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wakeboard boat advice

G

goodness-707

Active member
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Location
Dublin
Moto(s)
not nearly enough
Name
Richard
Cliff notes: thinking about getting a boat, mostly ignorant, looking for advice.

Cool story bro:
Growing up, I always had friends nearby with boats, so I got invited along every summer for as many water ski, wakeboard trips as I could stand. Now I'm older and most of my friends with boats aren't around as much. Went boating 2 weekends ago, and the whole family wants to buy a boat now, we were reminded of how much fun it is. Problem is that I don't know much about boats at all. What to buy, what to avoid, what's a fair price, and so on. On the upside, I have indoor storage and a tow vehicle already.

If you had a pretend budget of 15k, what would you look for? Can you get a decent boat for that kind of money? How much extra would you need to spend on other crap you need to hit the water like a wakeboard, life vests, ropes, fenders, etc.
 
I used to barefoot behind a Mastercraft ProStar 205, it had gobs of pull. But I'm betting that you want something that's actually making a wake, so you might want to check out the Bombardier Sea-Doo 210 Wake or one of their PWC's that has adjustable ballast.

If you go the used PWC route be sure to check out the Yamahas before buying a Sea-Doo. I won't tow in behind a Sea-Doo because I don't like their reliability- but if you're buying new it it's a moot point because they have a good warranty.

If you have the dough a Yamaha AR240HP is a bitchin ride.
 
We'll probably buy used. Seems like prices are pretty high new, and really, we don't know enough (and aren't good enough) to appreciate the difference between a decent used boat and a new one. Also, we'll probably get a boat instead of a pwc. Sister in-law has a couple of SeaDoos. They are fun, but we'd like the extra passenger capacity.

I had a buddy with a Mastercraft ProStar something or other back in the 90s. It was a solid boat and great to ski behind. We also did some wake boarding behind it from time to time, but it was a pretty flat wake as I recall.

Didn't realize Yamaha actually made boats. I'll have a look. Thanks.
 
You can make even a ski boat have a bigger wake. They sell big sacks the you put in the back of the boat and fill with water. The extra water in the back of the boat makes a bigger wake.
 
wannabe said:
You can make even a ski boat have a bigger wake. They sell big sacks the you put in the back of the boat and fill with water. The extra water in the back of the boat makes a bigger wake.
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Don't listen to him please.

Check out the wakeboarding forums beginner boat guide. The hull makes a huge difference.
 
don't know of a really good wakeboarding boat you can get in the 15K price range but that would buy you one hell of an immaculate old school ski boat.
Sanger FTMFW
 
^^^^^
just a few months ago i sold our 1999 ski supreme that was pristine with a pro flight tower with tower speakers, and a brand new stereo system that we installed last year for 14k..i attatched a pic of the boat..

but right now your not going to get any good deals..its boating season and everyone is probably going to hold onto it till winter..but you just need to be patient and search everywhere..
 

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When's the best time of year to buy? End of season, middle of winter? Also, how many hours on a boat before major overhaul work needs to be done?
 
radvas said:
When's the best time of year to buy? End of season, middle of winter? Also, how many hours on a boat before major overhaul work needs to be done?
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December through February. And maintenance schedules depend on the boat.

And Everett is right about the bow. Weighting the aft with a water bag just makes the motor work harder because you've destroyed its natural trim.
 
The best advice I can give you is take a USCG boating safety course. And please be safe out there have your safety equipment eaquipment within date.
 
The hull makes a difference as Everrett said. I've been around boats/ skiing my entire life, and we've gone through alot of boats in that time period. By far, the market leaders (meaning there's no reason to buy a different brand unless you want to chance resale, etc) are Mastercraft, Malibu and Nautique/ Correct craft. We've had a fair amount of Master Crafts and they've treated us very well. We currently have two prostar 190's at two different locations and the boats are just top notch.

Here's your conundrum: an excellent wakeboarding boat is a shitty ski boat and an excellent ski boat is a shitty wakeboard boat. For a wakeboard boat, you want a high energy, high crest wake. From a ski boat, you want the smallest wake with the lowest energy at the trough. You can modify a good ski boat to be a decent wakeboard wake, but it'll never be competition caliber, with fat sacks/ ballast wells, etc. A good wakeboard boat will never make a good ski boat, period.

