rrd525

Have a lead on a new 2016 3500HD Crew Z71 with 6l gas for a great out the door price that makes it pretty attractive. The Diesel would be nice but even marked down, will be another 10K. Darksider, you basically tow the same places I do with very similar weight. I figured we were at 7300 lbs loaded, 570 tongue.. What powers your F150, 5L or ecoboost? Do you enjoy towing with it? My 1500 is OK locally and going to Osoyoos was OK as I limited passengers to me and one son, and only put 150lbs of luggage in the bed. The wife and a few passengers took another car. On the fence if it is worth upgrading for the extra fuel of the 6l using the truck as a DD.

You guys are making strong points on the diesel. I agree an Engine brake is nice. Our 1500 has Grade braking and coming down some hills makes you feel well under control. No trailer or weight push. I was leaning to the 6 gas, as I thought it would meet my commuting needs and tow the S238 well, and has good reliability. The Diesel would pose no current or future problems and holds good resale. Currently can find some pretty decently loaded diesel SLE's for about 76K CDN out the door. As an urban commuter so much of the year a 3500 crew is definitely not first choice. Sister in law just picked up a 2016 SLT Duramax Dually for 83K all in. It's a beast. Another nice fact is a new 3500 HD is cheaper to insure than our current truck. Not worried about travelling much past 65 mph as the trailers tires are only rated to 65mph. That hurts on the Coquihalla though.

H20 our Traffic up here is the same as Portland. Driving larger vehicles to get in merge lanes, or finding a parking space wide enough to open your doors gets frustrating sometimes.

Thanks Nick. Always been a GM fan myself. Worked for 3 GM dealerships as well when younger. Yes, Silverado or Sierra doesn't make a difference to me. We live at the base of a mountain, and then from there everything heads up. No real major hills until Hope. The Diesel upgrade here in BC is about 11 to 12k. Going with a 3500 over a 2500 saves the 3% luxury tax, so that is an easy choice. The 6 has pretty good longevity, and with all the emissions on the Diesels now, just not sure if it is the right 'investment'. The diesels mpg are intriguing though.

Absolutely. Still would have done it. Can never have too much power. Thinking of grabbing a 2500 or 3500 HD with a 6 too. Then they would have matched.

I would have thrown $750 at our dealer if the 409 was an option on the 2016's.

Here is the link to the Crusader manual that came with our '16. http://www.crusaderengines.com/challenger/engines/supreme/#owners

6.0 is the upgrade option for 2017

We have a 2016 S238. Our Boatmate trailer is closer to 1400 lbs with spare tire. Boat loaded on trailer for normal day use with Factory options, and full tank of fuel about 7000lbs. 15" wheels. Wetsounds and Clarion stereo equipment. 2017s have more choice in Factory sound gear. Gatordeck was an upgrade option available on its own or in a package.

For us in BC, I think it is pretty hard not to lose any money on the trade / upgrade. 12% tax right off the bat hurts. Our last boat did work out well though.

Do you have any pics of how the NWBS bags are installed? Piggback off existing pumps, valves, wyes? Can you fill and drain the underseats separate from the Locker bags utilizing a valve? Interested in adding a new setup for next season.

Not worried. Our last boat the capacity decal was removed. Not required over 6m (19'-10") here.

Revise the 2700lbs above with 1350lbs Hard tanks.

I thought the capacity ratings are set taking into account the Stock Factory Ballast on boats sold. Therefore if you exceed the 2700lbs ballast via additional ballast, extra batteries, ice chests, anchors, ropes, people, dogs, etc that is deducted from the capacity plate?

We have a 2016, so no touch screen. 3 to 4 clicks on Surf Port side. (deploys starboard tab) This would probably be equivalent to 20 - 30% deployment.

Your Regular side shouldn't be too much of an issue. Our Goofy is much harder to get good push and be consistent with Factory Ballast. Using Quick Surf for Regular Side Rear Quick Fill tanks 100% Rear Port PNP Bag 100% Rear Starboard PNP bag 60% (or start at 100% and bleed off the bag or quickfill tank) Center tank 100% Bow PNP 0%. Center Wake plate 30-40% Surf tab 4 to 6 clicks Speed 11.2 to 11.6 Fuel tank full Extra Bodies on the back bench. More weight in the boat definitely makes it better and more consistent. We will be adding bigger rear bags for next season.

What is the consensus on oil longevity on the 5.7 343? Every 30 hours for mainly surfing use. Every 50 hours for surf / wakeboard / tubing use? We had the dealer perform the first service at 18.5 hours, now hitting 48.5. Oil still looks clean, but wondering if there would be viscosity break down. Would most of you swap out the oil and filter now, just the oil, or let it go a few more hours and do it at the dealer for winterizing in a month? Oil of choice Rotella 15W-40 or Castrol HD40?

Race City Marine, are you running stock PNP rear bags? You ran no Center Hard tank or Bow bag? Time for us to upgrade our rear PNP bags to get more consistency. We are going to look into the rear/tied side bag options, but hope that you can cap the side bags for days you want to use the under seat storage.

That has some major clearance from the hull, to the point of looking odd.

I think we will be pretty happy with Rotella 15W-40, and just perform the changes between 30 and 50 hours.

Congratulations on the new ride.

Thanks for the info. I will look further into some specs on the various 15W-40 oils, but suspect most will be similarly spec'd. Here is a PCM supplement I came across on a Google search.

Thanks for the info.

Oops, we better check ours too.

No additional ballast bags on seats or walkways. I don't like that. We bought the 238 to have the room. We have 4 x 40lb pop ballast bags. They are the size of an old science text book. Flexible though. You can put them anywhere. Under a side seat. Under a rear bag. In the bow. They just provide an easy option to level the boat. We will likely grab a few more to aid the surf wake. Dark. The jetski situation at the dock was ridiculous.They took the inside and ends. One day after an hour I gave up trying to get space because it was so stupid. Had the wife drive towards the beach and just jumped in to get the truck. We can be launched or loaded real quick. Wish they would move the large rocks around the roundabout though.