V-Drive questions, new owner

Hi,

Fairly new to the forums and the world of wake surfing. I just bought my first V-Drive boat (21.5ft 2008 MB Sports B-52 V). My old boat was an inboard/outboard. I will be picking it up this Saturday and unfortunately a test drive is not possible and I have never driven a V-drive before. Would like as much information as possible before I launch it for the first time as I won't have anyone with experience with them there. Through research online I have found out that reversing may be a bit different but am I right to assume almost everything else with be similar from a driving perspective? Is the maintenance similar? If there is any extra information you guys can share it would really be appreciated. I live in Canada so I will be winterizing it and parking it for 6 months of the year. Any storage tips or if anyone has any ideas for ballast to improve my wake would also be great

Thanks in advance,
Derek (djl)

I've never owned an I/O so cannot comment on maintenance differences. As far as driving, you will notice right when you drop in, your boat will only back up one way, I believe yours is to the right, so plan for that. Also when going less than 5mph you have very little control steering the boat...make small adjustments. If ur in a tight spot you can bump the throttle from reverse to throttle and back to make very tight turns around the dock. Once you get up to speed the handling is awesome!

biggest difference is steering, without boat in gear, either forward or reverse you will have very little input,, be carefull putting on the trailer the first few times

Get out on a non busy time to get used to driving around docks and trailering. It's a way different animal slow speed and reverse.

Second the trailer comment. Take your time to center on trailer. We were backing in too deep and my wife hit the throttle and the boat jumped the bunks and the prop guard ate the prop. Also change impeller every two years if you are a weekend warrior or every year just to be on the safe side. If the impeller is still good, change anyway and keep a spare in the boat. Impellers are easy to change but can ruin a perfect day on the lake.

The key to understanding the steering on an inboard is that the rudder is sized to work well when the propellor is pushing water past it. When water is not being pushed past it the rudder is too small. That means in neutral, when you are slowing down off throttle, and in reverse it does not work well. You can use this to your advantage when docking but you need to understand how it works if you are just coasting up to the trailer and when unloading.
Practice makes perfect.

with a v drive you can basiclly parallel park the boat once u figure out how the momentum works. its always funny to watch people whren i slide my boat sideways to the dock with a some perfectly timed sterring and throttle. traliering like others have said slow and gentle now need to leave the tralier shallow and try and hammer it up inot place. I basiclly float it on nice and soft/slow.

It's usually easier to come in to a dock at a 45 then pull the reverse to suck the rear in.

As others have said about the rudder but you do have a very small amount of steering while in neutral but not enough to rely on. When coming in to your boat trailer just pop the throttle in and out of gear to keep your speed down. Just remember you have to time your steering when you are on the throttle. One of the bigger differences from what I remember is that "just in gear" on a tournament boat is a lot faster than an I/O so that can be a bit nerve racking the first couple times....hence the pop in/out of throttle.

Impeller every 100hrs or once a year. If in good shape you can run a second year. Always keep a spare in the boat.

Have all the tools you need to replace an impeller on the water or any other minor mechanical fixes. I just bought a mini socket set and Alan keys from the depot. Not a bad idea to have a spare belt as well. Teflon tape, hose clamps, electrical tape are all good things to have as well.

Learn to do an oil change yourself. Buy a oil extractor ( http://www.amazon.com/Liter-Changer-.../dp/B007WKZ3QW ) and fit a brass end on the hose so you can connect to the main oil line on the bottom of the engine. This is a lot faster and easier than trying to run the smaller hose down the dip stick.
Buy or make your self a fake a lake to run your boat in the driveway. Remember to never put the boat in gear on the trailer. At the end of the year you will have to drain all the water out of the block and replace it with RV antifreeze.

Thanks a lot everyone. Some great advice

I second everything posted here. I would recommend just dropping in the water some afternoon and practicing before you have a boat full of boarders. Practice operating to and from the dock and getting on and off the trailer while no one is around before you have to do it on a crowded weekend.