can guarantee you that mine has at least 10 more years left in it!