A little help for the new guy:

[Jason B]

Hi all. I finally took the plunge and bought my first boat after wanting one for years. I bought a 2002 2000V Limited. So far I'm lovin' it (except the unforeseen expenses that add up SUPER fast!).
I have a couple stupid questions though I was hoping someone here can help me with.
1. Is it ok to winch the boat onto the trailer instead of driving it on to it--still quite rough with thte driving skills for such a tight maneuver.

2. How often should the blower and bilge pump be on?

3. When I take out the drain plug no water comes out. When I turn on the bilge pump no water comes out (it makes a running noise, so I think it's working ok). When I turn left or the boat gets tilted bow high water comes flowing out of the starboard stern hole (that I thought was the bilge pump outlet--maybe not). What's the deal? Is that just rain water that cllected overnight during a big downpour and where's the water at if it's not in the bilge????

Sorry it's so long. Thanks for any help!!

Jason

[da.bell]

Hi all. I finally took the plunge and bought my first boat after wanting one for years. I bought a 2002 2000V Limited. So far I'm lovin' it (except the unforeseen expenses that add up SUPER fast!).
I have a couple stupid questions though I was hoping someone here can help me with.
1. Is it ok to winch the boat onto the trailer instead of driving it on to it--still quite rough with thte driving skills for such a tight maneuver.

2. How often should the blower and bilge pump be on?

3. When I take out the drain plug no water comes out. When I turn on the bilge pump no water comes out (it makes a running noise, so I think it's working ok). When I turn left or the boat gets tilted bow high water comes flowing out of the starboard stern hole (that I thought was the bilge pump outlet--maybe not). What's the deal? Is that just rain water that cllected overnight during a big downpour and where's the water at if it's not in the bilge????

Sorry it's so long. Thanks for any help!!

Jason

Welcome to the site. We live off pic's here and when you have time, post some of your boat....

To answer your questions.
1) Yes
2) Turn it on before you start your engine. I turn mine on for about 5 minutes before I even turn on the engine. Some people keep theirs on the entire time while others turn it off. The blower is to make sure that the gas fumes are out of the engine compartment before you start the engine and so that you don't blow up your boat.
3) You might have two plugs. One in the back and one right under the boat near the center. The bilge pump will help extract water from the bilge but you might not have any in that area where the pump is located. When turning, you might want to come to a close stop and let the waves pass you by before turning.

[Timmy!]

1. Yes, but try and drive it on so that winch doesn't have to do too much work because eventually you will break it

2. I Turn the blower on as soon as we pull up to the lake and let it run for a good 5~10 minutes after we're in the water and then turn it off and on throughout the day.

3. You won't take on much water in these boats, they are pretty dry so you are good!

Welcome and congrats on your purchase!!!

[dogbert]

Well, your boat probably sits on the trailer in a manner that won't let water drain out. Remember, you have a convex V hull, so the lowest point when sitting level is actually right in front of your V-Drive. The starboard hole is actually your bilge-pump outlet and your bilge pump is automatic, so if there's enough water, it will try and drain it. You may need to find it (mine was located to the starboard side of the V-Drive before I moved it).

The blower should run 5 mins before turning on the engine for the first time. Some people leave it running all the time.

And, yes, you can winch the boat onto the trailer...just make sure the trailer is deep enough. General rule of thumb is water just over the fenders.

[Razzman]

Yup, what the other guys said. I dip my trailer just over the fenders and the boat literally floats up to the bow roller, really no winching required other than taking up the strap and tightening. Just remember all ramps are different and you may have to dip the trailer more or less. You'll get the hang of it in no time.

[Big Wave]

Regarding your drain plug, I pull mine out on the ramp when I check the alignment of the boat on the tailer. With the boat on a good slant most of the water (if any) flows right out. If there are people waiting to launch/recover I pull out of the way before I pull the plug. You always want to minimize your time on the ramp when people are waiting.

[da.bell]

Regarding your drain plug, I pull mine out on the ramp when I check the alignment of the boat on the tailer. With the boat on a good slant most of the water (if any) flows right out. If there are people waiting to launch/recover I pull out of the way before I pull the plug. You always want to minimize your time on the ramp when people are waiting.

Agreed.... Nothing upsets/pisses people off than people on the ramp wiping down the boat or just in the way of others to launch their boat....

[dogbert]

Agreed.... Nothing upsets/pisses people off than people on the ramp wiping down the boat or just in the way of others to launch their boat....

Dude, you really need to chill. We call that amateur hour. Just crack open a cold one, grab a lawn chair and be amused.

[da.bell]

It doesn't piss me off that much.. I do what you have suggested. It's the GF that stresses out and starts to yell at people for being stupid..... She's a WILD one!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Timmy!]

Our lake has a "wipe down" area that is pretty good sized and luckily 99% of the people use it instead of the ramp.

[da.bell]

We have the same thing but there are those people that do it on the ramp... It's kind of funny to watch because others will walk by and comment on what they are doing.....

[Jason B]

Thanks guys! I feel a little better now knowing I wasn't too far off. Good advice. I never even thought about the hull shape causing the water to pool more forward.

[xpjim1]

I had the same boat woth diferrent graphics - 20V riders edition. The plug if i remember is off to one side and not in the center. Also the bilge pump is not centered in the boat. Cant remember what side it was on in that boat. That could be the cause of water coming out when tilted. The bilge pump was also automatic so it will come on when water gets to a certain level.

I run my blower all the time.

That boat is very easy to drive on the trailer. I pulled mine on about 75% , then backed a little more in the water and winched the rest of the way. Welcome to the family.

What tower do you have. Is it the one with the bimini from Hades? The bimini has velcro. I hope not as it was a pain in the ***.

Welcome to the site.

[da.bell]

That is why we are here. A lot of people come and go to find answers to their questions.

[Jason B]

I had the same boat woth diferrent graphics - 20V riders edition. The plug if i remember is off to one side and not in the center. Also the bilge pump is not centered in the boat. Cant remember what side it was on in that boat. That could be the cause of water coming out when tilted. The bilge pump was also automatic so it will come on when water gets to a certain level.

I run my blower all the time.

That boat is very easy to drive on the trailer. I pulled mine on about 75% , then backed a little more in the water and winched the rest of the way. Welcome to the family.

What tower do you have. Is it the one with the bimini from Hades? The bimini has velcro. I hope not as it was a pain in the ***.

Welcome to the site.

Thanks for the help! I think the tower is just the stock one...it looks stock. It says Tige on an oval metal plate that appears to be made for the sticker ot go on there. No bimini cover unfortunately.