New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

[ThreeMileBayWaker]

I finally got my new baby this afternoon.

2010 Glastron GT 205 XL, 4.3L V6 Volvo Penta, Roswell Wake tower, low profile black windshield, and custom black canvas.

Pulled in to my Boat dealer to find her waiting under the canopy next to the Marina's owner new GT 225.

Going over some of the engine break in procedures which will be how I am planning on spending my sunday...

The heart of the boat.

Cockpit..

 

[ThreeMileBayWaker]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

signing the next ( I'm not disclosing) X amount of years of my life away to payments...

My dealer couldn't believe how nice and sporty the low profile windshield looked on my boat along with the other options I chose they have already submitted another order for another boat with the same options I chose to bring with them to next years winter boat show. They've never seen the windshield in person before and never wanted to opt it for an options because they didn't think it would be a selling point. But when the Marina owner and other techs start saying how much better the customers (mine) boat looked better than his, he's already thinking about taking offers for his boat, so he could opt for a couple of the options I went with.

Only two things went wrong with my order.. One, same issue as Jt185 had, we didn't get the promised stainless steel intake/exhaust vents and Glastron Shipped the incorrect cockpit cover for my boats options. In the long run, I made out better because they had a custom **** pit cover made for me by one of the top canvas company's here in CNY, and actually made it better by adding a zipper between the bow and cockpit canvas so no water can seap through which was one issue with the factory canvas.

JT - I did question the issue with the SS covers and they got right on the phone with Glastron and talked to their rep. This is what I was told " The manufacturer of the stainless steel intake/exhaust covers since the selling of Genmar to the new company has stopped producing them, and will not provide them anymore. I was not given a reason as to why, my dealer said it could be possible that the new company screw them over ( I actually have their name, its in my new owners baggy and will get it for you. I think its ITC inc. but will verify) and just don't want to do business with them anymore.

Unhappy himself because his new boat didn't have them either, he suggested I do the following... call up Glastron parts department and ask for the stainless steel intake/exhaust covers for a 2009 GT 205 with xl package because they DID come with them in 2009. We confirmed this via their sales rep and the 2009 they had left on their lot. If they say they have them in stock, call up customer service and tell them you just bought a 2010 GT 185 with XL package and didn't receive the SS covers. If they say they don't have them, clearly say you just got of the phone with parts and you do.

I was advised this because he told me the reps deal with dealers differently than if you call up customer service and raise a stink especially if they know its a known shortage and its still being listed in dealers sales books and on their website.

I was going to ask to be compensated but my dealer did have an option price guide, and the covers in 2009 were only a $3/each cost difference between the plastic and stainless covers. I'm really not worried about $12 and its not a deal breaker.

 

[GXL205 Deke]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

I like the black canvas with tinted windows on red boat...very sharp.

 

[WTR4FUN]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

That is a very nice looking boat, congrats!!

 

[brick75]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

Congrats man, looks great. After that long, you must by dyin to get her out on the water.

 

[jt185]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

That is really a great looking boat 3 mile!! Absolutely love the windshield and the tower. I gotta get a tower soon. My son has been bugging me. The color of the boat? Everyone knows that red is the fastest color! I also wish mine had the the flip up walk through sun deck.Have you been out yet? Is that a fuel injected 4.3? Your going to love the way it handles. Thanks for posting all the pics. Keep us posted on your shake-down cruise. Congratulations!!!

 

[ThreeMileBayWaker]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

Thanks for all the nice comments guys.

The engine is the 4.3L GL Carb'd. I hemmed and hawwwed about the fuel injected motor, and really don't care about top end speed which the FI motor would have supplied, I wanted the down low torque and power which the Carb'd motor handles a little better since my main use will be for wake boarding.

When I was looking at them at the boat show, I was planning on getting the GT185 to save some cash, but having the extra 2' in the **** pit between the captains chairs and rear bench, plus the walk through rear deck I felt it was worth the extra money. My granfather has miss being on the water and I took them into consideration on this, which the extra space will allow more human comforts. Also the Roswell tower looks soo much better in person than the pictures are doing. Its extremely beefy and I can do pull ups on the bar, well worth the $2k+

I haven't had it out yet, I went to get my insurance today on it and Geico couldn't instate my policy till tomorrow (well today now) so I am doing my shake down run with my cousin and some friends this afternoon since the weather is suppose to be gorgeous. I was a little dissapointed when my dealer told me they don't come along for the shake down cruise, but went over everything in detail on the boat before I left with it. I have memorized the engine break in procedures for the first 2 hours which is what I should be able to accomplish tomorrow. I just want to snag a quart of volvo penta break in oil just to be safe while breaking her in.

