New-to-me 2005 tournament 205 companies that made each part

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TinkerinMatt

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I just bought a 205 that needs a bunch of things.

I got a quote for a full new interior from affordableboatcushions.com which I’ve had great results with in the past for about $3200 shipped including redoing the back to back seats, all cushions and back rests, and all bolsters, based on patterns they have from these boats. Does anyone else have a recommendation on interior companies that I DONT have to leave them with the boat? Perhaps OEM company? I’m near Wilmington NC.

I need a fresh water wash down flip up cover, but I don’t know what it used to look like because it’s missing, is it a Grady specific part or does anyone know what company makes the wash down covers?

The boat was a factory no-bow cover boat, so no snaps, what company made/sells the canvases for these boats? It came with all the other canvases still in the plastic.

There is no potty in the head, does anyone have a link to what should be there? There’s not a ton of headroom so I’m assuming it’s kind of low profile?

What company made the factory ski pylon? Googling has shown through Grady white it could be upwards of $1500 for it, if they still offer it since most boats other than the 18 went to the pop up pylon. Has anyone ever used a 3 point pylon or other aftermarket one with good results that doesn’t hit a 3.3 250 cowl when motor is up? This is the one I’m looking for. Or if anyone has one for sale please let me know!
 

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You found a company that can do all of your seats without having the boat on site? I've never heard of that. I think you found a unicorn.

Skip the ski pylon - get a Turbo Swing. It's much better.

Bow cover? You can source the cover the same company that made your other canvas - look at the tag. Maybe RNR, AJ or Great Lakes? You'll still need to install the snaps on the boat and the cover.

A porta-potti is a porta-potti is a porta-potti. Don't overthink this one. Just get the one with the smaller "holding tank" (roughly 2.5g, NOT 5g).
 
Affordableboatcushions.com said he currently is doing a full 205 interior right now, but did have me ship the back to back cushions, and the back rests for the bow to him. The rest are fairly simple.

I am very skeptical of the turbo swing for anything other than gentle tubing or someone lightly 2 skiing. I picture trying to make a cut slolom skiing and it being jerkey with the roller follower especially with salt and sand. Also don’t think it’s high enough to keep the rope out of the wake when really whipping a tube around. No more disappointing feeling than getting that perfect momentum whip going for the rope to drag the wake and stop all the violence.
 
TinkerinMatt said:
Affordableboatcushions.com said he currently is doing a full 205 interior right now, but did have me ship the back to back cushions, and the back rests for the bow to him. The rest are fairly simple.

I am very skeptical of the turbo swing for anything other than gentle tubing or someone lightly 2 skiing. I picture trying to make a cut slolom skiing and it being jerkey with the roller follower especially with salt and sand. Also don’t think it’s high enough to keep the rope out of the wake when really whipping a tube around. No more disappointing feeling than getting that perfect momentum whip going for the rope to drag the wake and stop all the violence.
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I'd pass on the turbo swing as well, considering that they're a minimum of $750 on up to over $1,400, depending on which one you get. I would instead buy a towing harness, like something linked below, and then attach whatever tow rope you want to use to that. That way, you can just use the standard stern eyes on the boat without needing to add and spend the additional money on a ski pylon as well as the turbo swing, and it supposedly has a break strength of up to 4,100 lbs. In regards to the parts numbers and names of manufacturers, here's a 2007 copy of the Grady White parts manual, though it just lists parts numbers and not the names of the manufacturers. That being said, you might be able to call GW up and ask the name of the manufacturer or be able to figure it out with a quick Google search when typing in the part number.


 
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Do the cushions have the logos? I'm just looking for the backrest for the port helm seat, transom folding seat base and I'll probably bite the bullet on the starboard Pompanette helm seat.
 
Matt, the Tubo Swing runs rings around a ski pole in terms of strength and there is no jerkiness - I'm not sure why one would think that. It's plenty high enough, too. The tow mount on stern drive boats is lower than the TS and the rope doesn't drag with those (other than really small ones, sometimes) - why would you think it isn't high enough? It doesn't HAVE to be as high as a pole to work well. The ONLY reason for a pole is to get over the OB.

