Newbie with new boat

New to this world in almost every way. I've never been on a wakeboard & the only boating/water sports experience I have is knee boarding behind a 15' aluminum boat with a 25. I made my first boat purchase in February, brand new Glastron GTS225 with a Merc 5.7 350 mag. With that being said what are some of the MUST accessories/mods/adds I should be considering? Obviously upgrade the audio 4- 6 1/2" & a bazooka tube sub is completely inadequate and I'll have a completely separate thread. What about trim tabs, prop, ballasts & anything else that someone completely new to this world would know nothing about. All input is greatly appreciated.

DON'T POWER TURN


http://www.wakeworld.com/news/featur...powerturn.html


And have fun, congrats on the new boat you'll learn a lot on this site.


I also like to keep a couple of these lines on the boat to tie up to docks. And on windy day's I tie my anchor line to it. It allows the line to stretch but not drag the anchor when the boat tries to move.
http://www.overtons.com/modperl/prod...view&from=grid

Breh. Don't wipe down,load,unload, your boat on the launch ramp. The end.

Don't surf behind an IO.

Pile as many honeys on it as you can and have fun.

Originally Posted by psudy

Don't surf behind an IO.

Even with an extended swim platform I guess that wouldn't be a good idea

Don't know too much about Glastron boats other than they aren't 100% wake specific. Therefore advice on trim tabs and ballast may have to be a lot of trial and error on your behalf. Being an I/O, and depending on the hull shape of the boat, the wake will react differently to added ballast and trim tabs than on most other boats. I would venture to guess that bottom of the back of the hull is a little more rounded than most wake boats which means it will prob have a little less of a defined lip than that of a ski/wake boat (most are direct drive/v-drive) and will have a little more wash on it. So you'll have to just try out adding weight as it may make the wake less user friendly by adding more wash. I do believe your boat will have a much better rough water ride than most inboard wakeboats. Again, I don't know much about Glastron hulls so take that advice with a grain of salt and just try it out for yourself. But a few things I think you should def look into: some board racks - free up some storage space, and stereo upgrades of course - maybe also look into adding a transom remote as your boat has a large swim pad so I assume you'll be hanging out back there a lot. Other than that, the usual items, plenty of PDFs, first aid kit, bouys/fenders (I recommend Exile Bouy Balls), and extra rope are always good to have on board!

Enjoy your new toy!

That's a very nice boat for just getting into boating. My advice would be to not make mods to it until you know you like it. If you plan on getting into wake sports you're going to find its limitations fast. I just sold my I/O last summer for a V-drive because I wanted to be able to wake surf. The wakeboarding on the V-drive is much easier as well. There's pro's and cons to both types of boats and the I/O definitely is a better all around boat but if you think you are going to be get more into the wakesports then you may want to upgrade sooner than you thought. That was me last summer.

Well the ass looks good....would love a full frontal/side boob pic.

What made you choose an I/O?

Congrats on the boat!

In my case before I bought the boat I wanted a boat with capacity for 8 comfortably with a fair amount of speed for joy riding, could pull skiers tubes & wakeborders, and almost every time we go out we are pulling up to sand bars or beaches with shallow water. When I saw the prop & skeg sticking out the bottom of I assume what you are calling a V-drive or inboard motor boat all research in that type of boat was put to a halt, just way to many areas around my location with 3'-5'. Hopefully that wasn't a mistake on my part?? Am I correct in saying v-drives are more for pulling "wake sports" than for top speed?

Originally Posted by BrettLee3232

Well the ass looks good....would love a full frontal/side boob pic.

What made you choose an I/O?

Congrats on the boat!

believe it or not I've put close to 20hrs on it in 2 months and have only one pic of the boat on the water to show for it. Sideboob view from boat show

Originally Posted by Chiper4

In my case before I bought the boat I wanted a boat with capacity for 8 comfortably with a fair amount of speed for joy riding, could pull skiers tubes & wakeborders, and almost every time we go out we are pulling up to sand bars or beaches with shallow water. When I saw the prop & skeg sticking out the bottom of I assume what you are calling a V-drive or inboard motor boat all research in that type of boat was put to a halt, just way to many areas around my location with 3'-5'. Hopefully that wasn't a mistake on my part?? Am I correct in saying v-drives are more for pulling "wake sports" than for top speed?

Yes you're correct. The wake boats are designed to pull a rider out of the water, and to have the torque and hauling power to carry large amounts of ballast. While they do have the power to go fast, they have props designed for that low end.

You can likewise pull up to a beach or sand bar with a wake boat, you just have to be smart about it. The wake boats actually have a very shallow draft (the amount of boat under the water) so they are good going into those places, but yes they are vunerable with the skags on the bottom and the fact that they can't retract their outdrive like an I/O. So yes, you have to protect your prop and rudder. Many of us are fine with tossing an anchor (on a bugee anchor buddy line) and then nosing up to the shore and putting a line on the bow with a shore spike. then the bungee anchor line pulls the boat back out into the deeper (safer) water while you play on shore.