But my cousin bought his glastron brand new back in 2003, and has helped me through this entire process thus far and feel confident in him to help me further along.

I'll be sure to do a little more reporting back tomorrow and probably some more pictures.

 

[ThreeMileBayWaker]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

Took the boat out today with some friends, she fired right up with no problems. Looking back now, I probably shouldn't have had as many people in the boat as I did (7 with myself). The lake was quite choppy and I had in my head that max WOT for my engine was 4600 rpms. But reading through my manual again now, i am reading that max cruise speed was 3200-3600 rpms and when I was hovering in that range my boat would begin falling off plane. So I was varying in my engine speeds from 3600-4000rpms, a couple times it hit 4200 and I backed it right down after it only seeing it for maybe 10-20 seconds.

It got pretty rough on the lake so I took it up the river a bit but since it was a no wake zone I was only able to cruise along but figured it would be a nice cool down to cruise for a little bit and I think we went like 4 miles on the river before going back out in the lake for another couple miles at varying planning speeds of 3500-4000rpms

I clocked 2.1hrs on the meter so this is only the first initial break in, as I have the 8hr and then the 10 hour still to go but I feel the break in manual is very vague. I am just hoping now I didn't have the boat over loaded and glaze the cylinder walls, but she seemed to run right around 140-150*'s. I think the majority of that time was an idle to slightly above idle cruise up the river so there is maybe 1 -1.5hrs of actually being on plane.

When I take her back out again, I'm going to cut the people on board down to only 3 max with myself.

Also I am not sure if my fuel gauge is reading properly because I had a 1/2 since that is what the dealer gave me, and I added 16.5 more gallons. It never read fully pegged to F but didn't appear to move after all the driving around I did. The boat has a 34gallon tank.

 

[jt185]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

My book says not to idle for long periods of time and vary rpm up to 3/4 throttle and no WOT for the first 10hrs. There are a lot of opinions on break-in. I go by the book. I highly doubt you damaged your motor. Sounds like you had a good time with your friends.

 

[jkust]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

Congrats on the boat. I have always liked those newer Glastron Interiors. My Chap has a 33 gallon tank and takes forever to really go below full very far. You will get the hang of how much gas you really have after a few times fueling it up. Having only had outboards with external tanks forever, it took a bit to get used to the quirks of the gas gauge. My rule of thumb is that I generally fill it after each use and since the 4.3's sip gas, it is really hard to run very low. How much more was the MPI option? I'd have grunted a little and signed up for it after having a carb now for 2 seasons. I'm always a little annoyed that I have to pump it one time and warm it up like my cars before fuel injection was standard. After that initial warm up though, other than the higher top end and better throttle response, the carb does the job well.

 

[ThreeMileBayWaker]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

My book says not to idle for long periods of time and vary rpm up to 3/4 throttle and no WOT for the first 10hrs. There are a lot of opinions on break-in. I go by the book. I highly doubt you damaged your motor. Sounds like you had a good time with your friends.

2 hour break in..

Mines says to idle high for the first 5-10 mines which I kept it at 1200

Bring onto plane quickly and then bring back to a planning attitude, during this period vary engine speed to approximately 3/4 throttle for 2-3 mins( i figured was 4000rpms) and then would keep varying it from 3500 or so to there for the 16 ish miles I took her down and back on the lake.

Once it had reached operating temp, vary the engine speed by slowly momentarily slowing and then increasing engine speed. Which I was still doing what i did above, i just don't know if I was too high on the rpms cause I found buried in the owners manual the max cruising speed is 3400-3600ish range.

Only warnings it said was to not run at constant rpm for long periods of time. When going up the river I was still varying the rpms a bit.

8hr break in...

Is to continue operating at 3/4 or less (minimum cruising speeds) and stopping occasionally to idle to let the motor cool down. During the period you may operate at full throttle for periods of less than 2 mins.

