wakewife

I am obviously biased at this point but we went from a traditional bow to an Axis a-22 and the picklefork is one of the things I love due to the extra room in the bow.

Superdtf makes a great point...having a good relationship with your dealer/shop is a huge factor. Every boat brand meets different needs and wants. There is a boat on the market for everyone. We had a Cenutrion and loved it but had it serviced at a Malibu/Axis dealership because of their service and committment to customers ( and no centurion dealers were within that distance). When it came time to upgrade ( this month) we looked at Centurion and would have stayed with them had there been a dealer within an hour of us and had that dealer shown a true interest in their customers. We ended up switching to Axis for many reasons ( price, quality, options, etc) ..but a huge reason was the relationship we had built with the dealerhsip over the years and their committment to doing right by us. In the end that won us over more than the brand. We are super happy with our new boat and it meets all our needs....and will for many years. Who knows maybe our third boat will be a Centurion again?

Some pictures from this last Sunday...out with the In-laws and going ropeless surfing for the first time. we have shifted some weight around since these photos and the wake and wave are looking nice and clean now....Love SUMMER!

We did just that....went out on the lake on a weeknight and when we it was time to leave had the whole parking lot and ramp to ourselves..my husband just stood there and offered help and watched while I practiced...now every time we go I have to do it, whether it is pretty or not...it's the only way I will ever get comfortable. As to getting the boat on the trailer or docking though...my husband is a chief mate on tankers in the gulf...so I will let him put the first ding on the new boat...in the meantime I will just watch in awe.

Coming from a wife who is learning to trailer the boat and everything-We are just as terrified to scratch "the baby" as you are....even more so....Which is why I am choosing the learn to trailer and back down the ramp avenue instead of the docking avenue first...I do not want to have credit for the first ding on the new boat!

So we finally decided to upgrade from our bowrider ( which has been a great boat) to a v-drive. We have been toying with the idea for over a year, looked at every brand, make, model...and....put the deposit down on a 2011 A-22 sat...take delivery in a few weeks. Sad to say goodbye to the current Centurion..we love that boat...kind of sad it is not going to be a Centurion...but SOOOOOO EXCITED to get on the water in the new Axis....I can't wait to see her all done and ready to surf. Do former crew members get grandfathered in when they stray?

The non skid traction pads wrap around the entire top deck and are also along the back of the transom to protect the boat from errant boards...great option.

If you ever want to come farther up the hill to Melones...we would be happy to show you around the lake...there is endless coves and empty water...

last one for now....more to come this weekend.

more pics relaxin'

more pics

Here are some more pictures from the first day out...of course we forgot the cameras the other two days so far. This boat has soo much room inside and is very thoughtfully laid out. Everything has a function. The wakeboard wake pic is just 4 people in the boat, no ballast, with the wedge down. The surf wave is not very pretty yet-in the pic it is just rear ballast filled, wedge up, center half full and only 2 people in the boat...we were just messing around with the different configurations...since the break-in was not done we couldn't fully weight it down. We had a custom stereo installed, with 4 tower speakers, three amps, two batteries w/ switch, an EQ mounted under the steering wheel, and a sub with custom enclosure that you can see in the pic. Observations so far: the wakeboard wake is super meaty and clean even at low speeds for beginners. It has a ton of pop and a steep face even down to 17 mph. The boat is not very weight sensitive so even with four people in the bow and only two in the back the wake did not wash out. The cruise control is very simple and accurate, and as my husband stated the other night "a marriage saver" The tower in rock solid...does not move at all on the ater, towing, etc. We currently have four fixed racks, but will likely we switching out two of them for swivels so we have combo racks for our surfboards. The bimini is a very simple design and fits perfectly around the speakers and tower...it does not move, and it huge easily providing shade into the back of the boat. The seat configurations are many as the forward pass thru has flip up seats so those riding in the bow have a complete back rest and the person riding next to the driver can have a back rest as well. The rear bench seat can slide all the way forward for people to easily watch riders or to rest your feet on. The vinyl is upgraded from years past and is very thick..we have both our dogs in and out of the boat and have had no worries with their nails. The snap out carpet is great, and the deck under the carpet is also textured so we can run with out the carpet as well. The bow of this boat is GIANT and can easily seat 4 adults. There are 15 cup holders through out the boat, and a very nice seat on the transom for riders to gear up. The swim step is huge ( it may impact the surf weight) but very usuable. We have a manual wedge which is easy to use. We currently have 1100 in ballast in hard tanks and bags in the bow and center, and 800 in each rear locker. Now that the break in period is done we can really play with the weight and see what she can do. So far we could not be happier....this was a GIANT upgrade from our bowrider so it will be the first time we are even able to go ropeless surfing...Lots of firsts this summer!

Well we finally brought home the new Axis on Sat and have spent the last four days on the water getting her broken in. It was kind of sad to drop off the Centurion next to the Axis at the dealship...but this new boat is amazing. In three days we already have 15 hours on it...and have the wakeboard wake perfect...we are still working on the surf wake...but having soo much fun doing it. Happy Summer!

AMAZING. We pick it up sat.....once they finish installing a new stereo and ballast.

Was at Woodward today...and yeah...midweek seems okay...but too shallow most places and too tiny to have much fun. Worth the drive to come up the hill.

Will do...I should have some pictures of it as well..if everything goes as planned we should bring it home SAT.

Axis A-22

Actually we will be at Woodward Thursday lake testing our potential new boat...

yeah that is true....and the wind can blow it out pretty good....Since we are up in Sonora area we don't head down to the valley often with teh boat.. We stick to Melones and occassionally Pedro.

Have you tried Woodward it is right outside Escalon...smaller but a nice lake , especially during the week when no one is on it.

Not a lot of private lakes around where you are....but there are plenty of Giant lakes like Don Pedro and Melones within half an hour to 45 min of you that you practically have all to yourself on some days. There are many days we spend on Melones where we see only one or two other boats and have entire coves to ourselves to ride. Same with Pedro. There are also a bunch of smaller lakes (not private) in the valley like woodward, merced, yosemite, etc.

as broke as most counties and the state are though...be careful...there has been a huge increase the number of 0.08 DUI's that people are getting tagged for....Enforcement has gone way up ( $10k in fines is a motivator for that). I don't condone drinking and driving or boating or whatever...but it would be better for me to risk the DUI in a situation than my husband and I work for Law enforcement. I have noticed on our local lakes much or attention to enforcement the last few years and as budgets get worse this will only get more prevalent.

I work in law enforcement in CA and this law will not make it out of the house for a vote ( like most laws in CA). We already have some of the steepest fines and sanctions for first time DUI offenses in the country as it is. And it is definetly a money maker for the state. In our county there is a lot of outdoor seasonal recreation and many folks "come on vacation and leave on probation". My husband works in the Maritime industry and has the same issue...some slip and a DUi and he loses the coast guard license for 5 years..no job. We are always super careful on the water for these reasons.

I will post some pics once we bring it home. We our working with Boat Country on this...they are the ones we use for the Centurion...such great people to work with. Melones is also our lake of choice...but we live 15 away...so we are there most weekends, and weeknight evenings. The lake is almost high enough to tie up the boats next to the camp sites this year!

I had some friends camping at Tuttle Town with their Malibu..they said the main lake reminded them of trying to boat in the bay...they took tons of water over their bow. We usually head up river betweent he two brideges or farther up the canyon...it is usually pretty empty there. Hopefully we still see you there at some point this summer...maybe do a meet up?