okay out of the box idea guys, let's get crazy

[DBIdaho]

Here's the situation, I bought a Crownline 265 SS Surf. It has the forward facing drive which has a mammoth draft. Crownline corp tells me it is 42" down and 36" up. One of the dealers (not the one I bought it from) had told me (prior to talking with CL Corp.) that it was 36" down and 33" up which is exactly what a similar sized Cobalt R6 Surf lists the draft at with the same VP 430CE FFD.

The boat went from the dealer's storage to my inside storage, so I haven't had it in the water. Now, to the point; I am going to be really, really tight on that draft if Crownline is correct while coming into my slip and going out onto the lake. I have about 200 yards that may be fin dragging. So, I am hypothesizing in my head, ideas for getting in and out sans the motor/outdrive and would like some of your ideas.

Some of my thoughts are:

1) clip on trolling more seems obvious, but not sure how thrilled I am about a trolling motor on my $175k boat. Is there a way I could make is look okay?
2) Parallel mount two external stern thrusters (one on each side) under the swim step with forward/reverse switches piped to the helm and use those for the 200 yards out and 200 yards in. My thought here is that I could mount them on a swing arm that just clicks into place when I wanted to use them and they would swing up against the underneath of the swim platform when not in use.

Any more ideas? any thoughts on my ideas above?

I am still holding out hope that CL gave me a hyper conservative draft depth and that it is truly closer to the Cobalt Surf with the exact powertrain and close in weight, but want to have a solid plan in place just in case. My budget for alterations would be $5000 or less.

thanks

David

edit. posted in wrong thread. moved to general

 

[Sprig]

You provide no information about the body of water the boat is birthed at, I just know its a lake and quite shallow going in to and out of the docking area. The problem I see is that lake levels change throughout the year. Generally by September they are at the lowest level. So in the Spring you may have plenty of clearance but by the end of summer your boat may not be able to make it in and out on the shallow channel you refer to. You may be dragging the hull on the bottom. What is the most shallow point in the channel when the lake is at it lowest? Hate to say it but this is something you should have thought about before you bought that particular boat.

 

[Grub54891]

Good response by Sprig. Also if the drive is a pod drive, there is no way to trim it up. If its shallow water, a thruster or trolling motor may not help. That pod drags bottom and you are basically beached/stuck.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you bought a tow boat (surf) with the proper drive (FWD) so when you wipe out you dont become chum.....

they do draft much more than a traditional drive

the literature doesnt help much

V8 Marine Engine - Forward Drive | Volvo Penta US

Volvo Penta Forward Drive V8‐FWD is a totally integrated package, powered by the 8‐cylinder, 5.3‐liter or 6.2-liter, direct‐injected gasoline engine.

www.volvopenta.com

is your ground muck? or rocks?

 

[DBIdaho]

you bought a tow boat (surf) with the proper drive (FWD) so when you wipe out you dont become chum.....

they do draft much more than a traditional drive

the literature doesnt help much

V8 Marine Engine - Forward Drive | Volvo Penta US

Volvo Penta Forward Drive V8‐FWD is a totally integrated package, powered by the 8‐cylinder, 5.3‐liter or 6.2-liter, direct‐injected gasoline engine.

www.volvopenta.com

is your ground muck? or rocks?

Thanks. yeah, the literature sucks for sure which is problaby why the dealer just through out some numbers. I have to think, based on the minimum riser height requirements for manufacturer from VP, that Crownline Corp was giving me some super conservative numbers. I can't really see how the Cobalt with the same exact FFD set up and 6.2L engine would draft 6" less than the crownline. It just doesn't make senses.

Our lake bottom is a mixture of sand an muck, but mostly a layer of fine silty muck in that 200 yards of shallow.

One other idea I had was ballast in the bow going out and in. I alway have an onboard pumping system. Wondering if weight up front would cause it to draft less in the back?