I had a great time despite this now worrying me, and even with 7 people in the boat she was running at 42mph at 4000rpms, and I was amazed how well she road over 2' chop.

JT- whats your boat hit RPM wise for Full throttle/WOT?

 

[jt185]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

JT- whats your boat hit RPM wise for Full throttle/WOT?

At WOT it's at about 4800 rpm which is 50 mph on the GPS or 53-54 on the speedo. In your detailed description of your first outing, I can't imagine you did any damage. Relax and enjoy the rest of the break in then you'll be wakeboarding like crazy. It's gonna be a great summer. That hull sure cuts through the chop well don't you think?

 

[lucky7]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

sweet boat, love the red and low pro windshield. is it tinted? i think you maybe did your engine a favor by having it loaded up on your first time out, a good load will help seal your rings. did they change the dash for '10? is there side glass [over the shifter?}

 

[ThreeMileBayWaker]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

sweet boat, love the red and low pro windshield. is it tinted? i think you maybe did your engine a favor by having it loaded up on your first time out, a good load will help seal your rings. did they change the dash for '10? is there side glass [over the shifter?}

The low profile windshield is indeed dark tinted, I would guesstimate roughly 5-10%

I am not sure if they changed the dashes for 2010, as I never got to look in a 2009. I have a 2009 catalog and they look similar to me.

When you order an XL package, full side glass is included in the package, which runs over the shifter/ throttle when you keep the normal clear glass. My low profile black windshield was a $260 option, a option that I feel was WELL worth it! Still keeps the wind out of your face, and I'm 6'3" but gives the boat a really sporty look. I thought about just having the normal glass tinted, but that would have been almost $200 itself since they charge per window, and it would have been for 5 windows.

 

[jt185]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

I thought about just having the normal glass tinted, but that would have been almost $200 itself since they charge per window, and it would have been for 5 windows.

The regular windshield is tall enough that tinting it might block too much visibility. Besides, that low profile looks so damn good. I wish I had done it for 260 bucks. It would look great with my color scheme too. Oh well, I might be too old for the sporty look, or maybe not.

 

[rw99]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

3Mile, thanks for the posts... I'm picking up my new GT205 S&F next Friday and the reality is just starting to set in!!! Ordered it back in December. I also went with the Volvo V6, FI on mine. I'm really interested in what you think of the boat's performance when you're running with ~3 people on board. And are you happy with trim adjustment ease/performance? Oh, and what would you say: easy to launch/retrieve? or not so much?

Big Congrats on your new boat, man.


Rich

2 hour break in..

Mines says to idle high for the first 5-10 mines which I kept it at 1200

Bring onto plane quickly and then bring back to a planning attitude, during this period vary engine speed to approximately 3/4 throttle for 2-3 mins( i figured was 4000rpms) and then would keep varying it from 3500 or so to there for the 16 ish miles I took her down and back on the lake.

Once it had reached operating temp, vary the engine speed by slowly momentarily slowing and then increasing engine speed. Which I was still doing what i did above, i just don't know if I was too high on the rpms cause I found buried in the owners manual the max cruising speed is 3400-3600ish range.

Only warnings it said was to not run at constant rpm for long periods of time. When going up the river I was still varying the rpms a bit.

8hr break in...

Is to continue operating at 3/4 or less (minimum cruising speeds) and stopping occasionally to idle to let the motor cool down. During the period you may operate at full throttle for periods of less than 2 mins.

I had a great time despite this now worrying me, and even with 7 people in the boat she was running at 42mph at 4000rpms, and I was amazed how well she road over 2' chop.

JT- whats your boat hit RPM wise for Full throttle/WOT?

 

[ThreeMileBayWaker]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

The v6 is very responsive even when I had her loaded up with 7 people and only killed 8 gallons of gas for going roughly 2.5hrs and probably 25 miles(3mpg with 7ppl in the boat isn't too bad)

I had her out this afternoon with just myself and my cousin. A few problems have aroused but nothing too major as of right now and am keeping an eye on them. One needs to be addressed ASAP and the other may have just been a break in thats finally completed as I didn't see any more fluid loss.

