Dillema

[Craigmri]

Guys,

After discussing it with the wife we will be selling our Utopia 205 in preparation for upgrading. We are really enjoying the jetboating and the watersports with my 15 year old son. My Daughter just likes to swim in the lakes so all she cares about is the swim platform

He's where we're at. I would like to upgrade to a 23'(Either Challenger 230 or Yamaha 230) and this will require us to also upgrade our tow vehicle. I was looking at the deals out there on used Expeditions. A two year old Expedition can be had on the cheap!!!! On the other hand, my wife thinks we should keep our tow vehicle and get a Smaller boat. I said what????? Where did this come from?? Her argument is with a Challenger 180 we can keep our Veracruz(which she loves) and also keep the boat home in our garage. Our Utopia 205 wont fit in our garage and within our community we aren't allowed to keep it in the driveway so We keep it in secured storage nearby at the cost of $80/month. She feels if I had a boat in the garage it will stay cleaner and be less work while we save money. She's got some good points and if we got the Challenger 180 with wake tower it would bring our watersports to a new level.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

Craig

 

[boeing747arowair]

will the challenger 180 with wake tower fit in your garage? lol

 

[cjb]

Guys,

After discussing it with the wife we will be selling our Utopia 205 in preparation for upgrading. We are really enjoying the jetboating and the watersports with my 15 year old son. My Daughter just likes to swim in the lakes so all she cares about is the swim platform

He's where we're at. I would like to upgrade to a 23'(Either Challenger 230 or Yamaha 230) and this will require us to also upgrade our tow vehicle. I was looking at the deals out there on used Expeditions. A two year old Expedition can be had on the cheap!!!! On the other hand, my wife thinks we should keep our tow vehicle and get a Smaller boat. I said what????? Where did this come from?? Her argument is with a Challenger 180 we can keep our Veracruz(which she loves) and also keep the boat home in our garage. Our Utopia 205 wont fit in our garage and within our community we aren't allowed to keep it in the driveway so We keep it in secured storage nearby at the cost of $80/month. She feels if I had a boat in the garage it will stay cleaner and be less work while we save money. She's got some good points and if we got the Challenger 180 with wake tower it would bring our watersports to a new level.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

Craig

lol that exactly the problem i have now. I want a bigger boat but the county laws do not allow a boat on a driveway for more than a few days. Also my tow vehicle (08 Edge) is only rated at 3500 lbs towing even with the a factory tow package so ill have to upgrade that too. It gets too complicated. But what i hate the most is having to leave the boat on a storage place at the mercy of the elements. I like having it at home inside the garage. I can work on it whenever i want and is protected against the sun that tends to damage the upholstery and gel coat.

Craig if i remember correctly your house has a 3 car garage on a pic you posted a few months ago. You might be able to fit your 20ft sideways inside the garage with some modifications.

 

[timmyboy76]

garage...

Craig...DOWNSIZE...:svengo:

What about puting a "collapseable" tongue on the trailer?

 

[Craigmri]

Guys,

We tried to fit the U205 on an angle and while it would be possible, it would only make it by inches It would create so many issues just moving around in the garage. Our trailer already has the foldable tongue and like I said, with it folded it makes it on an angle by about two inches.

The Challenger 180 is nearly 18" shorter than the length of the Utopia(both trailer tongues folded). In addition, according to the Seadoo documentation, with the wake tower folded it will fit in the garage no problem.

CJB, like you said, there sure is something to be said about keeping the boat in the garage, clean and out of the elements.

Craig

 

[Sikiguya]

Option #3 Get a new house!

:rofl:You need a new house!!:rofl:

Wow. That is a problem. Hmm....from the sound of the conversation, I hope you enjoy the Challenger!!!:reddevil:

Just kidding. I don't know...I see the advantage of having the boat at the house. It is nice. We have a really deep garage. I can actually store the boat without folding the trailer but my gun safe is in the way. What is behind the wall of the garage?...maybe it is time to get the hammer, drywall, and saw out! How much would it cost to have it in an enclosed storage? That might be the way to go.

Are you really prepared to go to a smaller boat??...I was actually going that route(newbie boater) until we went to a dealer that had them side by side. There is a big difference in the room both in the main compartment as well as the open bow area. Heck...even my wife, when comparing the two, voted for the Utopia...as long as the price is right.

There is a fourth option...change the rules in your community. You might have to run for office! Vote for Craig!

 

[Craigmri]

Jim,

You made me chuckle. :rofl: If I take out the wall I run into my daughters bedroom so thats not gonna work and trust me, the homeowners association here is a nasty business. I wouldnt touch it with a 10 foot pole.

I'm thinking I'm gonna test the waters(wow is that a good punn or what?) and see if I can sell the Utopia for my price. If I can I'll let it go and start a new search. If I cant, I'll enjoy it for the summer.

