New in RI, new to boating

[Bubbjr7]

Hi everyone, since purchasing our first boat back in October, a 212 limited s, and towing it 180 miles home, I find myself on this form for many hours a day trying to get myself ready for our new adventures as we are new to boating in general. We've already booked a few trips and can't wait to get started. Although we are not really looking forward to that first day at the ramp. Thanks to all the advice on here hopefully we should be ready.
And so the questions start...
We've already made a few necessary purchases like a battery maintainer, bow roller and anything else coastguard related that was not included with the purchase.
Still have a laundry list of things we want to get like trailer guide poles, water towables for the kids etc...
We will be doing quite a bit of trailering and we are considering switching to radials.
One problem that I had while towing home was the shipping cover seemed to billow excessively during our trip. The pooling pole was in place and straps were tight. This caused stress tears toward the back of the cover. For the members that are towing with the shipping cover in place, are you also experiencing excessive billowing while towing? Will the purchase of a tighter fitting Yamaha mooring cover help solve this?
Thank you everyone in advance

 

[jcyamaharider]

I tow with poles down on all of my covers. You will get varying opinions but I have had covers last for a very long time.

 

[captras]

didnt get a shipping cover with my, boat, but did get a Ymaha cover. fits like a glove with no issues

 

[PJ73]

didnt get a shipping cover with my, boat, but did get a Ymaha cover. fits like a glove with no issues

 

[Dean P]

but did get a Ymaha cover. fits like a glove with no issues

I too liked that Yamaha cover. Especially like the ratchet to tighten everything up. Sweet!

 

[Gym]

Welcome to the forum @Bubbjr7 and congrats on the new boat. Living up here in the NE I would highly recommend you take your boat to a local ramp on a fairly nice, non windy, weekday at the end of March or the beginning of April to practice several launches and retrievals. There will probably be nobody else around to get irritated during your learning curve.

My wife & I did exactly this when we bought our used SX230. It's a good thing we did as our port engine quit on the first launch (broken spark plug) even though I tested them in the driveway before heading to the ramp. You can also take your boat for a little run to get comfortable with its handling. This way you'll look like a pro at the ramp when the season starts.

 

[natocamp55]

Yamaha OEM cover has vents to let air out, also fits perfect.

 

[Bubbjr7]

didnt get a shipping cover with my, boat, but did get a Ymaha cover. fits like a glove with no issues

Well, looks like I'm buying a Yamaha mooring cover for towing

Welcome to the forum @Bubbjr7 and congrats on the new boat. Living up here in the NE I would highly recommend you take your boat to a local ramp on a fairly nice, non windy, weekday at the end of March or the beginning of April to practice several launches and retrievals. There will probably be nobody else around to get irritated during your learning curve.

My wife & I did exactly this when we bought our used SX230. It's a good thing we did as our port engine quit on the first launch (broken spark plug) even though I tested them in the driveway before heading to the ramp. You can also take your boat for a little run to get comfortable with its handling. This way you'll look like a pro at the ramp when the season starts.

Thanks. I definitely planned on getting out as early as I can.

Yamaha OEM cover has vents to let air out, also fits perfect.

It does vent well and fits nice while boat is not being towed. The billowing was really concerning though. I think my best option is to get the morning cover for towing.

 

[Neutron]

Welcome!
Where in RI will you be boating?
When i was up there i boated in the bay and launched from Haines Park in Bullocks Cove Barrington. Great ramp but can get busy

 

[Bubbjr7]

Originally wanted to be a lake boat but starting to consider the bay. Lakes are small and limited in RI as far as I know. If I were to launch in the bay it would probably be from Warwick or Westerly areas. I'm thinking we will be going into Connecticut and Massachusetts a lot. Visiting Pachaug, Wallum. Webster lake looked interesting but I think there is a pretty hefty launch/parking fee there. Definitely open to any suggestions though.

 

[SoxFan]

Congrats on your new purchase. You’re going to have a blast.
There is a very friendly dealer in Central Falls - they should have some good local destinations to recommend.
We boat a lot in the Buzzards Bay/Cape Cod Canal area- the boat handles it well. Heading back up to Lake Winnipesaukee this Summer-great destination. Gotta love trailer boating!