 

[rw99]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

The v6 is very responsive even when I had her loaded up with 7 people and only killed 8 gallons of gas for going roughly 2.5hrs and probably 25 miles(3mpg with 7ppl in the boat isn't too bad)

I had her out this afternoon with just myself and my cousin. A few problems have aroused but nothing too major as of right now and am keeping an eye on them. One needs to be addressed ASAP and the other may have just been a break in thats finally completed as I didn't see any more fluid loss.

Please post up with any problems you see; our boats were built virtually side-by-side and I'd like to know what to watch out for...

Thanks!

 

[ThreeMileBayWaker]

Re: New GT 205 ( My turn FINALLY!)

Please post up with any problems you see; our boats were built virtually side-by-side and I'd like to know what to watch out for...

Thanks!

Well here are the problems I am having right now.

I took her to WOT yesterday (50mph with 2 ppl on board), and started to feel a dripping onto my feet. The (speedometer) pitot tube hose is leaking where I believe the gauge hose is connected to the pitot hose ran from the transom. This is covered under warranty but my dealer is over an hr away and will cost maybe 5 bucks to fix this, compared to $50 in gas to tow her there and back. I will take pictures of this so you and Jt185 can see this as he is a new owner as well. Jt185 had a fogging issue with one of his gauges, I don't remember if it was the speedo or tach. The extra hosing is just bound together and zip tied up with all the other wiring under the dash. I am wondering if the all the vibrations from my maiden voyage bounced it around and caused the premature leak. I am going to get some 1/4" wire loom and wrap this hose as it is only rubber/vinyl.

Second issue, maybe no issue at all... but i was checking fluids and what not before yesterdays trip and noticed my PS fluid was down a little bit and figured it just was being absorbed into the steering rack during the break in. Well, I dug a little deeper checking for any other leaks and noticed a wet spot on the transom and where the pressure/return lines hook up into the steering rack has dribbles off the bottom of them, right above this wet mark. I wiped everything down, noted the fluid level and after yesterdays trip it didn't appear to have lost any more fluid and the wet mark didn't grow or show any new dripping. I did however toss a wrench on these fittings and got maybe 1/8" turn more on both of them.

I also noticed that maybe my oil cap may be leaking as well. Nothing too major but I don't remember if I fiddled with it or not after the dealer showed me it or even if they tightened it back down all the way. But I wiped that clean along with the little leakage it made and will watch it next time after the next trip.

I forgot about your other questions before in regards to launching/retrieving, my dealer didn't do a shake-down trip with me like others normally got. Not sure why, might have been the distance to my house/lake not sure but it didn't matter to me. My cousin owns a 2003 MX195 which he bought new and went through a shake down run with his, and he's been with me on the boat every time I've had it out thus far. For technical support and navigation because the lake I am boating is new to me and has A LOT of shoals on the north shore where the launch is.

My trailer I got is an EZ loader custom trailer, with double bunks/no rollers. To launch I flick on the blower and get all my bumpers and lines ready in the staging area so she'll be ready to go right away. I use 4 bumpers because of my wakeboard tower protruding further than the side rub rail on the boat. Make sure plug is in, un latch the rear tie downs which are attached to the trailer so you don't loose them, un-hook the safety cable in the front and then let the winch out roughly 8-10". I back the boat in slowly and watch in my mirrors, until she starts to just bobble around floating, and then hop out and take my rear tie line and tie that to the dock, and check bumper length to ensure safety. Then un hook the boat from the winch and tie the front off. Then I go and park my trailer/truck.

Retrieve has many different ways to do it. You can crank her on, or drive her on. Most will do the drive on since bunks make this soooo easy to do. To do the drive on I'll fully back the trailer in to get the bunks wet and then pull the trailer up a little bit. On my trailer and the launch incline I use, I have to have the water fully over the bunks and roughly 2" over the wheel wells. Coast the boat slowly in, take out of gear and let it settle itself onto the bunks and stop. Then put into gear and just goose it a bit, then leave in gear at lowest rpm, run up into the bow and crank the winch down tight so she doesn't slip back off the trailer on you. If you take it out of gear she'll slip down on you while your running up into the bow to crank the winch down. Take out of drive and turn it off. Thanks really about it in a nut shell.

Make sure you start your own thread and post up some pictures of your new boat. Also might wanna check out http://glastronowners.com/