I have that healthy respect but the longer I am in Florida the more sense I have what is safe and what is not safe.... said the guy eaten by an alligator...
Yes I would have been sitting in the river about a 1/2 mile from the start when it broke into 4 separate channels going, "I wonder what way is the right way!?" hahaha It i mating season... if you listen closely you can hear him growl at me for annoying him.
Great trek Bob. Doing the Econ is high on my list. I live near Titusville, just got my older ski running and been eyeing the St. John's from Jolly Gator's down to Lk Poinsett. I've got .kml tracks to try to find my way through Puzzle Lake. Even put in at Hatbill Park (and stayed close) to test my ski. But I've come to the same conclusion as you. I won't run that part of the river without another ski along and preferably someone like Rick! Not for novices, indeed. But such awesome and rare scenery! It's not every day you get to cowboy cattle from a ski!
I traded a text with Rick today and she sent me a picture of the water measuring gauge at Jolly Gators and it is over 12" lower that when we ran this river.... it was sort of stressful running hour after hour in 2' of water...after a while 2' seemed deep. No I would not run it unless it was 12" over when he ran this portion for the video. Thanks for watching! Good luck with your ski!
Rick, the expert says it is called "Jim Creek" for some reason.... I called it Jim's in the video, but yes it was a highlight...Rick mentioned some of the tourist airboats go back there so I am glad when we went we had it to ourselves!
That run is why I bought a GPS. Still tricky with it, though. A fun ride is to head south towards Lake Washington and when the water's right, you can ride right over the dam and continue on past Camp Holly.
Yes good to maybe follow your GPS track back on the same day but not useful if it is dated and the water level has changed. Tracy and I had a gps track on our chartplotter from a previous run 6 months ago and at times it showed the track going over dry land! :-) Rick has mentioned about the southern route if the water if high enough! A possible future ride! Thanks for watching and commenting! Bob
That was a super awesome ride, looking forward to doing it again. Minus the beach next time, even though no damage was sustained on my ski. Truly one of the best nature sightseeing rides anywhere
Thanks for taking us along guys! There is still time to look back at your GPS trails and add the lat/lon of those shallow sandbars in the description. Who knows -you guys may even find the coordinates helpful if you ever decided to do this ride again in the future.
Yes we know where that was in now the problem is it changes on a daily basis! Tracy and I have our complete tracks in our chart plotters.... funny though, some of the lines cross land on the chart plotter... crazy place! Lets start narrowing down the the rides you want to do when you visit in June!
@@everyonelovesfriday2045 We had Jeff Butler do it as he is a professional. He can be contacted via FB messenger or I can get you another contact. I would let him explain is current pricing.
Skis are doing great; there is no performance difference at all except I noticed that when I pulled it up on the trailer it slid back off! :-) I will not have to put the trailer so far into the water anymore. Both our skis were over there getting gator glide applied. I think it is a solid choice for exploratory skiing like we do!
Hi Bob. A few questions if you don’t mind… Do you recommend using the cover if trailering long distance? If so, have you experienced any scuffs due to the cover? Do you ever have any meet ups? I live in Ormond Beach.
That's a topic you will get widely varied answers on. Yes I usually tow my ski at highway speeds with the OEM Yamaha cover on, especially in the rain because if not, the seats will just soak up the rain water heavily. I have found if you use the OEM cover designed for towing and you have it configured correctly it will never budge. I throw two micro fiber small towels over the mirror housing under the cover because I fell that's is the real contact point. After a day on the water I may or may not put it back on for the drive home, esp if covered with salt. Others will say NEVER tow your ski with it on.... I say they have not followed the owners instructions and fitted it properly. Your results will vary. I am ready to come back to Ormond Beach and either go north to Augustine or south to Ponce de Leon... my only caveat is I really only ride on weekdays... too crazy on weekends so if you want to go let me know and we can do it, but we have to do it before the manatee no wake zones start and actually that may be May 1st. So if we want to do the ICW we may have to wait until those no wake zones close in the Fall. I did both of my rides from Ormond Beach in Jan 2020 I just saw. Maybe be there is another ride of mutual interest...
