[James64]

Chill Shade Installation

Does anyone have a good picture of the Sea Doo Chill Shade's Canopy Mounting Base installed on a Spark?

I bought the Chill Shade at the same time that I bought the Spark. I made the assumption that it mounts into the same holes that are used for the Snap-In Fenders. I was wrong. I am not very comfortable with drilling the 4 holes (for the Canopy Mounting Base) into the new Spark! The directions (at least the pictures) could be clearer. Oddly, there is no mention of using any kind of sealer in the holes. And I'm fascinated as to how the M6 well-nuts won't pull out of the drilled holes (I guess they expand when the Torx screws are put in).

 

[nwoz]

I installed mine last week. I'll snap pictures of it over lunch. It actually holds very well. The tip I have is when you are drilling the 1/2" holes in the front left that holds the upward post, pre-drill smaller holes and drill at 90° to the plastic with the 1/2" bit. Any angle makes the grommets want to spin instead of grip and squeeze.

 

[James64]

Thanks a lot nwoz, I'd really appreciate couple of close up pictures of the mounting points. That would be great!

That's a great tip on making sure you drill at 90 degrees (I'll have to get a drill guide).

Did you use any sealer to water proof the holes?

Did you use any glue? I'm fascinated as to what is holding in those M6 well-nut (grommets).

 

[seaking]

Good tip, that's one mistake I noticed newbs make with drilling, they go right to the size of bit they need instead of starting smaller and using that initial hole as a pilot hole for then using the size they need.

 

[ChuckTheVoice]

Just a question, when are you going to use the Chill Shade's Canopy ? When I saw it I was sure that nobody will ever buy this, I just want to know why do you need it. Nothing personal, just curious.

 

[nwoz]

Sorry I didn't reply sooner. I entered the wrong username (unknowingly) 5 times and it locked me out. It seems the spark forums needs security better than all my online banking and credit card accounts. I digress.

Here are the pictures.

The instructions came with a template for where to drill, but you can use the pictures as a guide too in case you lost it or it didn't come with one. The main thing here is that the left side of the mount is parallel with the upright corner of the ski.

You can use the stainless plate it came with to guide your pilot holes if you need.

The grommets work just like the iron cement anchors. You place them in the hole, and as you tighten, it pulls them in and spreads them against the side walls, making them fatter. I hope that's clear enough description.

You can see in the straight down pic there is the slightest of gaps where that grommet comes out of the plastic.

I wouldn't worry about sealant. If any water gets in there, I really can't see it becoming a problem.

On the right, where you mount it in the bag, I really can't see it being a problem where you drill. Higher like I have pictures seems to be the best spot for it being out of the way. After every 1/2 hour of aggressive riding, take a look down and make sure the straps are still tight, it does tend to come loose when wet.

Hope this helps
~Nick

For what I use it for, well, here in central Florida, last weekend we had floatilla boat tie-up, and for the times we were listening to the band, I popped up the top and could chill in the shade when we weren't in the water or tearing it up on the water. Other than that, I expect to use it over the 4th when I use it to go to a bar where they host day concerts on their tiki area and you can drive up via the gulf.

 

[James64]

nwoz,
Thank you very much for the pictures and the explanation. I understood everything and appreciated the images. I only have 8.5 hours on the ski but I'm getting closer to using the drill.

By the way where is tiki area in the gulf? Tampa?

ChuckTheVoice,
I live in the west coast of Florida. I love Florida, but I have had skin cancer. Yes, I go to a skin Doctor to get checked, but I have to be careful (you get plenty of sun, by default, in Florida). I use plenty of sunblock.

I love the water though. I figured that on the occasions when I'm out there too long (being social), the Chill Shade would be nice to have. I don't expect to use it very much (in part because I love to stand up and ride), but I wanted to have it (especially if I want to go for a long distance cruise down the inter-coastal).

We are all different. I get that. Some people spent extra money on iBR. I'm sure it can be helpful, (when docking) but I didn't see the need. It seems like another complicated system that can break or will need maintenance. Also, I think it will build a false sense of security for newbies who may not understand the differences in moving on water. Yes my 400 lb Spark is new, but I owned a 1700 lb boat for 20 years. No brakes. Never need them. And I rarely used reverse (drifting is fine, I'm really not in a big rush to get off the water). Besides, my Spark can go faster than my boat could, and stops a lot shorter (I'm a defensive driver). Anyway, I respect everyone's decision to buy what they want!

 

[ChuckTheVoice]

Thanks for the reply. Make sense that you need it. Here in Canada a baseball cap is enough 😆

 

[peeler01]

Just a question, when are you going to use the Chill Shade's Canopy ? When I saw it I was sure that nobody will ever buy this, I just want to know why do you need it. Nothing personal, just curious.

