quote:Does anyone know why the bu's went to the 2 panel sundeck vs. 3 (and now with that strange little sliver between)? Ive never understood that. There are 3 major divisions underneath (engine and 2 side compartments)
I never understood it either! The larger covers on the two-cover system are bulkier and harder to lift. That makes it hard for kids to open them and makes it almost impossible to open it when you're standing on the trailer.
That being said, I like what they've done with the 2010 boat with the walk-through in the middle. This sort of goes back to a three-cover system and makes the side covers more manageable. I've never been a fan of walk-throughs because they usually waste storage space, but this one does not. We just got back from three days on the water and I can't believe I never realized how much I needed this walk-through over the engine. All of our loading and unloading of gear and passengers is done across the back, so I was using this thing like crazy all weekend. I can't imagine how much less wear and tear I'm going to put on my sunpad vinyl now.
Another thing that I used to think was lame is the little seat above the swimstep. I'm 6'4", so I always thought, "What am I going to use that for?" Again, it just seemed like a waste of storage space. However, after a weekend of use, I see how wrong I was. No, I don't use it to sit on. I still stand when I put my boots on. However, it's at the perfect height for my kids and smaller adults to sit on while they are putting on their boots.
However, providing a seat for the shorties isn't enough to sell me on this feature, so I'll tell you the two things that did. One, now when people are sitting on the back of the boat getting ready to ride, I can still open both storage covers and get out ropes, slime, drinks or whatever. I found it incredibly convenient not to keep having to ask the rider to move from one side to the other.
Second, and most important, is it's function as a step. As I mentioned earlier, all of our loading and unloading is done from the back of the boat. That seat is a welcome step that not only makes it an easier climb from the swimstep up and over the sunpad (especially when you're carrying something heavy like a cooler), but when you weigh 200 pounds and you're constantly jumping down from the sunpad to the swimstep, you can put an awful lot of wear and tear on it. The extra step makes it a much more graceful exit off the back.
Unfortunately, it now makes me want some kind of clever step down the other side into the boat to reduce the wear and tear on my seats!
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