2003 Dodge Ram 3500 Dually XD Rockstar Rims and Tires Upgrade

I had a hard time finding photo's of what my truck would look like with new rims so I thought I would share.  In my case I can't lift or go bigger.  The truck already sits too high for towing a 5th wheel.  Duallys are less common and typically if a guy is buying rims he goes for bigger tire and has a lift kit so it was hard to find photos.

The factory chrome hub caps needed to go.  I went with the XD Rockstars with the factory size Goodyear Wrangler All Terrain Adventurer with Kevlar LT235/80 R17's.  I should get 60,000 miles out of these.  $2113.13 out the door for the 6 tires and 4 new rims.  I think I got a good deal from Americas Tire here in Tracy, ca.  I researched going with a taller rim and lower profile tires like many have done, but I hear the ride quality goes down when you do that and my truck rides rough enough as it is so I left things stock.

 Here is what they look like in case anyone is interested.  I am pretty happy with how they turned out.

Looks nice eh?

Anxiously Awaiting a 2017 Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 14 Kayak in Camo

I cant remember the last time I have been this anxious for a purchase.  It's worse than counting the days until school is out or waiting to open presents on x-mas as a kid.  I remember how much fun it was to peddle around in a Peddle Boat as a kid.  The float tube is fun, but now that the Wife has a stand up paddle board i can't keep up.  Being able to cover more territory would improve my fishing odds and allow me to go places that I otherwise might not ever go in a boat or float tube.


A couple months back I was thinking a lot about the Hobie Tandem Island sailing Kayak.  My wife and I rented one from California Canoe & Kayak in Oakland.  We launched from the dock at Jack London Square and cruised up and down the Oakland Estuary and had a blast.  It helped to solidify my desires but it still didn't make sense financially or practically yet.


Meanwhile I often found my self searching the internet for YouTube video's and used Kayaks on Craigslist.  Somehow I ran across some information about the new Reversible Hobie MirageDrives and I knew that a Hobie was the best solution for my needs.

Trouble is, would a Tandem Island fit in my Heartland Cyclone 5th Wheel with a 10' garage?  My thought was to poke through the sliding glass door opening, but even then at 18' 6" long I wasn't sure that would work.  The other issue was that the sliding glass door in the 5th Wheel Garage leading to the Kitchen opens from right to left.  You cannot walk from the Garage to the Kitchen through the sliding glass door if the slide outs are pushed in.  I solved that problem last weekend by reversing the slider so that from the garage it slides from left to right.  Now when the Slide outs are pushed in there is plenty of room in the center of the Garage for something longer than 10' to poke through the Slider opening.  An 18'+ Kayak is still debatable though.  Measurements indicate it would have to be lifted over the center island in the Kitchen and secured somehow.

Over this Labor Day weekend my oldest daughter read my mind and sent me a link to a promising fishing Kayak.  It has retractable stabilizers.  The ability to stand up and fish is important and it got me thinking seriously again.  I watched all their videos and they have a great idea, but feel strongly that I need a hands free solution for fishing.  My knees need the workout more than my upper body does.  Now that my wheels are spinning I take another look at Hobie.  The more I researched the more I knew the Hobie PA 14 was the way to go.  It would fit in the 5th Wheel garage and give me a workout that I need.  Since it's primary use will be fishing I can do without the Sail, or can I?  Turns out there is a sail kit that will work on the PA 14 and the videos look promising, so maybe I can have my cake and eat it too.

I play Soccer but I suffer from heal bone spurs and I am scheduled to have one of them removed in October.  I will have a boot for the 1st 6 weeks, but as soon after as possible I plan to use the Kayak as part of my physical therapy.  It seems like an excellent use case to me right?  Much more fun than an elliptical or stationary bike.

Normally I would look for a slightly used option or wait for a sale, but these things will sell fast.  The 3 that are allotted to Sunrise Mountain Sports for October are already sold and I am honored to be the recipient of one of them.  It's the only way to obtain the reversible drives.  The reversible drives won't be available for individual purchase until next year sometime so I can't just buy an older one now and retrofit it with the reversible drive.  Besides, the new Camo color looks awesome. 

I just put a deposit down to reserve one of 1st of 3 brand new 2017 Hobie Mirage Pro Angler 14 Camo colored Kayaks from Sunrise Mountain Sports in Livermore Ca.  They say it should arrive before the end of September.  I had to order the new one in order to have the MirageDrive 180 with full power reverse.  I float tube a lot with a Fly rod and I always end up paddling in reverse while fighting a fish.  I helps to take the slack out of the line, so I felt it was a necessity to have the ability to go in reverse. In the end I have justified the expense in my mind for the Hobie PA14.  Just to be safe I asked the wife and she didn't say no but I am sure this will cost me down the road.  :)  Cheers!