I'm not sure if you're basing your thoughts on "thoughts only" or if it's on actual real life experience. But real life experience wins out here, as well :)
 
There are good reasons, for the skier, the boat, and the driver, why nobody makes a ski boat with an attachment point on the transom, much less behind the outboard. If the ONLY reason for a pole is to get over the OB, serious skiers wouldn't be hooked to a pylon, or a wake tower, right behind the driver's seat, on an inboard boat. Some people might be happy on a pair of wooden CG's, straight behind the boat, others want to dig straight out beside.
 
glacierbaze said:
There are good reasons, for the skier, the boat, and the driver, why nobody makes a ski boat with an attachment point on the transom, much less behind the outboard. If the ONLY reason for a pole is to get over the OB, serious skiers wouldn't be hooked to a pylon, or a wake tower, right behind the driver's seat, on an inboard boat. Some people might be happy on a pair of wooden CG's, straight behind the boat, others want to dig straight out beside.
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NONE of the boats on this forum are anywhere NEAR being in the same league as serious ski boats, though. It's an apples to oranges comparison. The reason for the pole in the middle of those boats is so a serious skier doesn't pull the boat going through the slalom course. It's a TOTALLY different thing/reason than the OP's want to be able to pull a tube and avoid the wake grabbing the line.
 
My last comment, but Matt did picture himself, or someone else, cutting on a slalom. Sooner than later, most people graduate from the tube to a ski, or a wake board, where rope height is critical. If I were considering adding a pylon to a Grady, I would want it to extend as far down as possible, and anchor to the stringers, or the transom.
 
glacierbaze said:
My last comment, but Matt did picture himself, or someone else, cutting on a slalom. Sooner than later, most people graduate from the tube to a ski, or a wake board, where rope height is critical. If I were considering adding a pylon to a Grady, I would want it to extend as far down as possible, and anchor to the stringers, or the transom.
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True, people graduate over time. But this is still the wrong style of boat to get serious about that stuff. Plus, a pylon in this style boat is actually higher than what would be considered ideal. A true ski boat would have a lower height.

But, in the end, it's really splitting hairs here considering the style of boat - a pylon or the TS will each work equally well in terms of height. The TS, though, has the advantage of being stronger and (much) easier to install - likely less expensive, too.

And, let's face it, a serious single stick rider would laugh at the idea of doing any serious skiing behind a boat like this.
 
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Was on a friend of mine’s inboard wake/ski boat last year with some very accomplished wake riders and skiers. Wow what a rig! Lake Tahoe, perfect. Useless as a fishing and rough water vessel. Of course we skied as kids off an 18’ Glastron with a Ford 302 and harness off the transom rings. We skied very well! That boat swung a huge prop to pop skiers up. Maybe not perfect but pretty good. Have fun with the 205!
 
We do slolom ski, and yes we are getting older and fatter but the next generation (still all 10 and under) are starting to get up on skis and I have lofty aspirations of my kids and nieces/nephews being afforded more time on skis in NC than we had growing up in cold CT, where the season was short and we didn’t live 1 minute from the ramp. Yes a Grady doesn’t throw a flat wake compared to mastercrafts and malibus that I’ve skied behind in CT on lakes, but I learned to ski on a tournament 190 (that I sold to buy this 205), and you get used to it when your knees still bend and your fear hasn’t developed yet. We dont yank the boat as hard as we used to but we cut hard enough to slow the boat down 1-2mph and it’s a noticeable jerk when someone gets in the groove mid-late season. Here’s a video of me from the first outing a few years ago that resulted in a couple cracked ribs. Pulling from the rear of a heavy 205 with a turbo swing I don’t think would be that bad, but pulling from in front of the motor is definitely better (have skied behind jet skis where you literally are ripping the jet ski side to side and can’t put all your weight on it). For tubes, even with the rope as high in the video sometimes with the big Grady wake the rope drags the outside wake and slows/stop the whip, so I want it at a minimum higher than the outboard.

 
Greg B said:
Do the cushions have the logos? I'm just looking for the backrest for the port helm seat, transom folding seat base and I'll probably bite the bullet on the starboard Pompanette helm seat.
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Yes he’s putting 7 total Grady emblems on like factory; the 2 bow seat backs, 2 transom seat backs, both back to back seats and the captains chair back rest. Total for all cushions including all bolsters is $3200.
 
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It's still a fine pull for relatively recreational slalom on the TS. Yes, physics works, though, and moving the tow point forward helps.

It's strange that you're getting a wake that is so big that it's grabbing the rope. There's nothing inherently different about that hull compared to other hulls that would cause that (for this purpose, I mean). Maybe you just need to adjust the trim a little more to flatten the boat out? I've done all kinds of watersports on all kinds of boats - with many of them being stern drives so the attachment point is just below the top of the center of the transom wall - or, roughly, the height of stern cleats. The only times I can think of where the rope grabbed would be where I let the rope get a little too slack.

I'm not trying to "convince" you to get the TS, just offering actual experience with it and, depending on your intended use, it may be a good option when you consider the time/expense of installing a pylon.

Many pylons are specifically NOT rated to pull a tube - what is the official Grady rating on that?
 
