Why The Rear Sunpad?

[Maristar210]

I am stoopid. I have trubble tying my shoes BUT !!!

I love everything about this high dollar boat I have but the fact that everyone who ski's or board's gets a chance to beat the crap out of the fully covered rear deck sunpad. Why no walkway? Session does it. Very innovative if you ask me. :toast:

You know who you are? right? Nice vinyl sunpad....here comes three of my half drunk buds who... mmmm hmmmm yeah sure...... stomp crease , stomp stomp.


Look at the 200 Cobalt. Looks great. Hello MC? Pay attention???

Sorry for the rant...I feel better now..
Steve

[Sumbeach]

thick coat of vasoline should cures you's buddys problems

[Maristar210]

thick coat of vasoline should cures you's buddys problems

What they do at home is THIER business. Lets not bring that in here. :D :toast:

Steve

[Cloaked]

Go get a Cobalt. :twocents:

[SteveO]

It drive me a little crazy and I have less area than the V drive. It seems as if MC is making changes on the new models by having a section that you can snap off. While I am not crazy about the overall look of the lines of the boat, I personally like what CC has done on the 216 and 226 with the walkway. Hope I don't get shot for that comment.

[6ballsisall]

I agree, I was looking at a Maristar and thought the same thing. I like the sunpad area and room of the V-Drive but would be frustrated with the longevity of the vinyl and non boating riders not caring for the boat like I would

[east tx skier]

Infinity tried it. Look what happened to them. I'd settle for a 3 section rear seat if they could make it look nice.

[lakes Rick]

On my Maristar, the sunpad isn't the problem as much as the rear seat is.. You have to climb on it to get to the sunpad.. You can really tell the difference in the wear of it compared to the rest of my seating...

[rlwiley]

Seems to me that you don't have friends that realize what a real boat actually costs. I'm with the other guy, gobuy a Cobalt.

[lakes Rick]

Seems to me that you don't have friends that realize what a real boat actually costs. I'm with the other guy, gobuy a Cobalt.

???????????

[milkmania]

dangit, I ran to this thread because I just knew Rick was going to SHOW us what the sun pad was used for:popcorn:

[Workin' 4 Toys]

dangit, I ran to this thread because I just knew Rick was going to SHOW us what the sun pad was used for:popcorn:
I hear dat!!! :eek:

[gr8smiles]

I am coming guys...give me a chance...twas a busy weekend on the star.... :headbang:

[gr8smiles]

Here is how the weekend went....a nice shot of the 05 X-Star...and an excellent reason why their is a sundeck, but a better reason why they make an open bow boat.....

[bigmac]

Here is how the weekend went....a nice shot of the 05 X-Star...and an excellent reason why their is a sundeck, but a better reason why they make an open bow boat.....


Yikes! I wish I was a dentist....

[ski_king]

Here is how the weekend went....a nice shot of the 05 X-Star...and an excellent reason why their is a sundeck, but a better reason why they make an open bow boat.....
Nice, looks like about 10 girls and one guy.
Lucky Guy!

[gr8smiles]

Yea...my soon to be 17 yo son....I was marooned on the pontoon boat....watching them go by...and by...and by...

We host his high school cheerleader team every year for 2 days....

It will take me about two weeks to bring him back down to earth...

but, two a day football starts today, his coach will take care of that... :uglyhamme

He actually had 16 girls plus himself for most of the day....and the MCX did well...actually pulled one girl up on the slalom....

Lots of tubing and double kneeboarding....

[ski_king]

Yea...my soon to be 17 yo son..........
He actually had 16 girls plus himself for most of the day.........

A new X-Star and 16 cheerleaders, how much better can life get?

[boatless]

Yeah, I had a few girls like that on my boat once... Until my wife smag me on the head and let me know that it is green light and is time to get the car moving. :D

[JEREMY79]

A new X-Star and 16 cheerleaders, how much better can life get?
I dont know. Dam That is one lucky 16 yr old. I wish I would've had that luxury

:D :steering:

[captkidd]

Hate to drag you guys back to the original topic. Since I don't have a sunpad I can't provide any actual experience with this, but how about putting a towel across the sunpad for people to walk on? This helps with my rear seat. If that's too slippery, then how about a thin vinyl mat of some sort.

JMHO, but if MC made an access area to get to the platform, someone would be whining about how the sunpad was too small to be of any use.

[RobertT]

Here is what I wish...

1. The rear sunpads were reversible....a non-slip something on one side and a pad on the other. 90% of the time, I would MUCH rather have a non slip pad than my vinyl. Of course, simple inserts would work just as good...plus they would be easy to replace.

2. Back seat...same thing. I wish I could just turn mine over, with a simple rubber non slip deck like a fiberglass swim deck. 90% of the time the rear of my boat gets used only as a means of access to the water (always with sharp fins and such), the other 10% we really like the extra seating.

