rhino89523

Noises are hard to diagnose without being there, but that almost sounds like the pipe is rattling up against something. I'd probably feel around first and see if I could quiet it down by putting pressure on it with my hands, if I couldn't find it like that I'd go with a piece of tubing to the ear or a stethoscope and pinpoint where it is coming from. I'm still going with a rattle up against something though....doesn't sound like an exhaust leak or a mechanical problem from that video.

Get a second opinion, ticking vs knocking is usually easy to diagnose. I just fixed a car for my daughters friend they said was knocking at the "shop". anyways $14 later the car has been cruising around for a month quiet as can be. I'd be very surprised if a motor with so few hours blew out a set of crank or rod bearings.

I know I am a little late to the party but we use the shaper. My family is 50/50 regular and goofy and my friends as well. We put a bag in the locker under the hall way and another in the walkthrough that is an 800lb but I don't fill it till it looks like its going to pop. Then we have the one on the other side that fills the locker and under the seat. I don't usually fill the center tank because for whatever reason that one effects holeshot and doesn't seem to help the wave. I also have a cooler stuffed with beer etc. we put behind the drivers seat someone is usually sitting on. We just swap sides with the shaper. I don't usually run any bow ballast because there are usually at least 3 girls sitting up there and that seems to be enough weight to lengthen the wave. the wave is long enough 2 people can surf it and have room to move around and swap positions...a little dangerous for the record as there is no easier way to get a board to the head. I weigh like 270 right now and I can surf it easy and dont have to have the nose of my board on the swim deck. Most people who surf our boat say its the best wave they have ever surfed and some have been behind some pretty nice boats.

My brother in law did the same thing with his Dad's boat a few years ago. I pulled off the strut, shaft and prop and took it to my prop guy. It was an older centurion so the parts were harder to source. Anyway my prop guy straightened out the support, straightened the shaft and fixed the prop. It took him a couple days then I just stuffed it all back in the boat and realigned the motor. The support I had to glue back in with that 3m white sealant that takes forever to dry but never leaks. We had it all back together in about a week....you got this!!! My prop guy is the man, a lot of people don't get along with him but I love the guy and he is super cool to me. Sometimes you might be surprised what skills people have if you are kind. I am a total do it yourself guy, I like talking to people and I try to not come off as a radio-edit. The prop guys have equipment to check for straight and balance....that boat worked better after my repairs than it did before them.

That was the part I used a socket. I separated the coupler into 2 halves, I put a socket on top of the shaft after removing the nut, then I used longer bolts and squeezed the two halves together and pushed the shaft out.

I am not really sure the exact question, but I have the same boat and have taken the shaft out and it wasn't that big of a deal. The shaft itself if it was bent could be straightened by my prop guy, he has the full truing stand for doing it and I used him on my brother-in-laws boat when he hit hard. So if it was me the shaft is supported by the cutlass bearing in the strut, if it has shifted up top it probably shifted your motor mounts a bit. I would undo the coupler from the V-drive to the shaft then rotate the shaft and inspect the cutlass bearing for play. If I could figure out a way to attach a dial indicated caliper to check the shaft for straight I would do that, if not it is pretty easy at that point to remove the shaft completely. Just put a socket or something between the two coupler halves and use some longer bolts and it will separate the coupler from the shaft. Remover your prop before doing so then the prop just slides out...some boats you may have to remove the rudder but that is pretty simple as well and is easy to get to from the locker. Then I would either roll the shaft across my wife's glass table to check for straight or I would run it down to the prop guy. If you know the shaft is straight then you need to align the v drives output flange to the other half of the props flange or coupler. If memory serves you are supposed to get it within .003 max....that is pretty square or you will wear out cutlass bearings or your shaft seal. If it were me, if you are this deep and don't have a drip-less seal already installed...do it. There are videos on shaft alignment and it is fairly simple, just takes a little patience and you ar doing the feeler gauge check blind...you cant really see what you are doing. Mine was perfect on the up and down and had moved side to side. The side to side adjustment is done with a crowbar...for real. you have to loosen the sleeves on the motormounts, hit them with some penetrating oil because they can be a little stubborn to slide. while prying on the one side you may need to tap on the other one to get it to wiggle. Getting something within .003 with a crowbar is where the patience is required. Up and down adjustments are done with a wrench on the motor mounts and is easier. Take time and you can get it. I wrench better than I type, it took me a couple hours to do mine, I was just doing cutlass bearings, dripless seal, and then aligning the motor...it took me 20 minutes to type this reply haha

