Maiden Voyage!!

Capt. BassinLou · August 17, 2019, 02:20:44 PM

Finally the day arrived..... Maiden Voyage !!

Made it to the ramp right around 7am. Backed the trailer in position and started with my new checklist, (rough draft..

) Double checked that boat was unhooked, and drain plug in. My BIL backed the boat down, and the boat slid off the trailer with ease. Took me a little bit to maneuver the boat next to the dock, but once I figured out I had to be gentle with the throttle, I got it.

Before arriving to the ramp, I knew one of our UB brethren Flo Grown (FG), would be fishing the area, so I decided to make my first run to where I thought he would be. I pushed the throttle and off she went. I haven't handled a boat with a hydraulic trim in very long time, but after a few seconds, it all came back to me and I was cruising at 35 mph in no time.

2 min into the run, we see FG off into the distance, so I gun the throttle and the outboard responded immediately. As we approach I throttle back and quickly remembered how much backwash a bigger outboard brings with it when coming off the plane...

made a mental note and lesson learned.

As we creep up on FG, he doesn't know it was us, until I blew my horn 2 quick times. (The horn is loud btw..

) FG looks back and the surprise on his face was priceless. It quickly hit me , that my old boat and new boat were side by side for the very first time.

FG and spoke for a minute or two, and off we went to keep running the boat.

In a nut shell, we covered a lot of water and I'm adjusting to the boat well. I tested her out on really shallow water and she drafts really well. Shallowest we got today was 1.7 ft, and with the OB trimmed up a bit, I had enough bite on the prop to steer the boat through narrow shallow passages.

The 80lb Fortex TM, HOLYCRAP, at 65-70% yanks me off balance if I'm not paying attention.

This TM is going to easily chop through the salad.

As far as performance numbers. Please keep in mind I came off a 20 yr old 25hp merc, and 18-20 mph was my top speed at WOT. The times I opened up the 115 Pro XS to WOT (6000 rpm) I was hitting just above 47 mph (GPS) (speedometer was registering 49 mph). The boat cruised at 35-38 mph at 4300 RPM like a dream. The top speed of 47 mph made us feel like we were flying,

and I'm very OK with that. I'm sure once the OB breaks in some more, she might gain a couple of miles per hour.

This 4 stroke is QUIET, but growls when the power is needed. At neutral, all you here is the pee stream. The hydraulic steering is awesome, it helps offset some of that torque that prop creates. She gets up on a plane quickly and smoothly due to that pad hull. The water sprays out and to the sides, making it a really dry ride, but then again the water was glassy and smooth today.

The only issue I had today was that my Mobile Vessel View was not connecting to my phone, so I will have to look into why that was happening.

Other than that, we had blast, I passed the control over to my BIL for a bit and he LOVED it!!

I'm looking forward to many years and fun trips with this Vexus.

Thank you for reading!!

If anyone has any questions ask away, I'm sure I missed a lot of important details.

Bud Kennedy · August 17, 2019, 02:32:29 PM

Did you have a chance to deploy the power pole today? Sounds to me like it will only get better from here on out. Everything else seems very normal as you have described. Seat time will certainly be a boost to your confidence factor in very short order.

Capt. BassinLou · August 17, 2019, 02:37:11 PM

Quote from: Bud Kennedy on August 17, 2019, 02:32:29 PM
Did you have a chance to deploy the power pole today? Sounds to me like it will only get better from here on out. Everything else seems very normal as you have described. Seat time will certainly be a boost to your confidence factor in very short order.

Thank you Bud. To answer your question, no I did not deploy the PP. Water in the canals today was very high, and I didn't do any really shallow water fishing to test out the PP.

Bud Kennedy · August 17, 2019, 02:44:23 PM

I have an off topic question. How deep are the canals?

Capt. BassinLou · August 17, 2019, 02:52:03 PM

Quote from: Bud Kennedy on August 17, 2019, 02:44:23 PM
I have an off topic question. How deep are the canals?

They average 13-25ft in depth.

FlatsNBay · August 17, 2019, 03:11:43 PM

Well, it's about time!!!! Lol I'm glad you caught a fish right off the bat. How about fishability and the layout of all your compartments? Standing up on that deck probably felt huge compared to the Tracker.

Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk

Capt. BassinLou · August 17, 2019, 03:19:08 PM

Quote from: FlatsNBay on August 17, 2019, 03:11:43 PM
Well, it's about time!!!! Lol I'm glad you caught a fish right off the bat. How about fishability and the layout of all your compartments? Standing up on that deck probably felt huge compared to the Tracker.

Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk

Fishability is unbelievable. Those 95" beams rock!! Really comfortable, and PLENTY of room. The boat doesn't rock in any way, and the one time we encountered a boat head on, the my boat absorbed the wake like a champ. I was bracing hard on the other hand. Lol!!

FLO GROWN · August 17, 2019, 03:31:11 PM

Amazing boat in person, it's work of art, congrats bud!!

Capt. BassinLou · August 17, 2019, 03:37:00 PM

Quote from: FLO GROWN on August 17, 2019, 03:31:11 PM
Amazing boat in person, it's work of art, congrats bud!!

Thanks brother!! Appreciate the pic you took.

Donald Garner · August 17, 2019, 04:45:11 PM

Lou again congrats on your new boat. She's is pretty. Have fun with it and tks for sharing the day and pictures with us

Capt. BassinLou · August 17, 2019, 05:03:04 PM

Quote from: FlatsNBay on August 17, 2019, 03:11:43 PM
Well, it's about time!!!! Lol I'm glad you caught a fish right off the bat. How about fishability and the layout of all your compartments? Standing up on that deck probably felt huge compared to the Tracker.

Sent from my moto e5 play using Tapatalk

Flats here's a pic to give you a reference on the rear storage. Here's what my cooler looks like.

I decided to store it and keep out of the sun to preserve ice...

That rear storage box is a big fiberglass infused compartment with a drain hole. It actually be used as a cooler as well.

big g · August 17, 2019, 05:22:02 PM

Finally the big day came, and I'm sure you were all smiles. At full throttle you will have to play with the trim tab to max out top speed. Just a fraction of trim makes a big difference on maxing out your top end. Great looking boat, and I'm sure will give you years of good service. We are all happy for you, you deserve a machine like that!

Capt. BassinLou · August 17, 2019, 05:33:21 PM

Quote from: big g on August 17, 2019, 05:22:02 PM
Finally the big day came, and I'm sure you were all smiles. At full throttle you will have to play with the trim tab to max out top speed. Just a fraction of trim makes a big difference on maxing out your top end. Great looking boat, and I'm sure will give you years of good service. We are all happy for you, you deserve a machine like that!

Thank you George!!

Bassinkorea · August 17, 2019, 05:44:15 PM

Nice Lou, great post and photos.
Many years of fun in your future

LgMouthGambler · August 18, 2019, 03:20:38 AM

I'm gonna kelp it short and simple. Bad ass.

<")))>{

WTodd · August 18, 2019, 05:25:47 AM

The rear storage is similar to mine and Barry's Z18 except the way the lids open. I bet if you check the Plano 3700 boxes will fit like a glove in there

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Capt. BassinLou · August 18, 2019, 02:43:34 PM

Bonus update.... I didn't wake up sore today!!

Silly update I know,,, but having a recessed TM tray made a huge difference on my hip and back. Having to do the Captain Morgan stance, especially during long outings, would definitely make my hip and back stiff the following morning.

Bassinkorea · August 18, 2019, 07:36:52 PM

Yep, those TM trays make a world of difference. I would never be without one now.

Mike Cork · August 19, 2019, 09:31:29 AM

Congratulations

looks like an amazing ride

If you get enough seperate posts about it we can start your own board

Lee Smith · August 19, 2019, 09:45:00 AM

Saweet! Congrats again Brother, you'll have to step down a few pegs to get in my old boat!

Capt. BassinLou · August 19, 2019, 10:13:04 AM

Quote from: Mike Cork on August 19, 2019, 09:31:29 AM
Congratulations looks like an amazing ride

If you get enough seperate posts about it we can start your own board

Thanks Mike!! Lol...

Capt. BassinLou · August 19, 2019, 10:13:17 AM

Quote from: Lee Smith on August 19, 2019, 09:45:00 AM
Saweet! Congrats again Brother, you'll have to step down a few pegs to get in my old boat!

Thanks brother!!

merc1997 · August 19, 2019, 05:12:02 PM

sweet. now you need to get busy getting it dirty catching bass.

bo

Capt. BassinLou · August 19, 2019, 05:13:07 PM

Quote from: merc1997 on August 19, 2019, 05:12:02 PM
sweet. now you need to get busy getting it dirty catching bass.

bo

... working on it.

RangerAndBass · August 22, 2019, 01:04:00 PM

Congrats Lou on a successful first voyage! That is a sweet looking ride! I can't wait to see it in person. I know you love it, but I knew you would love it, for all the reasons you have stated.
Happy for you & enjoy!
Cheers!

R&B