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Thread: Question about wakeboard boats

  1. #1
    riverfamily
    Ok the wife and I have decided its time to buy a new (read new to us 1998 or newer 20-25k) boat. We have 2 kids 7 and 4 who love riding tubes and now my son wants to learn to wakeboard. What is the difference in drive and ride quality of the v-drive or the direct drive? Also we have a place in Needles so this boat will be only in the colorado river between Needles and the sandbar (sometimes all the way to Havsu) ride is very important to us and some of the wakeboard boats we see on the river look like they pound you to death. We currently have a 20ft. open bow with a 302 v8 I/O its been good to us but its not great to board behind and not worth putting a tower on because I need (read want) something with a lot more power for pulling and crusing (yes I know that even with a mag 350 a wakeboard boat will only do 50 to 55 --top speed is not a huge priorty for us) Thanks for any info you can give.

  2. #2
    cc322
    I personaly dont think any comp ski boat will offer the best in ride quaility. On the other hand it will be the ultimate for boarding. I would try to find a good mixture of both. A few come to mind, 1 would be Laveys 21 xtski, 2 Essex 21 sterling, 3 Shockwave 21 step skier. All have 21 degree bottoms that will offer you a better ride then the comp ski boats, plus you can get some decent power with them. These are my thoughts so good luck. Also the price range you are looking at I think will limit you a little.

  3. #3
    Flyinbowtie
    Running in the area you will be in, it seems to me like you are limiting yourself to a boat with a stern drive. The water conditions where you boat seem to me to be more outdrive friendly than the common set ups in the tournament style boats. Trimming the drive up to get through shallow water isn't an option on the vees and dd boats..
    As far as the tourney style boats go, the v-dirve boats put out what is considered a purer wake with less weight, but, in my opinion the direct drive boats handle better, and are much better water ski boats. The v-drive boats have a much more user friendly seating arrangement, and better storage.
    I own a 98 Ski Sanger DLX, which is an open bow direct drive boat, 20-6 in length. We bought it last winter after stepping away from a deep vee family style bowrider that had a stern dirve on it. I boat primarily in inland lakes in the Sierra Foothills. The boat has the 315HP multiport EFI 350 in it, and a velvet drive trans that is geared 1 to 1.
    As far as ride goes, I wouldn't want to be on Havasu with a tourney boat when it gets that afternoon chop, but I believe that Trailer Park Casanova has a Tige, and we see lots of pics of tower boats on the waters down in the Colorado river area..
    You will get lots of opinions on this, but I rode in a lot of boats before I bought the Sanger, and I believe that they produce one of the better riding hulls in the tournament-style configuration.
    Staying in your price range limits you a bit, but it sounds to me like you might want to look at the new Sanger V230, which is a 23 ft. v-drive wakeboard boat, but they came out in 04, I believe, and the used market hasn't settled down yet. The Flyin Vees just bought a new V230, you might want to pm Mrs Flyin Vee for her take on the subject. The boats cc mentioned are also worth a serious look.
    I will tell you this, pulling a wakeboarder out of the water with the Sanger is a whole different scenario than the old 240 Hp Stern drive we had.
    This boat, with 5 or six folks in it, will yank a boarder out of the water with about 25% of the throttle used on "hit it" The old boat was full throttle and then pull back when the rider is up. My boat will do about 50 MPH@ 5000RPM on GPS with two people in it on smooth water, fresh wax on the bottom, pulling a 3-blade OJ 13x13 prop. I am going to get an ACME prop for it late rin the year, friends of mine have purchased a couple of them, and the new CNC props are good for both more top and bottom end.
    With six people in it, ice chests, 38 gallons of gas,, etc. it will still do about 48 MPH, same RPM. I love the boat, and wouldn't trade it for anything as it fits our needs perfectly.
    Good luck, and enjoy the hunt..

  4. #4
    Lake Ape

  5. #5
    Troubles No More
    you can try the below web sites......
    flipsell.com
    http://www.flipsell.com/Phase3/Home/...s.asp?DeptID=1
    or
    WakeWorld.com
    http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/m...tml?1119755178

  6. #6
    riverfamily
    thanks for the info, we looked at a new 04 230v today and liked it alot and believe we have narrowed it down to the v-drive (seating is better for our application). The water does get shallow above the Needles bridge, but we are about 1/2 mile down and have a sandy beach in front of our place to pull the boat up on, and have anchors set to hold anywhere from 3 to 6 feet depth depending on water level. We are still looking and would like any more in put you guys may have, and are now considering brand new or very close to it (just not too keen on financing a toy) Thanks cc332 but the wife is not happy with the I/O we have due to the kids always climbing on it and Im not happy with the way a boarder can pull the boat around when cutting real hard. Im interested to hear from somebody about the tige taps system vs. everybody else ballast sys. Thanks again!

  7. #7
    bigd1
    I've got a 99 Tige' 22i with the TAPS system. The taps will allow you to flatten out the wake for waterskiing or raise the bow for wakeboarding. I personally love it and wouldn't want a ski boat without this option.

  8. #8
    MilJack
    I had the same list as you in searching for a boat, but I decided that skiing was still something that I enjoyed, so I was looking for a direct drive boat. You CAN ski behind a V drive wakeboat, the wake is better than an I/O, but you won't be able to cut across the wake anywhere near a tournament speed.
    Our search landed us with a Correct Craft Pro Air. These are DD wake/ski boats that are a little more than 21' in length, have a built in ballast system for a bigger wake, and have a special hull that provides a bigger wake at wakeboarding speeds(18-25 mph). Having the engine in the middle of the boat is not the most convenient, but we've had 5 adults and 3 kids on board, and we all had room once settled in. Moving around is a one way kind of deal.
    In your price range, you can probably find a good Pro Air with a GT40 fuelie engine in good shape with a tower, etc...it will most likely be a 99 or 00 boat. The "regular" Air Nautique are also DD with a standard Ski Nautique hull stretched a bit, with ballast and a tower...these were available as early as '97 I believe.
    BTW, the tower is a must for a watersports family, it makes pulling tubes, boarders, beg.-int. skiers much easier, and it keeps the back seat available during the sessions.
    fwiw,
    ymmv,
    Jack

  9. #9
    Lake Ape
    Mine is still available! It's a great deal!

  10. #10
    mmered8299
    Got a place on the River eh? I got a 24 Tige. Invite us over and I'll let you drive it around! 24' is big enough for 2 familys. The v-drive gives you more room than the direct. Tiges are one of the heavest WB Boats out there. But is still bangs abit when the wind kicks up at Mead.

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