The best of both worlds wouldn't be that hard on my specific model boat, if it was planned in the beginning.

[Maristar210]

Seems to me that you don't have friends that realize what a real boat actually costs. I'm with the other guy, gobuy a Cobalt.

Thank you for another snide response but that is not my point. I like everything about this boat except the sun pad. I was just asking a question and apparently some people took personal offense to this. This was not the intent.

Steve

[RobertT]

Don't sweat it Maristar. I have thought about the same thing more than once. Although I appreciate the storage underneath, the truth is that I cringe whenever I see anyone pulling a board or skis out of the water. They forget sometimes, and I am not going to yell at anyone on my boat. They don't mean anything by it, they just forget. Most of the people on my lake just take the backseat out completely. It just gets too beat up.

I think that is a poor design, but a universal one with boat manufacturers. Why?

In my opinion, you have to look at the design intent...based on the intended purpose and function. We have never used the sun pad as a sun pad, it is used as a staging area and as a storage cover. The staging area is for one thing, and one thing only.....preparing for some type of water sport behind the boat. There is always gear involved, and other than barefooting all of that gear has sharp objects that could tear vinyl.

On the other side of the coin....as long as you are fairly careful its not a huge deal. I have seen many boats with 1,000 hours plus with rear sunpads that looked just as good as the rest of the boat.

Still, being able to reverse it would be ideal. A simple swivel hinge in the middle would suffice.

If, as an option, you could get replacement sunpad covers/lids that had a non slip texture on the top (think Xstar floor)...cool looking logo built in...cup/lube holders, etc...would you have paid a few hundred for it?

I would have....if the look was right.

[east tx skier]

Hate to drag you guys back to the original topic. Since I don't have a sunpad I can't provide any actual experience with this, but how about putting a towel across the sunpad for people to walk on? This helps with my rear seat. If that's too slippery, then how about a thin vinyl mat of some sort.

Capt., one of the problems, at least in my experience, is as the seats get older, the vinyl tends to rot at the edges. When people step on the seats, the seams will pull and, when rotten, are less likely to be something a vinyl shop can repair.

[yzwiley]

One of the reasons I bought my X7 was because of the rear sunpad option. I like it like it is. Any different would suck.

[Maristar210]

Don't sweat it Maristar. I have thought about the same thing more than once. Although I appreciate the storage underneath, the truth is that I cringe whenever I see anyone pulling a board or skis out of the water. They forget sometimes, and I am not going to yell at anyone on my boat. They don't mean anything by it, they just forget. Most of the people on my lake just take the backseat out completely. It just gets too beat up.

I think that is a poor design, but a universal one with boat manufacturers. Why?


In my opinion, you have to look at the design intent...based on the intended purpose and function. We have never used the sun pad as a sun pad, it is used as a staging area and as a storage cover. The staging area is for one thing, and one thing only.....preparing for some type of water sport behind the boat. There is always gear involved, and other than barefooting all of that gear has sharp objects that could tear vinyl.

On the other side of the coin....as long as you are fairly careful its not a huge deal. I have seen many boats with 1,000 hours plus with rear sunpads that looked just as good as the rest of the boat.

Still, being able to reverse it would be ideal. A simple swivel hinge in the middle would suffice.

If, as an option, you could get replacement sunpad covers/lids that had a non slip texture on the top (think Xstar floor)...cool looking logo built in...cup/lube holders, etc...would you have paid a few hundred for it?

I would have....if the look was right.

Aaaah see I knew that blow to the head this weekend did not make me totally nuts. I agree with everything you said Robert T. I like the idea posted about a reversible cover.

For us it is exactly as you state. No one "lays" there. it is just something we step on to get to the water to wakeboard, swim, jump and just play.

I really like the concept I saw with the center mounted drivers seat on or in front of the motor with the areas on either side open to the platform. That is a boat I would be very interested in if they could ever build one.

Steve

[east tx skier]

The sunpad option on the older prostars was a bit different than on the newer boats. On the older boats, you tooke the entire rear seat out and installed a separate sunpad on rails that, unless removed, would prevent your putting the back seat back in.

The newer design is more convenient by a long shot from a convertibility standpoint. Of course, it lacks the option of just taking the seat bottom out and having a non-skid as was mentioned above.

AJ's setup mimcs the new design. Of course, I do like being able to remove my entire back seat. And the lack of seat support and reports of broken seats from people stepping on the seat to get over the transom leaves me thinking I'll happlily stick with what I've got.

As for anything different sucking, well, uh, okay, good point. :rolleyes:

[AirJunky]

All this talk about sun decks has me thinking about a new product...... how about a sun deck cover of some sort? If it wrapped completely around the existing sun deck & was fixed underneath on all sides, so it's tight, doesn't have wrinkles or flap in the wind, soft enough underneath that it doesn't mark up the factory upholstery, sturdy enough & non-skid on top that you can walk on it with shoes on, yet doesn't mark up your skis & boards & is resistant to fin cuts.
Wood? Indoor/outdoor carpet? Traxx/Gator Grip type padding? (http://airjunky.com/traxxed) Any other ideas?
What would it be worth? $50? $100? $200?

