Splash 2011!

[DKRanger22]

Well, after weeks of cold and rain so far this Spring, we finally got a nice weekend here in Cleveland. As they have been few and far between, I made the most of it and took full advantage of the good weather. Buffed the hull on Friday, installed two new batteries, and other miscellaneous putsing around, and finally splashed Matanji.

Given the short, flat drive to the ramp, my close friend volunteered to break in his new F150 for it's maiden tow voyage. It handled it no sweat. It feels SOOOO good to have her back in the water :grin:

Here's a few pics of the escapade:

Here's to a GREAT 2011 season to all the CSR members :smt038

 

[Rick K]

Nice underwater lighting! Been nagging the admiral for a set but she says too expensive. I say they'll just suddenly appear on the boat... :huh:

 

[Quint4]

Enjoy......looks good!

 

[DKRanger22]

Thanks, fellas!

Nice underwater lighting! Been nagging the admiral for a set but she says too expensive. I say they'll just suddenly appear on the boat... :huh:

Rick - the UWL's are one of the coolest mods I have done to the boat thus far. Everyone who sees them seems to love them. I did quite a bit of research before buying (after all, holes beneath the waterline are kind of a big deal, and I wanted to make sure I was happy with the outcome). I settled on a set from Coastal Night Lights, which are in my opinion, the best brand for performance and value. Side by side comparisons show them to be every bit as bright as Ocean LED Amphibians at less than 1/3 the cost:

Coastal Night Lights DW or DL: $190 per light, and 760 lumens
Ocean LED Amphibian A12: $879 retail per light, and 800 lumens

Installation of the two products is the same. Check them out and let me know what you think!

 

[87cc]

Boat's lookin' good. How many underwater lights did you install ?

 

[25thmustang]

Congrats and the lights look great.

With how far trucks have come, I'm willing to bet you weren't much over the F150s tow rating.

 

[CoralReefer]

Very nice!

 

[DKRanger22]

Boat's lookin' good. How many underwater lights did you install ?

Thanks for the compliment! I have three total (two double squares on the outside near each tunnel drive, and one double long in the middle (below the zinc, and above the plug).

 

[DKRanger22]

Congrats and the lights look great.

With how far trucks have come, I'm willing to bet you weren't much over the F150s tow rating.

Agreed. I'm guessing with boat (full tank + gear) and trailer, we were pushing 13,000 lbs. The trip to the ramp was a flat, 1/2 mile stretch with one traffic light, so the tranny probably only shifted 2-3 times. We never got over 25 mph. Should have been a breeze for the new 5.0 litre.

 

[Pack66Dad]

Damn....... I like how you have your lights installed!
This fall when I haul mine out I'm taking the pictures you posted to the boat yard and telling them to do the same thing on mine.

 

[wakeup 19]

DK how far out do the UW lights shine and how clear is the water? How are they holding up? I am in boston Harbor where the water is decent. Are you still happy with them? I have an extended platform on my boat and from looking at your pictures it is hard to tell the depth of light.
thanks RF