I have not pulled the motor out of this boat but have out of others. The coupler I have pulled out of my Avy and its a piece of cake. You cant see it really just feel it. Four bolts and it just pushes out of the way. Check alignment when you put the motor back in. Yank the exhaust and electrical and it seems like there is enough room to pull the whole thing out as a unit tipped.

I did mine without pulling the Vdrive, used the Glide bearing kit and did the cutlass bearings at the same time. It was pretty much blind work all done with feel but it only took an hour or so. The hardest part was alignment of the shaft which I believe was what caused the bearings to take a dump. really a piece of cake other than not really being able to see what you are doing.

I run an avy and use a shaper because we switch back and forth a bunch. I am a big guy and had trouble staying in on the listed wave and do better with the shaper. Gas mileage probably isn't great but we go all day on the tank. I don't fill the center tank because it doesn't do well with that one full for some reason my prop wont get her going good when that tank is full but it does fine with sides under the seat filled up. I'm on the lowest pitch I can get for a prop and I run 5000' and above most of the time. Avy throws a good one. I'm goofy and I'm 6'4" 270ish and it pushes me along good. Most waves I see coming off much more expensive boats don't have a wave like mine.

I have not used the online prop guys for repair but do have a good relationship with a local prop guy...most cities have one. The can fix them up for about 25% cost of a new one usually, they can repitch usually a degree or so and they can usually tweak the cup as well. My guy will let me try different props too and see what I like the best. A lot of times the prop shops will have used ones as well.

The other thing I have used on the gel coat is furniture polish. I use it as my speed detailer on both my boat and Harley. Nothing ever has made my fiberglass bags on the bike look as good as furniture polish, again I'm kind of cheap but only if it has results. I've used almost every speed detailer available at an autoparts store and find pledge to do a better job than any of them for less. I use it on dirtbike stuff as well because dirt and mud wont stick to it. I basically do a full detail on the boat at the end of the year. I do a full polish with the wheel, I have used Meguiar's since I was a kid working in a detail shop so I just stick with it because I am used to it....but I think they all probably work well. I'll cut it a little with rubbing compound if I have scratches or anything and then just mirror glaze it. I hit the interior really heavy at the same time, clean it out really good and then treat it with the 303 interior product. Throughout the year I just wipe it down after use, I'm not totally anal about it. I like to have fun and I like everyone on my boat to have fun so I don't get crazy with the rules. When we are done playing if it was a dirty lake or I have hard water spots I chase it with vinegar and water and follow that with a quick furniture polish rub. if there are no water spots or grime ring I just furniture polish it. I do that all year until the end and then a full polish. The vinegar and water also works well on the wifes stainless in the kitchen.

white vinegar and water cleans up a scum ring quick and cheap. I hit mine with it when I run mud holes, just have it in a spray bottle and hit it with a rag.

Weird, kind of sounds like 2 issues ...something isn't right or I don't understand. The tranny is either in or out to my understanding. You roll the throttle forward and you can feel where it catches the gear....thats that, after that speed is just a function of rpm's. If it is falling out of gear that is one problem and your motor run condition is another. so when you hold it at say half throttle, it throttles up and launches forward, then 2 to 3 seconds later it throttles down....at this point it is neutral just floating in the water no steering no nothing? If thats the case for starters I would be looking at the tranny. My other thought is maybe when they tied in the head unit somehow they grabbed some of the prefect pass wiring...total long shot but when I take off and forget to turn off the perfect pass that is about the time it takes before the perfect pass tries to take over operation, I have to go back...put it in neutral and wait for it to wind in while everyone on the boat says "You forgot again" maybe a few too many hits to the head.

Same here, Mine is well insulated and I love it. I think it is a really great spot for a cooler and you can stuff that thing.