Malibu has a device called "the wedge" which is a plate that folds into the water to create more drag/ water induced effect on the wake, making it bigger and stronger. I've never used one, but they're supposed to work well.

We have two closed bow 190's. I wish they were 195's or X7's, with an open bow. It's one thing I'd have changed. If you have a family, open bow is a good choice. Next, make sure to add a Bimini if the boat doesn't have one. You can never have too much power when pulling people out and the Mastercraft LT1/ indmar line is the engine of choice. Malibu's bigger engine is beefy as well and the response LXI (the waterski version) is a great boat. The Wakesetter VTX is tits as well, but both aren't too cheap.

At $15K, I'd be looking for a Prostar 195 or maybe 205, like Everrett and Beau suggested. Excellent boats. 200 hours on a boat is like 40K miles. 1000 hours is alot of time. When you get the boat, change the impeller right away. That's important.

Here's what I'd try to buy, even if I had to stretch a tad:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mast...70244079QQptZPowerQ5fMotorboats#ht_500wt_1182

Mastercafts have high demand and are really well built products.

One thing to note: I'd steer well clear of all the PWC type boats that are essentially, jet powered, impeller boats, like the SeaDoo and Yamaha stuff. They're just not up to the task you're looking to do and the engine choices aren't favorable IMO.

There's some decent 2004 vintage Malibu Wakesetter and air nautique stuff at the Socal auction on the 7th. I have no idea what it'll go for, but if you're interested, ping me and I can watch them and see if we can buy them right.

If that doesn't work, the old Supra's make great wakeboarding boats cause they were damn heavy. I do know of one that might be for sale for less than $10K, but they're not in the same league as the Mastercraft/ Malibu stuff of recent.
 
I saw a used X3 at norcal mastercraft in pleasanton for around that price, had a tower and speakers too. They're around.
 
Make friends with Holeshot, he has 2 boats.....problem solved. :thumbup

Kidding aside, all boats are a compromise. A good family boat...

Has enough room for everyone to have comfortable seating, room enough to walk not climb over cooler and beaching stuff.

Enough engine to be on full plane in less than 2 seconds, with normal load.

The gunnel (sides) should be tall enough that people will not easily fall overboard.

More expensive boats have a better hull for cutting thru waves and handling.

Dependability is a big issue on the water as you cannot get out and walk to the nearest service. Quality electronics installation is what separates the men from the boys. :)
 
number_6 said:
its a hole in the water that you throw money into.
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Personally I love the line that you hear in sailing circles all the time... Yacht racing is like standing in a cold shower tearing up hundred dollar bills.

Thanks for all the info people. Really appreciate it. :thumbup
 
our boat was not a money pit and it had a little under 500 hours when i sold it..so we put on around 40 hours a year..which is nothing.all i ever did maintenance was change the oil every year,changed the impeller 3 times,and repacked the drive shaft coupling.so the boat probably cost less than 1000 dollars in 10 years to maintain it..not very much..but thats not including repairing the fiberglass from hitting the dock, other boats, etc..that was the most expensive part of owning a boat..and you will F up your boat in time..

for your shopping list, id make sure it has the following..Vdrive,tower w/speakers,clean interior/exterior,deep V hull,for hours wise, id expect the boat has been used 25-35 hours a year,and MAYBE some ski ropes, and other little things for 15k...winter time is the best time to buy a boat, but you can find a deal if you search high and low..when you go to look at a boat,pull the seats out and look underneath the seats,and inside the ski locker..that will tell you how well the person takes care of the boat.if theres trash,leaves or even water still in the boat, they dont take that great of care of it.
 
Beauregard said:
I used to barefoot behind a Mastercraft ProStar 205, it had gobs of pull. But I'm betting that you want something that's actually making a wake, so you might want to check out the Bombardier Sea-Doo 210 Wake or one of their PWC's that has adjustable ballast.

If you go the used PWC route be sure to check out the Yamahas before buying a Sea-Doo. I won't tow in behind a Sea-Doo because I don't like their reliability- but if you're buying new it it's a moot point because they have a good warranty.

If you have the dough a Yamaha AR240HP is a bitchin ride.
Click to expand...

I concur, I had a 2005 Sea Doo Challenger 1800. Big piece of shit.

Fragile, unreliable and used a lot of fuel (jet boats use more than prop boats generally).

Turned me off of boats forever. :(

It was fast though....
 
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