TinkerinMatt said:
Yes he’s putting 7 total Grady emblems on like factory; the 2 bow seat backs, 2 transom seat backs, both back to back seats and the captains chair back rest. Total for all cushions including all bolsters is $3200.
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I need the transom seat base and the backrest for the passenger helm, do you know if they can do that or is it just full sets? Match GW colors?
 
Greg B said:
I need the transom seat base and the backrest for the passenger helm, do you know if they can do that or is it just full sets? Match GW colors?
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Give them a call and talk to them, they can do individual cushions, doesnt need to be a set. Forewarning that they are slammed right now and it is taking a while to get stuff out the door, Im told my order from March should ship next week for the boat I just sold, I think lead times are 4-6 weeks right now.
 
DennisG01 said:
It's still a fine pull for relatively recreational slalom on the TS. Yes, physics works, though, and moving the tow point forward helps.

It's strange that you're getting a wake that is so big that it's grabbing the rope. There's nothing inherently different about that hull compared to other hulls that would cause that (for this purpose, I mean). Maybe you just need to adjust the trim a little more to flatten the boat out? I've done all kinds of watersports on all kinds of boats - with many of them being stern drives so the attachment point is just below the top of the center of the transom wall - or, roughly, the height of stern cleats. The only times I can think of where the rope grabbed would be where I let the rope get a little too slack.

I'm not trying to "convince" you to get the TS, just offering actual experience with it and, depending on your intended use, it may be a good option when you consider the time/expense of installing a pylon.

Many pylons are specifically NOT rated to pull a tube - what is the official Grady rating on that?
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A lot of the kids I tow are light, like 50lbs and under. Its rare that anyone on the tube, or even combo of 2 kids, exceeds 100lbs, so it is very easy to have slack in the rope. Yes, with a 200lb adult on the tube its much rarer for the wake to grab the rope, but at roughly 18ish mph, just on plane, making a pretty big wake still, it sometimes will drag on the outside wake as you whip someone from inside to outside if any slack whatsoever gets in the rope.

As for if pylons are rated for a tube, I will top UP TO 1 adult with the pylon, on a small tube. I do have a big 3 person tube that I will only tow kids on. I have a single person kinda classic tube that I will tow an adult on, and my argument is that I think I pull harder on the pylon when skiing than someone on a tube could pull once its out of the water. I have towed skiers as heavy as 250lbs with the pylon on my old boat, including them doing pretty serious cuts and pulling hard crossing the wake, hard enough that if they lose grip and let go it shoots the rope up into or past the boat.
 
TinkerinMatt said:
As for if pylons are rated for a tube, I will top UP TO 1 adult with the pylon, on a small tube. I do have a big 3 person tube that I will only tow kids on. I have a single person kinda classic tube that I will tow an adult on, and my argument is that I think I pull harder on the pylon when skiing than someone on a tube could pull once its out of the water. I have towed skiers as heavy as 250lbs with the pylon on my old boat, including them doing pretty serious cuts and pulling hard crossing the wake, hard enough that if they lose grip and let go it shoots the rope up into or past the boat.
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I hear what you're saying about your thought process on the amount of stress on a pylon and I don't think, by any means, that you're alone. But, if I may... I work in the industry - I know why these precautions are put on these pylons to avoid pulling a tube (note - I do NOT know one way or the other, regarding whatever one you're looking at). A tube can put much more stress on a pylon - especially when it's being pulled out of the water. Plus, it's quite possible that the tube even has quite a bit of extra weight in it as water weight. I have personaly seen the damage that is done to a pylon - and the boat - from pulling tubes.

I'm not saying that damage is GOING to happen - but it has happened and can happen again.

Here's the thing... what if the damage is enough that the pylon breaks free from the boat? That pylon is now a rocket and you can figure out where it might land.

I've never personally seen one comletely break free... but I have seen them where I can't understand (based on the destruction) how it DIDN'T break free.

In the end, we're all big boys and girls and can do as we wish - but there is a very real reason that the precautions are there.
 
TinkerinMatt said:
A lot of the kids I tow are light, like 50lbs and under. Its rare that anyone on the tube, or even combo of 2 kids, exceeds 100lbs, so it is very easy to have slack in the rope. Yes, with a 200lb adult on the tube its much rarer for the wake to grab the rope, but at roughly 18ish mph, just on plane, making a pretty big wake still, it sometimes will drag on the outside wake as you whip someone from inside to outside if any slack whatsoever gets in the rope.
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I would bet that if you trimmed down and/or went just a tad bit faster that the wake would diminish quite a bit. I can have no issues with an attachment point on a stern drive (just a foot above the swim platform) with boats even larger than yours - you should be able, to.

Or... get one of those "booster balls" - that's the least expensive way to do this nad there's no modifications needed. And they work VERY well for exactly the issue you're talking about.
 
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