@@BobBroeking Thank you for the information. Yes, I am interested in other rides and can travel. I am retired and can ride pretty much anytime. You are correct. The ICW is May 1st as far as no wake zones. If you wanted to go north before then I am game. To let you know a little about myself... I am 50 yrs old, my ski is a 2022 Limited Seadoo with roughly 12 hrs on it (so I shouldn't have any mechanical issues). I've owned three boats before, so I have some marine and navigational experience. And I'm punctual and very laid back. Anyway, looking forward to it! Thanks again.
Are you the same guys that the airboat attempted to pull out? My son seen y’all and said hey they are from UA-cam lol
Of course not, we would not do something that silly...not us! :-) Thanks for watching... hope you subscribe... :-)
Really good Bob. Nice slice of Florida!
Hey Pat, thanks for the comment... your slice of Florida comment rings home.... this one had it all! :-) Bob
Really enjoyed. Don't let the gators get you. Wife is from Michigan, me Ohio and we live in Ohio near Cincinnati now with NO GATORS to worry about!
I have that healthy respect but the longer I am in Florida the more sense I have what is safe and what is not safe.... said the guy eaten by an alligator...
@@BobBroeking now that is funny. Truly lol 😆 🤣
WOW! Rick is the master navigator and local knowledge was a must. Be careful, it's alligator mating season, they are much more aggressive.
Yes I would have been sitting in the river about a 1/2 mile from the start when it broke into 4 separate channels going, "I wonder what way is the right way!?" hahaha It i mating season... if you listen closely you can hear him growl at me for annoying him.
Sorry I missed it,. I should have my skis back this week. We will have to do it again.
Agreed and also the grass flats that Tracy did today!
Great trek Bob. Doing the Econ is high on my list. I live near Titusville, just got my older ski running and been eyeing the St. John's from Jolly Gator's down to Lk Poinsett. I've got .kml tracks to try to find my way through Puzzle Lake. Even put in at Hatbill Park (and stayed close) to test my ski. But I've come to the same conclusion as you. I won't run that part of the river without another ski along and preferably someone like Rick! Not for novices, indeed. But such awesome and rare scenery! It's not every day you get to cowboy cattle from a ski!
I traded a text with Rick today and she sent me a picture of the water measuring gauge at Jolly Gators and it is over 12" lower that when we ran this river.... it was sort of stressful running hour after hour in 2' of water...after a while 2' seemed deep. No I would not run it unless it was 12" over when he ran this portion for the video. Thanks for watching! Good luck with your ski!
Gators heck nooooo hhahah i cant imagine falling in that water Ill freak out, you guys are brave.
ot brave...a little silly and we are used to what we are seeing, still I would prefer not to fall in! :-) thanks for watching! Bob
Thank you for sharing. Loved Jim's Creek. 🙂
Rick, the expert says it is called "Jim Creek" for some reason.... I called it Jim's in the video, but yes it was a highlight...Rick mentioned some of the tourist airboats go back there so I am glad when we went we had it to ourselves!
That run is why I bought a GPS. Still tricky with it, though. A fun ride is to head south towards Lake Washington and when the water's right, you can ride right over the dam and continue on past Camp Holly.
Yes good to maybe follow your GPS track back on the same day but not useful if it is dated and the water level has changed. Tracy and I had a gps track on our chartplotter from a previous run 6 months ago and at times it showed the track going over dry land! :-) Rick has mentioned about the southern route if the water if high enough! A possible future ride! Thanks for watching and commenting! Bob
The cow crossing was a highlight 🐮😍
A lot of people like the cow crossing! Thanks for watching!