 

[Grub54891]

Sorry if I offended you. We are just trying to come up with a plan of sorts to figure out your particular boating situation. No need to shoot down suggestions. Regardless, it might be possible to add the weight to the bow and the stern might rise, hard to predict. I know a couple of boaters that added to much anchor chain and all it did was yes lower the bow, but did not raise the stern.

 

[ejnichol]

Hire a dredge!

 

[DBIdaho]

Hire a dredge!

unfortunately that's not an option for (what should be) obvious reasons hence the reason I didn't ask for ideas on modifying the lake bottom.

 

[Sprig]

OP you have a real chip on your shoulder and a rather nasty disposition. We are or were trying to help you. What I said about sesonal lake levels applies to probably 90% of lakes in the US. Since you gave no information regarding your body of water I made certain reasonable assumptions.
An internet troll? Wrong. I’ve owned over a dozen boats and I’ve been an avid boater for 50 plus years. I have a wealth of boating experience and knowledge.
My quote “"Hate to say it but this is something you should have thought about before you bought that particular boat” , was 100% the truth. Apparently the truth is what got your panties in a bunch. Your attitude is not conducive for getting people to help you. Good luck with your dilemma.
I do concur with ejnichol HIRE A DREDGE.

 

[GA_Boater]

Do you launch from a ramp? With a shallow channel to the deep water, you may not be able to put her in the water because the shallows begin at the ramp.

You better lighten up or you will have to a short stay. Whether you like it or not, honesty isn't always a fun experience. Don't try to analyze people by the few words they write.

 

[H20Rat]

You got the wrong boat... It isn't going to work, period. Even an inboard might be a challenge, as the draft is still pretty low.

 

[Sprig]

Actually, I think it's you who may have a chip on your shoulder. I know people like you, you're the person who spends time assigning blame instead of looking for solutions. Diverting and misdirecting from the issue in an attempt to move a topic in a direction where you feel you're superior. That's exactly what you did here. No value in your comments, just blame and misdirect. Instead of doubling down on your comments, you should be apologizing.

Is this your example of trying to help: "Hate to say it but this is something you should have thought about before you bought that particular boat”. That's really, really helpful. You knocked it out of the park there. Never-mind that I posted several times that I did think of it, but you don't want to get bogged down in the facts. I posted looking for ideas, not to be treated like a child. If you don't want me to treat you like an internet troll, than maybe you shouldn't treat me like an idiot.

It's pretty obvious that you are not capable of responding to a specific set of questions, which is unfortunate. It's pretty typical and I should have known better. You sir, epitomize what is wrong with thought share on the internet. You just can't help yourself with the holier than thou comments in an attempt to belittle someone for what you perceive as a mistake, likely to make you feel better about yourself. I Hope it worked for you.

The reality is that you've just made this place more hostile for anyone to ask questions/share stories that they may fear will be judged negatively by trolls like you. Congratulations. Good job.

As for me, I'll just get a chuckle from it all. I really can't lose. I'll find that CL was overstating draft or I'll find a solution. If neither of those work out, Maybe I'll sell the boat for more than I paid for it, or moor it at the marina five miles away and get a tri toon for our dock as I haven't bought one of those yet. You see how that works, "solutions". Don't focus on how you got there; identify a desired outcome and focus on how you get there. You spend your life looking back when you should be looking forward. Maybe this will knock some marbles loose for you and give some epiphany on a better way. Best of fortunes to you.

Dude you know nothing about me, absolutely nothing. Zero, nothing, nada, zilch, zip. Been on this great forum 5 plus years and no one has ever made nasty, hateful, derogatory comments about me with the exception of you. All you say about me is incorrect and delusional hate babble. You’re all hung up on my statement that you should have thought about it before you bought the boat. It’s the truth, and you should have thought about it, you wouldn’t have the dilemma you have now. You wouldn’t be here now asking how to overcome your screwup. This thread has run its course and I hope a Mod locks it or deletes it. I certainly won’t be responding to this thread again.

 

[GA_Boater]

Thread locked! I hope you can figure out why and it will be a good lesson for you.