For you Southerners [LOL]

Looks like fun! Are you going to leave the vinyl on? Be very careful removing it now, I hope it doesn't crack on you.

I can tell by those pics you are not getting that boat easily. We had to break about 75' of 1/4" ice at the ramp to get the pontoon out one year. The trailer went about half way onto the ice before it broke through. I rammed the ice with the pontoons from the other side, got stopped a few times and had to back up and go at it again. It was fun to get to say "ramming speed" while driving a boat! I know this isn't the best way to go about the situation, but if you'd seen this rig you wouldn't have bothered breaking it by hand either.

You guy's can KEEP IT! However I'd take a little bit of that white stuff. We're supposed to get 1-2" of rain the next two days. Never has a chance to dry out around here before we get more. Greg and Amy might soon be able to step out their back door and in to the pumpkin patch before too long.

I never had to break ice with a pontoon but did several times with the 14' Alumacraft getting to the duck blind. WOT on the 25 and a person in the bow jumping up and down makes a pretty decent ice breaker. One thing you do need are extra shear pins!!!

^^^What Kevin said^^^

...except we leave our stuff in until Columbus Day.

It's OK, you're on Pete's schedule.

harddock wrote: If I left my lift in during the winter the ice would bend it like a pretzel.

It was my turn this year. Two straight days of below freezing highs and single digit lows froze up the corner bay where I was parked. If the wind were going the other direction, it would have remained open.


It took about an hour just to get the engine started due to slow cranking (original weak starter), cold battery and cold oil. As usual at this time of year I drain the water after each ski. Even without the ability to tilt the nose down, with the 1:1 trans and the engine angled back I did not experience any damage. I previously removed the hanger on the front of the engine for the trans cooler -> raw water pump hose. This allows me to only have to remove the hose from the rwp to drain the trans cooler, since there is little room in this area with the engine cradle and blower in the way (knuckle buster). Well, the little water left in the hose at the bottom did freeze and I wasn't pulling any lake water in when the engine got running. After 10 minutes with the hose sitting on my car engine the ice thawed enough to fall out.


Once we got it running driving through the ice was quite unusual. Thickness was about 1/2"+ and I had to power through 200' to get to open water. No gel damage whatsover. I could feel the ice squeezing the gunnel at my feet. Towing the lift up on shore was also a problem since my "one tire fire" was doing a lot of spinning on the frozen ground, but finally got there without the need for a 4x4 vehicle.

Oh yeah....that looks and sounds like a whole lotta fun. I'd be cringing the whole time hearing the sound of ice crunch on the hull.

We actually got into the 20's last night and we won't break 50 today... It's a little cold out.

I did trek out to Athens, GA to catch the UGA game which was a night game. Temps got to low 40's during the game and it was a bit breezy but I did stay til the end og the game. Funny thing was that some of the the FAN postings on FB that were fussing cause it was cold.. I had to laugh cuz they don't KNOW the meaning of cold until they talk to New England area Fans and Packer Fans. THEY'VE got it cold. My hat's off to those guy's but I'm sure they are insulated in more ways than one.

Lakes are skimming over here as well. Hollywood, Santa needs to bring you some Collinites for Christmas.

HW - I guess you get this year's how to treat an "old tub" award.

Not to threadjack, but I spent about a year and a half being defeated by Joe's air chair before I figured out how to get on top of it. There are two things you need to know-

1. Butt forward. If its hanging off the back at all you can't stabilize the thing...once you think you're forward enough, move up 3 more inches.

2. Skiers instincts are not your friend, you have to let it do the work. Get the tip as high out of the water as you can, shoulders back, arms straight and level and let the boat pull you forward. Any adjustment or attempt at balancing yourself will knock it off kilter. Once you get up, lean forward. Chest to your knees is your happy place, that will keep you from firing into the sky. At some point you will lean back and that thing is going to fire you into the sky. Leaning back takes it up, leaning forward takes it down. No shame in riding with the ski on the water until you get a feel for it.

Water temperature shouldn't have anything to do with it, but that fin will mow down some weeds if its not deep enough.

Quinner prefers things that strap on.

The Durango is just doing work.