R5 WSS Surf Sea Trial

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AsLan7
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Re: R5 WSS Surf Sea Trial

Post by AsLan7 »

Never thought about the grounding thing with the props facing forward. Those would not work where I boat in Presque Isle.
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Re: R5 WSS Surf Sea Trial

Post by EndoTiger »

Ytmsn wrote: Mon Aug 28, 2017 7:45 am All good points Tuscany has made and it also seems to me that lift options might be limited with a forward drive as well. No big deal if you trailer every time, but resell might take a hit.

Welcome to the club endo, and rest assured nobody can spend your money as well as we can! And what about that handle? Are you prone to going over the bars sometimes?😊
Haha I never thought about the handle sounding like that!
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Re: R5 WSS Surf Sea Trial

Post by EndoTiger »

Tuscany wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2017 10:40 pm In my unsolicited opinion, unless..unless.. you are a hard core surfer who is looking for a surf specific boat, I'd pass on the surf model and order a standard drive.
The reverse drive, and the different angle the propeller sits when trimming would make me very paranoid in shallow areas. Looking at the trim angles spells trouble for a rookie boater. IMO, Definitely not an everyday type of drive, and I wouldn't want one for my needs.
You are also giving up all of your storage for ballast tanks, not to mention the excessive cost of the surf option.

Take your time and study the different options. Don't let the dealer push a large purchase like this on you unless it is exactly what you want.
I ordered my boat, and was in no hurry. Trust me, the dealer wants to sell you a boat more than you want to buy one. Take your time..
These are all great points, and it's great to get advice from boaters that are more seasoned! I definitely lean more toward ordering rather than settling for something that's not exactly what we want. I do hope that ordering doesn't remove too much of the bargaining power though. It's hard to keep that last point in mind - that the dealer wants to sell you a boat more than you want to buy one! Great wisdom there!
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Re: R5 WSS Surf Sea Trial

Post by EndoTiger »

Big Block Power wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2017 9:55 pm I think the surf model does both things well. Are you in deep water all the time? That would be my draw back to the boat. Lakes here are to shallow and it would eat the drive up. Are you going to trailer the boat? It would be nice to hear how it all functions.
Big Block my plan is to keep the boat at my primary lake in a covered slip, on a lift. On occasion, though, we'll trailer the boat as much as a couple hours away to visit other lakes with friends. That would probably only be once or twice a year though.
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Re: R5 WSS Surf Sea Trial

Post by Big Block Power »

EndoTiger wrote: Mon Aug 28, 2017 8:40 pm
Big Block Power wrote: Sun Aug 27, 2017 9:55 pm I think the surf model does both things well. Are you in deep water all the time? That would be my draw back to the boat. Lakes here are to shallow and it would eat the drive up. Are you going to trailer the boat? It would be nice to hear how it all functions.
Big Block my plan is to keep the boat at my primary lake in a covered slip, on a lift. On occasion, though, we'll trailer the boat as much as a couple hours away to visit other lakes with friends. That would probably only be once or twice a year though.
I think you would find the boat a blast to use. It sure would be nice to use it for a weekend or like strongman do some surfing classes with one. Just don't settle :-)
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Re: R5 WSS Surf Sea Trial

Post by Tuscany »


These are all great points, and it's great to get advice from boaters that are more seasoned! I definitely lean more toward ordering rather than settling for something that's not exactly what we want. I do hope that ordering doesn't remove too much of the bargaining power though. It's hard to keep that last point in mind - that the dealer wants to sell you a boat more than you want to buy one! Great wisdom there!
Ordering should carry a better deal than an in stock boat if done right.
Just be honest with the dealer and tell them you have no interest at all in their stock boat.
My dealer had an R5 in stock that I could have bought cheap. He would have loved to move that boat, it I told him that it was definitely out, with no chance to sell it to me.
Now, his focus changed from selling his boat, to getting a sale.

Negotiate it at the lowest point of foot traffic in their doors.
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Re: R5 WSS Surf Sea Trial

Post by Ytmsn »

Tuscany wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:24 am

These are all great points, and it's great to get advice from boaters that are more seasoned! I definitely lean more toward ordering rather than settling for something that's not exactly what we want. I do hope that ordering doesn't remove too much of the bargaining power though. It's hard to keep that last point in mind - that the dealer wants to sell you a boat more than you want to buy one! Great wisdom there!
Ordering should carry a better deal than an in stock boat if done right.
Just be honest with the dealer and tell them you have no interest at all in their stock boat.
My dealer had an R5 in stock that I could have bought cheap. He would have loved to move that boat, it I told him that it was definitely out, with no chance to sell it to me.
Now, his focus changed from selling his boat, to getting a sale.

Negotiate it at the lowest point of foot traffic in their doors.

Good advice Endo.

I was new to boating there is no way I would buy a forward drive. Just walk around a marina sometime and look closely at the props on boats, and you'll see plenty of dings and dents, not to mention the considerations you may have with a trailer or lift.

Which makes another point... When your lift is down and you come motoring into your slip, what keeps the prop from hitting the lift? If it's windy, or tight quarters, or a moment of in attention (because another boat is backing out, something in the water, somebody is moving around or whatever) and BAM your prop hits the lift frame. There goes a $1,200. Or more..
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Re: R5 WSS Surf Sea Trial

Post by AsLan7 »

Ytmsn wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 8:06 am
Tuscany wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:24 am

Good advice Endo.

I was new to boating there is no way I would buy a forward drive. Just walk around a marina sometime and look closely at the props on boats, and you'll see plenty of dings and dents, not to mention the considerations you may have with a trailer or lift.

Which makes another point... When your lift is down and you come motoring into your slip, what keeps the prop from hitting the lift? If it's windy, or tight quarters, or a moment of in attention (because another boat is backing out, something in the water, somebody is moving around or whatever) and BAM your prop hits the lift frame. There goes a $1,200. Or more..
.
Pretty much on the same page with ya' Ytmsn.
With that being said, I would love to drive one to experience the differences between the forward drive and the traditional outdrive.

From the boat launch....to watersports...to beach access....to boat retrieval, it would be intriguing to ride along and see how the owner handles those different situations.

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