I am a mechanical guy so for me its all about how everything functions and weather it was beat up or not. I really don't care that much about anything because I can fix it all but I use things I find wrong as talking/talk down points. Mechanically I would check the fluids in every hole, that's motor, tranny, and V drive. Motor oil should be super clean at this point in the year if it was serviced before winterizing. It should always be stored with fresh fluids as old fluids will become acidic and rust out internals. The tranny fluid should smell like new tranny fluid, burnt tranny is distinguishable, has sort of that big rig truck burning up his brakes on a steep downhill. The Drive should also have semi fresh looking fluid as it doesnt seem to get the same beating. Mine always comes out like I could have gone longer. All holes the fluid should not be water contaminated and you shouldn't see a metalic sheen on the dipstick. The tranny may have a little metalic sheen but not much. I also like to pull the oil cap on the motor while running, it gives you a quick assessment of blowby without doing the full compression check. I like to see a trend of maintenance that has been performed before shutting down for the season....Or I like to see a really low price tag. Then I would do what you said and make sure everything works.

Any upholstery shop should be able to make one. You need to decide what you want to use for the base. Either wood or something like King Starboard. After that piece is cut its just foam and vinyl.

I have one with a walkthrough, it makes a difference on resale value, it makes a difference if you don't want to see a visible bladder and plan to surf it...other than that I don't think it makes any difference at all. I guess maybe the seating, but for really long days on the lake we often stuff an additional cooler right there and people will sit on that. When we went to Lake Powell I had 5 gas jugs chilling in the walkthrough so we could do a bunch of exploring. I paid 20 for mine a few years ago and have been very happy with it. The wave for surfing is really solid both sides. The wake for boarding is a little temperamental to weight, I usually leave my underwalkway bladder full, just move a few people around. Cruising comfortable is pretty easily done, the Avalanche cuts rough water well, the only issue with cruising is if you surf a lot you end up with a seriously flat tug boat prop and your top cruise speed suffers from flat prop pitch. The 2001 Avalanche will have the 1 to 1 V drive ratio unless someone has changed it, at altitude that ratio requires the flattest prop made to run significant ballast....at or close to sea level not as much of an issue. The one thing I don't know much about is if the hull design was different in 2001, mine is a 2005. I know some of the earlier Centurions had this huge cutout and that does make a difference for the surf wave. I just don't know the Hull years all that well.

For overall motor health I kind of like a leak down test but either gives you a decent overall condition of the motors top end. To be honest though I buy vehicles all the time and even with my boat I didn't do a compression or leakdown test...I just went out and ran it. With my boat the motor ran great but the steering was tight, was able to knock another G off the purchase price knowing it needed a steering cable installed...worth it to me, the cable cost $100 or so and it took less than an hour for me to put it in. A compression or leakdown test says nothing about the multiple sensors, fuel system, cooling system etc. I'd rather run it than test it if given only one option. Most of the problems I see encountered these days has more to do with sensors, electrical components and fuel system components than times I see a motor with bad valves or rings. I'd almost rather have it scanned than a compression test given the choice.

Mine is the Avy with the walk through, I bought it for 20G at the end of the season (like now) the walk through drives the price down and it had scratches through the stickers into the gel coat that allowed me to talk it down some more. I took all the stickers off and buffed the scratches but it is still a walk through. I run the bag that runs up under the seats on the regular wave side of the boat (port) we run a #350 I think it is under the walkway and an #800 in the walkway. I fill to level and use the shaper to go side to side. We are 50/50 surfers just in the family and about the same among friends so being able to go side to side quick is important. I have a bow sack but rarely use it. I normally have enough weight from people up front and the boat seems to like dragging it's tush a little to make a good wave.

I think the step was gone in that year. Ballast may not be required but will give you a better wave. My shaper is a suction cup glass handler off of Amazon, a set of stainless steel shelf brackets, a cutting board from Walmart, some carriage bolts from home depot and 2 deep sockets to set the plate off at an angle, and a $6 leash off of amazon....I'm wrapped up in it a little over $20 and it makes swapping from side to side about a 2 minute process. That said I think I am going to build an automated slapper system this winter.