[Maristar210]

All this talk about sun decks has me thinking about a new product...... how about a sun deck cover of some sort? If it wrapped completely around the existing sun deck & was fixed underneath on all sides, so it's tight, doesn't have wrinkles or flap in the wind, soft enough underneath that it doesn't mark up the factory upholstery, sturdy enough & non-skid on top that you can walk on it with shoes on, yet doesn't mark up your skis & boards & is resistant to fin cuts.
Wood? Indoor/outdoor carpet? Traxx/Gator Grip type padding? (http://airjunky.com/traxxed) Any other ideas?
What would it be worth? $50? $100? $200?


AJ

You might be on to something here. Lets keep thinking about that. :headbang:

Steve

[east tx skier]

Bill, can't tell if your idea addresses the issue of enough support to prevent undue pressure on the seams. Also, given the problems some people have had with the honeycomb AL seat base splitting, would a center walkway just encourage people to walk over the middle of the seat (as a sunpad) instead of sliding over it like we tend to do in my father-in-law's boat when he has his up?

I still think the option of a 3 cushion rear seat would make things easier. I don't think it looks as nice as the single cushion setup, but being able to remove a small piece to reveal a walkway is a great thing to have.

[RickDV]

Go get a Cobalt. :twocents:

What's that all about?? Sounds like a "love it or lump it - MC can do no wrong" kind of answer. I think we can do better than that on this forum.

[AirJunky]

So I'm thinking there are a variety of issues being talked about here. The sundeck on a v-drive & the seat/sundeck on a direct drive.

On my own boat I have Traxx pad stuck to various places on the boat, bow, stern, swimstep, & gunnels. They LOOK like a step & give people an obvious non-skid target to step on as they enter the boat.

So Doug's problem could be taken care of by building a piece built in the middle & above the factory cushion. If it was carpeted, people would walk on it as they move from the cockpit area to the swimstep. It could be made of plastic & carpeted. I'll work on a drawing for this idea.

The V-drive sundecks would be tougher if they have 2 or 3 compartments that open in various directions. If they opened one way like the older Maristars, it would be pretty easy to cover it & secure it around the perimeter underneath.

[RobertT]

AirJunky,

You are onto something...but a cover will not work I think. Mold.

I have to keep my rear sunpad/storage open when its wet, as the edges that stay in contact with the boat hull have started to discolor from a little mold. The dealer said to just keep them open if it gets wet...not a big deal but if you were to wrap it up I would think that it would become a HUGE problem.

As noted above, some people love and actually use their sunpads. There is no universal solution, so being reversible is key.

Small item storage would also be VERY nice on a sunpad. We are always looking for better places for lube, glasses, etc.

My personal perfect world would be for the rear sunpads to be separated by a 18" wide section that you could walk on...but that also was the top to a cooler...and of course the cooler would be removable with a shoulder strap. Fill up the cooler with beer and ice....walk down...open the "cover" and drop it in.

Just more thoughts I guess...whats perfect for me wouldn't be perfect for anyone else I suppose. I just never use the built in coolers because I need another cooler anyway to bring the stuff down to them then to bring it back out.

[gr8smiles]

Just enjoy the sundeck....and have it recovered as needed every several years...it can't cost that much....my wife, daughter, and friends love to lay down and ride on the sundeck....(see previous photos in thread....I can't post the photos that show 4-5 girls laying on it....see swimsuit thread for that)....I have the three piece one now and love it.....

[east tx skier]

...it can't cost that much....

Funniest thing I've read on here all day. :uglyhamme I like you, man!

MC is proud of that vinyl. The stuff you can get from your local shop just doesn't match. Sure, compared to what we pay for these boats, it doesn't seem like much. But for what it is, it is that expensive.

This isn't to say that you shouldn't use the sunpad, etc. I mean, of course, that's what it's there for. But there is a reason why I don't care for people steping on my rear seat, having ordered a good deal of vinyl from MC.

[RobertT]

By the way guys, when I am saying reversible I am talking about a zero tool system.....picture the hinge type system of a tablet notebook computer.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1508964&Sku=T70-3254&SRCCODE=GOOPROD&CMP=OTC-FROOGLE

Lift it up (rather on a vdrive or a direct drive), swivel it around 180 degrees, then close it. The weight is being beared by the supports when closed anyway, the hinge is just a way to keep it attached.

Oh, and I completely agree that a 3 or 2 piece rear seat would be ideal for some (myself included), but on my X7 the ballast bag goes under the entire seat.