You've got a boat that's going to do a little bit of everything okay (except surfing). Most of us here are very passionate about the wake/wave that our boats produce. I hate tubing, never go fishing. It's kind of like having a Honda accord. yeah, you could take it out on a track for a track day, but once you REALLY find that you're fanatical about high performance driving, you'll find yourself wanting something that's more specialized. There's a ton of analogies that fit--towing with a midsized SUV vs. a 1ton diesel truck. and so on.

Honestly if you're going to modify your boat, focus on the things that will enhance YOUR enjoyment of it. Get a fun stereo. Maybe throw some LED lights on it. Beyond that, it's not really worth shelling out tons of money for trim tabs or other mods that try to make your boat something it's not designed to be. I hope that makes sense. Sure, you can spend tons of money on this boat to make it perform better in certain areas, but if it's that important to have a quality wake/wave, then plan to eventually move on and transition to a boat that is specifically designed for that.

Nailed it ^^^^^^

Great info really appreciate it

Speaking of shore spike that's on my list has anyone used this slide anchor shore spike?

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/prod...ls.cgi?i=81200

Congrats on the new boat, looks great! Learned my first 2 inverts behind a I/O and had a lots of fun learning. Also worth looking into www.marine-products.com and using discount code DFTR2016 to save a little cash on items you may need. Make sure to keep the boat clean with a good product inside and out. Boat Bling is worth the research and keep the new toy looking new. Enjoy the summer and the stoke of a new boat.

I'll reiterate no power turns and ramp etiquette... Do your prep and cleanup wherever is appropriate and out of the way at the ramps you use, try to minimize time on the ramp.

For $42k you could have got a very nice inboard. If water sports are your main interest, you'll be selling this boat within a few seasons so keep that in mind when doing anything to your boat. After a season or two you'll have figured out how you spend most of your time on the water and what you like/dislike in a boat. The stereo on that boat is just fine. It's your boat, but I doubt for what it cost it has a cheapo head unit and a pair of walmart speakers.

Number one item is Perfect Pass. It is the single best and most worthwhile upgrade I did to my boat. If you ride where there is normally a current (river or tidal) get the paddlewheel version. If you ride on a lake or where there's no current and want an easier install get the GPS version. If you don't have a driver who can hold a steady speed to +/- .5 MPH you'll just be frustrated every time you ride. An I/O will typically take a lot more work to hold at 18-22 MPH than an inboard.

If you're going to kneeboard, get a compression molded board. Old foam filled rotomold boards don't pop off the wake and they break easy.

Make sure you have enough rope, anchors, fenders, etc. Don't cheap out on that stuff. Don't worry about ballast, prop, engine improvements, etc. until you start riding a while and get to the point where you can use a bigger wake, then evaluate the boats performance with extra weight.

Originally Posted by Chiper4

Great info really appreciate it

Speaking of shore spike that's on my list has anyone used this slide anchor shore spike?

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/prod...ls.cgi?i=81200

I have one. it works great. it's really nice to be able to pound in the spike with one hand while holding the bow line with the other.

Getting power trim tabs is a very useful addition to any boat. They really don't help with wake but they really help with hole shot and comfort, in addition to making the hull adaptable for storm conditions.
PerfectPass, or something comparable is the best way to stay on friendly terms with whoever is the driver at any time.
Added ballast you can put in the bow is important for an I/O to improve the wake. Generally you get up to speed then trim up 1/4, or there about, and have passengers and ballast in the bow area to get the best wake size and shape.
Dry sacs are really useful to store towels or extra clothes in the boat.
Heaters and showers are nice to haves.
A couple Aquazookas can be used to bail if necessary. (At least that is what I told my wife, the kids and I make sure they are still functioning regularly)

Enjoy, it looks like a nice boat.

Originally Posted by trayson

I have one. it works great. it's really nice to be able to pound in the spike with one hand while holding the bow line with the other.

you misspelled beer! lol jk

I may be a little off course here....but am I the only one that thinks that trim tabs may actually get in the way of the I/O?! One point of an I/O is to be able to adjust the trim by raising or lowering the out-drive itself. But then again, I've been out of the I/O world for quite some time! And on the running gear being under the boat in an inboard boat, I've ran my XStar in shallows down to 2'6" without hitting anything. I wouldn't go in anything less than 2'6" though, stick to 3' and deeper and you're fine!

Trim tabs can adjust the roll on a boat really effectively which makes it run more effectively on the hull. Your ride is then more comfortable and efficient. With both down you can drop the nose of the boat at lower speeds which makes heading into swells and storm chop safer and more comfortable. If you are following the waves you lift them both up to avoid sinking the bow into a wave you are catching. An I/O lifts the bow a lot at low speeds and they don't have a way to get it down without running faster. Tabs on each side of the transom are really nice to have on a sterndrive.