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Thanks to everyone on this site for their advice and insight. The paperwork is all done so now I can officially say that after all my hand wringing I ended up with a 2015 R7. It’s pretty loaded with the V8-380, Fixed Arch, Windlass, Porcelain Head, Premium Sound, and Tech/Touch Screen package among other stuff. It was dry docked in the dealers marina building and pulled out only for use. It has 248 hours on it. This one felt right and was an easy decision because the condition and history were so good.

At first I was resistant to the fixed arch, but after seeing it in person, and based on the minimal height restrictions of our lake, I’m actually good with it. Credit due to my wife for helping me see that was a stupid reason not to buy this boat. I also figured out I can wrap the fixed Bimini around the front bar when I want extra sun.

Couple of small upgrades I may do like a swim platform mat and perhaps upgrade to a real Garmin. But other than that we’re excited. I think I can still tow it occasionally for our week long vacations to explore other lakes. But for next year I’m planning to hold off and just enjoy the great ride on beautiful Lake George.

Now I just have to sell our Stingray so I can get back to one boat! If anyone knows anyone…

Great looking boat! I personally think the fixed towers look better on these boats.

Very nice - like the color! Nothing against your Stingray, but you are going to love the R7.

That's a beauty! Congrats!

Awesome lightspeedz. Great color combo too.
Thanks for posting!

Looks great. Can't wait to hear about it more in the future!

Beautiful! Congrats!

Thanks everyone! We had our first ride as a family this evening. Nice, calm evening on Lake George. I love that boat. Rock solid and easy to drive. It’s just so much comfier and more relaxing than I’m used to. There’s lots of little thoughtful touches to it as well. Is it spring 2024 yet?

We feel very fortunate to be driving around a R series Cobalt. It took over a year to get here, but it was well worth the wait!

Great find and worth the wait. I've seen a few of those arches on our lake and didn't realize that they were a fixed arch.

Krob1114 wrote: Thu Sep 28, 2023 6:56 am Great find and worth the wait. I've seen a few of those arches on our lake and didn't realize that they were a fixed arch.

Thanks Krob! It is an interesting arch. It's very striking in person, in a good way. Fortunately, I have-not encountered many instances where I think the fixed height will be an issue. It's solid as a rock though. I'm not sure what the rating is for other arches, but there is a sticker on this one that says it is rated for 1,000 lbs. on the eye. Not sure what others arches are like, but this one has two "courtesy" LED lights in it that illuminate the interior from overhead at night. It's very useful. It's growing on me a lot - even having the bimini out all the time is too. We feel fortunate and I'm glad I was patient. I am grateful for all the advice from many people that suggested i be patient. It kept me from doing something stupid- which can be hard to do!

Gorgeous color combination. I love the fixed arch on ours. Going from a Bimini previously with straps clipped that would vibrate when at speed to this is a game changer. It also seems to provide a small amount of shade from the side which my wife likes. The only draw back is docking with a wind. I feel it catches the wind a little easier to push the boat around.

LakeLife77 wrote: Tue Oct 03, 2023 1:15 pm Gorgeous color combination. I love the fixed arch on ours. Going from a Bimini previously with straps clipped that would vibrate when at speed to this is a game changer. It also seems to provide a small amount of shade from the side which my wife likes. The only draw back is docking with a wind. I feel it catches the wind a little easier to push the boat around.

That is for sure. It acts like a big sail in the wind. Plus all the freeboard on these R series makes them more susceptible to side winds. But the ride... it is so much easier to drive in chop. I come home feeling relaxed instead of feeling exhausted. I haven't tried unwrapping the canvas on the arch yet. I think it would free up the boat a bit. I rarely drove the Stingray with the Bimini open, so this is definitely a bit different. But we are loving it for sure!

LakeLife77 wrote: Tue Oct 03, 2023 1:15 pm Gorgeous color combination. I love the fixed arch on ours. Going from a Bimini previously with straps clipped that would vibrate when at speed to this is a game changer. It also seems to provide a small amount of shade from the side which my wife likes. The only draw back is docking with a wind. I feel it catches the wind a little easier to push the boat around.

I didn't like the vibration noise from the straps on our first boat. An experienced boater friend showed me how to twist and straps 2 or three times and the vibration went way down.

lghtspeedz wrote: Tue Oct 03, 2023 8:49 pm
Plus all the freeboard on these R series makes them more susceptible to side winds.

But, when we turn of the engine and just drift in the wind and listen to music, we're going much faster. LOL

Krob1114 wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2023 9:09 am

lghtspeedz wrote: Tue Oct 03, 2023 8:49 pm
Plus all the freeboard on these R series makes them more susceptible to side winds.

But, when we turn of the engine and just drift in the wind and listen to music, we're going much faster. LOL

I haven't tried that yet. I just might have to now! Haha.