I will tell you that I would gladly pay for an aftermarket "step" that would sit on the floor and go up and over the factory seat. The top would be a step and would have built in storage for the little things. You could move it from the center to either side to in essence have what you are referring to without any of the downsides of a redesign.

Now that I think about it...I might just build one. Am I loosing it here...does this make sense?

[east tx skier]

Robert, totally forgot that a 3 piece design wouldn't work on the current setup. I actually have a step under my seat cushion, so it'd make a lot of sense for me. They've had steps for sale for "Xstars" from some ebay company in the past. They looked like what you're describing. Wish I could remember the company. Keep an eye on ebay.

[Farmer Ted]

Nice, ;ppks like about 10 girls and one guy.
Lucky Guy!

I'd take those odds! :banana:

[rick s.]

I like the idea of a removeable cover. On my '99 maristar 210 the 1-piece cover gets bloody hot! We use it as a sunpad, and cover it, and the back seat with towels, where we lift the pad a little, and tuck the towel edges into the gap, then lower the sunpad to hold everything in place.

Works well. protects the vinyl, cools it down so you can walk on it, and dries the towels. That's a win-win-win for me.

r

[Dan K]

RobertT,
I think you are on to something. I now have a new winter project. In my 81 the rear seat always serves as a step and it peeves me off becuase one of my boat rules is no stepping on the seats. I can build a replacement for the cushion that is either carpeted or lightly padded and put in place instead of the cushion to serve as a step.

[WakePowell]

On some of the newer Mastercrafts the have split the rear sunpad to provide a walk area. I had matching carpet made for mine that snaps into place.

[Maristar210]

On some of the newer Mastercrafts the have split the rear sunpad to provide a walk area. I had matching carpet made for mine that snaps into place.

Woo Hoo that is EXACTLY what I am talking about. Need the how, when, and where for the masses. Thanks

STEVE

[BriEOD]

He actually had 16 girls plus himself for most of the day....

Youth is wasted on the young...16 dolls, one dude and a MC. :noface:

[wakescene]

I have never understood why any of the manufacturers have not made a factory offering for a sunpad cover. You can get snap in carpets, auxilliary carpets, hell you can even get a tower sox for those that don't have the skill to remove bugs from the tower, but you cannot buy a cover for your sunpads in the rear of a boat.

I made one out of canvas for a Sea Ray years ago...worked very well and used velcro to fasten underneath...looked very pro and was easy to clean and maintain. I no longer worried about dropping boards or fins on the vinyl and you could dance on it all day without slipping at all, even when wet.

This I would think is the natural progression of the manufacturers, not creating less storage room by making a walk way.

[ski_king]

How about using carpet like the bass boats instead of vinyl?
Who needs the padding anyway?

[lakes Rick]

Youth is wasted on the young...16 dolls, one dude and a MC. :noface:

Aint it the truth Bri Bri.......

[AirJunky]

How about using carpet like the bass boats instead of vinyl?
Who needs the padding anyway?
Could be a nightmare to clean all that sand out of carpet. But maybe a snap out piece of carpet.

I like that shot of the X45....... padding on both side with a carpet runner down the middle. You could even have a pad that drops in over the carpetted middle part too.

[yzwiley]

Who needs the padding anyway?

You must be married, because if you don't see the utility in that sunpad you're obviously not gettin' any these days. Either that or you're into getting busy on hardwood floors and coffee tables, ....not that there's anything wrong with that of course.

[east tx skier]

You must be married, because if you don't see the utility in that sunpad you're obviously not gettin' any these days. Either that or you're into getting busy on hardwood floors and coffee tables, ....not that there's anything wrong with that of course.

Then what's the motorbox for?

[ski_king]

I like teak...

[lakes Rick]

Then what's the motorbox for?

The sunpad IS the motorbox on a V-drive.......

[Scot]

Then what's the motorbox for?

checking the oil, of course!

[east tx skier]

Okay, now I'm confused. ;)

[BriEOD]

Then what's the motorbox for?

Water just shot out my nose!!! LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!

[lakes Rick]

Water just shot out my nose!!! LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!


Bri Bri, one reason I am not going to Mags party.. I am sure it is going to be such a good time that there will be beer blowing out of everybody's nose as the jokes and stories will be non stop...... A couple of bong hits and whew, it would be allover for me......

[BriEOD]

Rick I want you to seriously think about coming.

[Ric]

for sunning .

[Workin' 4 Toys]

[QUOTE=wakescene]you can even get a tower sox for those that don't have the skill to remove bugs from the tower,

QUOTE]
Where do I get one of these "sox"???

[Maristar210]

[QUOTE=wakescene]you can even get a tower sox for those that don't have the skill to remove bugs from the tower,

QUOTE]
Where do I get one of these "sox"???


W4T,

Get out your Visa card

www.hotbuddyproducts.com


Steve