We Run a homemade Ghetto gate on my AVY now while I stock parts. This winter we will be automated...not sure what I will run for a controller yet but there are some nice ones available but knowing me it will be a switch with some relays. The wave off my Avy seems to be better than almost everything I have seen and it is confirmed by everyone who rides behind my boat that has ridden others. I paid 20G for a walkthrough Avy and have a bag in the hallway. I've looked at it and thought about removing the walkway but I kind of like it.

My first boat was a day cruiser inboard/outboard and it was a great boat. We had it for like 10 years and used it a lot. I learned a lot about boating with that boat and learned that we liked boating...so I upgraded a few years ago to an AVY. You said one thing in there that concerned a little, " When I go boating I want to boat, not manage the boat" I think I get what you were trying to say but as the captain of the ship you will have to manage everything about the boat from hitching it to your truck, to the launch and all the time on the lake. To do it correct takes quite a bit of management to insure your whole crew and everyone else's returns home safely. There is a lot going on to keep track of and if I understood you correct the set up of the boat is not one of the things you want to deal with....Fair enough. That said you are looking for a newer boat and I think the advice you have been given by your friends is probably correct on the years to look for. I think Centurions throw out the best looking waves I have seen and my biased opinion would have you looking for one of those. There is a lot of electronics going on in the new boats and boats require yearly maintenance and service so keep a nice little side fund for that. As an older boat owner I will check out of this thread and I am sure you will get some great advise on Models within the range you are looking for. As far as time to buy...you are in the prime zone. After Labor Day the price drops as low as it's going to get and you can talk an owner down as low as he/she is going to go. For most climates it's time to start thinking about laying the boat up for winter. This means winterizing and either storage or a wrap. For somebody selling it's the last ditch to try to off the boat before having to pay or do the service and having to pay for storage or have the thing clogging up your shop for 6 months. I'd get ready to pull the trigger now and go for it....you have the hammer right now. If you wait a couple months the for sale boats disappear and everyone waits till spring. Spring until 4th of July is the high season for the boat seller.

I'd start with a call to Lenco, I'm not a lenco guy but do play with rams and shocks at work a ton and all that stuff ends up being collapsed length, extended length and ram/cylinder size. I am sure Lenco will either be able to get you a new set or rebuild the set you have....I would think. If that wont work you may be able to find something close enough that will work, you could check it by removing the rams and move the blade through the stroke and see what would happen with the new length. If that doesn't work I would think you could find a new mounting location and glass up the old holes and drill a new mounting location. This is just what comes to mind, I don't own a switch blade so I have no actual knowledge, but my next call would be to someone at Lenco.

I have an AVY and sometimes get boat envy, we run with a ghetto homemade wake gate and I know there are better waves out there but I have not seen any on the lake that look substantially better than ours, or at least in proportion i.e. ten times more expensive boat doesn't even come close to 10 times better wave. My Father in Law rents a house on the lake for a week every year. Two really new wake boats were tied up together and we surfed by them (not real close, I'm not that guy) both my daughters will surf my board together and they actually kind of rip like this. On Friday night we went to get Pizza and these 2 guys came walking over to us while we were waiting. They asked if we were the people with the blue boat and if these were the 2 girls surfing together. When I said yes they complimented my daughters on their tandem rip session and then started drilling me on speed etc. and how I was making our wave. I think some of these older boats have potential to make a really good wave if you mess with it until you are happy. You need to sort of get a formula down and then make slight tweeks for added people in the boat and for me altitude. I don't have all the digital stuff or any of the really cool gizmos, but it felt pretty great to have guys with much nicer boats ask me what we were doing. Our season is pretty short, I have a great life but cant justify or afford a 100G plus boat for a 3-4 month season. I could maybe do just the boat but then all the other toys go Bye Bye and I am sitting around for 8 months wishing summer would come, which I do anyway.

Many of the pleating colors for boats are available pre-made so it may not be as much as you think to do the pleats they would only have to lay in the colors. I personally dig old boats, I had an old Laveycraft open bow day cruiser for years and when it was time to redo the interior I tried to keep it close to factory. It had like 8 colors in the Gelcoat and 5 colors in the interior. The attention to detail and custom look were things I liked. I used to always tell people "Imagine me pulling up with this boat behind my bubble window van with matching paint circa 1977....I would have been the biggest pimp!!!" My vote is for keeping it stockish looking......nice boat.