Awesome adventure
Thank you I am glad you enjoyed it… looking back on it that day was epic…
That was a super awesome ride, looking forward to doing it again. Minus the beach next time, even though no damage was sustained on my ski. Truly one of the best nature sightseeing rides anywhere
It was a blast and you are a great friend and partner to do these adventures rides with often! Glad you had a great ride today out in the grass flats!
Thanks for taking us along guys! There is still time to look back at your GPS trails and add the lat/lon of those shallow sandbars in the description. Who knows -you guys may even find the coordinates helpful if you ever decided to do this ride again in the future.
Yes we know where that was in now the problem is it changes on a daily basis! Tracy and I have our complete tracks in our chart plotters.... funny though, some of the lines cross land on the chart plotter... crazy place! Lets start narrowing down the the rides you want to do when you visit in June!
I want to do this ride next time I come out to Florida!
Okkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk, but it is a only a 50-50 chance of something not epic happening....
Oof running a painted hull aground. Love the vids
Actually both of these skis had gator glide applied to them. And left no damage
Thanks for watching... Yes Gator Glide protected the hulls well!
@@BobBroeking did you put it on yourself or have it done? Price? If you don’t mind. Thanks 🙏
@@everyonelovesfriday2045 We had Jeff Butler do it as he is a professional. He can be contacted via FB messenger or I can get you another contact. I would let him explain is current pricing.
How many hours do you have on your 2020 fx ho? I have the same waverunner. I enjoy your videos.
I think I am about 180 hours now...I get it serviced every 50 hours! thanks for watching and I am glad you like the content!
Tracy…. “I forgot I was that short”
I thought that was a gem of a one liner by Tracy and when I heard it on the video, I knew it had to be included! HAHAHHA Thanks for watching!
How have the skis been holding up? Do they all have the gator glide on the bottom or just the red one? How has it preformed and held up?
Skis are doing great; there is no performance difference at all except I noticed that when I pulled it up on the trailer it slid back off! :-) I will not have to put the trailer so far into the water anymore. Both our skis were over there getting gator glide applied. I think it is a solid choice for exploratory skiing like we do!
Hi Bob. A few questions if you don’t mind… Do you recommend using the cover if trailering long distance? If so, have you experienced any scuffs due to the cover? Do you ever have any meet ups? I live in Ormond Beach.
That's a topic you will get widely varied answers on. Yes I usually tow my ski at highway speeds with the OEM Yamaha cover on, especially in the rain because if not, the seats will just soak up the rain water heavily. I have found if you use the OEM cover designed for towing and you have it configured correctly it will never budge. I throw two micro fiber small towels over the mirror housing under the cover because I fell that's is the real contact point. After a day on the water I may or may not put it back on for the drive home, esp if covered with salt. Others will say NEVER tow your ski with it on.... I say they have not followed the owners instructions and fitted it properly. Your results will vary. I am ready to come back to Ormond Beach and either go north to Augustine or south to Ponce de Leon... my only caveat is I really only ride on weekdays... too crazy on weekends so if you want to go let me know and we can do it, but we have to do it before the manatee no wake zones start and actually that may be May 1st. So if we want to do the ICW we may have to wait until those no wake zones close in the Fall. I did both of my rides from Ormond Beach in Jan 2020 I just saw. Maybe be there is another ride of mutual interest...
@@BobBroeking Thank you for the information. Yes, I am interested in other rides and can travel. I am retired and can ride pretty much anytime. You are correct. The ICW is May 1st as far as no wake zones. If you wanted to go north before then I am game. To let you know a little about myself... I am 50 yrs old, my ski is a 2022 Limited Seadoo with roughly 12 hrs on it (so I shouldn't have any mechanical issues). I've owned three boats before, so I have some marine and navigational experience. And I'm punctual and very laid back. Anyway, looking forward to it! Thanks again.
@@shanefortune184 I can not get over there before 1 May but will look for other options.
Bob Broeking - WhiteSpider Okay. No worries.