I'm thinking about getting the chill shade for when I take long trips on the Spark. Sometimes it's fun to go all the way from Sanford to Jacksonville (about 120 miles one way) on the St. Johns River in Florida and it would be very nice to have a shade for those trips.
It also might be nice for when I just want to take a break and relax. When I go under a bridge, the shade is a HUGE relief on a hot summer day.

 

[peeler01]

nwoz,
I live in the west coast of Florida. I love Florida, but I have had skin cancer. Yes, I go to a skin Doctor to get checked, but I have to be careful (you get plenty of sun, by default, in Florida). I use plenty of sunblock.

I love the water though. I figured that on the occasions when I'm out there too long (being social), the Chill Shade would be nice to have. I don't expect to use it very much (in part because I love to stand up and ride), but I wanted to have it (especially if I want to go for a long distance cruise down the inter-coastal).

I'm in Central Florida and I find that nothing beats a skin suit when I'm out for a long time. You can get them really cheap from dive websites like Leisurepro. A lycra full skin suit breathes really well and keeps me completely free of sunburn no matter how long I'm out (Well... as long as I reapply to my face and hands).

Something like this:
http://www.leisurepro.com/p-blrlm/neosport-unisex-lycra-spandex-skin-suit

 

[James64]

peeler01:
Hey, thanks for the idea. While I am a SCUBA diver (I usually use my old "shorty" from my water-skiing days, when diving), I had not seen those. But in black, I kinda wish they made white or yellow. Still it's something to consider. Often I will wear one of my long sleeve tennis shirts (they dry quickly).

 

[peeler01]

peeler01:
Hey, thanks for the idea. While I am a SCUBA diver (I usually use my old "shorty" from my water-skiing days, when diving), I had not seen those. But in black, I kinda wish they made white or yellow. Still it's something to consider. Often I will wear one of my long sleeve tennis shirts (they dry quickly).

James64:
I'm a SCUBA diver as well. I had the skin suit for diving in the Keys or when I'm in warm water. The suit completely stopped the sunburn I'd get while snorkeling so it seemed like it was worth a try while riding the ski. It is a bit of a negative that the suit only comes in black with colored accents but it really doesn't make me feel that hot.
I got the black with yellow stripes and not only does it match my pineapple ski but my buddy says it's my "reverse Kill Bill outfit". The suit is the exact reverse color scheme that "The Bride" wore in Kill Bill . . .hehe

The lycra/spandex suit breathes really well. I've found that if I jump in the water real quick to get the suit wet then it actually has a great cooling effect while I'm running.
As an added bonus, the suit helps tremendously with keeping jellyfish & sea nettles off of me.

 

[James64]

peeler01:
Yes, I'm going to look into one of those suits. I clicked on their web site but I don't know what to do about size. 2X-Large is for 6'1" and 220lbs? I weigh a lot less than 220. Maybe a local shop has these things. Great movie by the way. And I have a pineapple Spark as well.

ChuckTheVoice:
So, I was out there this morning putting in my 10th engine hour. I went back to the dock and yup, the guy with the huge boat has no idea of the concept of "no wake zone." They will sell a boat to anyone! Anyway, I thought of what I wrote here. Maybe reverse is helpful when your boat only weighs 400 lbs (I hadn't thought of this scenario)? Needless to say, I was fine at the dock, my defensive nature kicked in and saved me.

So maybe I'll install the manual reverse kit (I'm technically competent), and I've seen the YouTube videos. The folks that sold me my ski, will sell me the kit for about $250. Time to get the drill out.

Oh and then there was the guy with the plus 40' monster boat (and 5 useless passengers) about to back down into the water without seeing my already tied up ski. But that's another story...

 

[peeler01]

peeler01:
Yes, I'm going to look into one of those suits. I clicked on their web site but I don't know what to do about size. 2X-Large is for 6'1" and 220lbs? I weigh a lot less than 220. Maybe a local shop has these things. Great movie by the way. And I have a pineapple Spark as well.

James64:
I'm 5'11", 185lbs and I found that the XL fit just right. I initially ordered a large and it was just too small to get over my shoulders. I'd say you probably need a 2XL. Exchanging the too small suit for a larger size was very easy.

 

[wizzer]

My wife is on medication that makes her burn in the sun very easily. spf 50 doesnt cut it. I got her a skin suit with gloves and just installed a chill shade to cover her head . Hopefully she will be able to go back out in the water. It was an easy install and they it was 49 bucks on amazon. Im thinking of buying one for myself for when we chill on the water.

 

[wizzer]

OK these things rock .Im getting one for me for when we go on a river cruise later in the season.