No matter it looks like I'm sticking with BRP. While I wish the overall quality was better, they still offer some really nice designs and the price makes them affordable. The Yamahas while sweet are pricey and I just dont like the fact that they're raw water cooled.

Craig

 

[rookie101]

A SMALLER BOAT.:ack::ack::ack:

Could you get the Utopia in if you removed the drywall? What I did with my Utopia was move the bow stop about 8" farther forward which made the boat/trailer combo 8" shorter. It now just squeaks in the garage with about 4" to spare. It didn't add more than about fifty pounds to the tongue, and it tends to track a bit straighter when towing.

Before you give up the Utopia in favor of a Challenger see if you can get a water test. I looked at one before I bought my boat, and found it a bit too cramped for me.

Aaron:cheers:

 

[Craigmri]

You know Aaron, I never thought of that!!! I wonder how much tongue weight it would add if I moved the bow stop forward? One concern besides tongue weight would be the radiators under the boat. They may have an issue with the bunks. I'll have to take a look at them this weekend.

Thats thinking outside the box Aaron!

Craig

 

[kustomkarl]

The water transfers under the boat won't be a problem unless you move the bunks sideways. To see what the tongue weight is before and after use a bathroom scale with the trailer level or at the towing height. You should be under 300# for a class III to be safe.

Karl

 

[Craigmri]

Karl,

Thanks for that info. I'll try the bathroom scale this weekend. BTW, I hate to say this but I wont be able to make the event in June. I'm leaving on my annual motorcycle trip June 20th :-(

Craig

 

[rookie101]

The water transfers under the boat won't be a problem unless you move the bunks sideways. To see what the tongue weight is before and after use a bathroom scale with the trailer level or at the towing height. You should be under 300# for a class III to be safe.

Karl

Mine didn't add much at all. I have never weighed it but I can still pick the tongue up off of the ground, so it can't be more than about 150-175lbs.

Aaron:cheers:

 

[kustomkarl]

Yea, seadoos are pretty light in the front. I just thought I'd threw that out there for safety purposes.

Karl

 

[Sikiguya]

I was going to suggest another trailer.....

I was going to just suggest whether you can get a smaller trailer to accomodate the garage.

But...you could still have that conversation with your daughter...."Honey, you really like going out on that boat, right?" "So, we are going to shrink your room by a couple of feet and put in murphy bed instead!" "How does that sound?!!":reddevil::cheers::reddevil:

 

[Craigmri]

7 year old

Jim,

I suggested this to my 7 year old daughter and her facial expression was one of hate, anger and evil. Dude since I told her it was your idea I dont suggest coming to dinner at my house till this wears off :rofl:

Craig

I was going to just suggest whether you can get a smaller trailer to accomodate the garage.

But...you could still have that conversation with your daughter...."Honey, you really like going out on that boat, right?" "So, we are going to shrink your room by a couple of feet and put in murphy bed instead!" "How does that sound?!!":reddevil::cheers::reddevil:

 

[sporsterjoel]

Craig. I think if you go with the 180 youll regret it. from what i here there WAY under powered. Go bigger or keep your boat. Cant you find a storage place with better prices? Or try and find a baot lift to rent and just trailer it to a diffrent lakes if you ever wanted to. Also an expedition IMO is over kill for towing a 23ft boat. You could go with a 2003 style Ford Explorer with a V6and have no problems towing a 230. I have a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 and tow the Doral 230 witch has alot more weight then the seadoo 230.

 

[Craigmri]

Boat lift

Joel,

I would LOVE to keep my boat on a lift somewhere! If I could find someone that would rent one to me on either a lake or river I would be stoked!!

Craig

Craig. I think if you go with the 180 youll regret it. from what i here there WAY under powered. Go bigger or keep your boat. Cant you find a storage place with better prices? Or try and find a baot lift to rent and just trailer it to a diffrent lakes if you ever wanted to. Also an expedition IMO is over kill for towing a 23ft boat. You could go with a 2003 style Ford Explorer with a V6and have no problems towing a 230. I have a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 and tow the Doral 230 witch has alot more weight then the seadoo 230.

 

[TVZ1965]

Craig you know me/ GO BIG OR GO HOME.:hurray: Just kidding. But think about everytime you go out anything on the floor or do you have everything stored under the seats? Nothing to the guys that have the 180 I heard thay are a blast. Is it just you the wife and the kids or do the kids invite friends? I know my 15yr daughter always has a friend going. I would diffenitly tes ride on first.:cheers:

 

[sporsterjoel]

Joel,

I would LOVE to keep my boat on a lift somewhere! If I could find someone that would rent one to me on either a lake or river I would be stoked!!

Craig

Lots of marinas have slips with lifts for rent you should look into it, Um how close is your house to the water? Slid this by you wife, sell it and buy a place on the water with your own lift...:cheers: