Help With a New "Wakeboard" Boat

[Blindside_137]

Well, I've got a predicament...

My family has been thinking of getting a new boat. The current boat owner, my uncle who lives an hour north of me at the lake i ride at, is only interested in a boat that can "do it all." He also only likes dual captains chairs, not those wrap around benches on every wakeboard boat so that the passenger faces sideways or backwards. Also, having never test driven one, he thinks they dont handle as well as the i/o sea ray in chop which is all just hearsay... So basically a wakeboard boat is out of the question.

My aunt however was reading up on a new boat by Rinker called the R1... Apparently its able to have a decent wake for boarders while also a decent skiing wake. I'm telling my dad and aunt that just because it has perfect pass and a tower doesn't mean it has a nice wake. It does have trim tabs as a $970 option and reccomends adding in ballast tanks for a bigger wake.

My question to you all about this is have you heard anything good about the wake on the Rinker R1? My dad actually seemed interested in this and maybe if its decent then we can talk my uncle into it. I know it will be nothing close to a malibu but maybe atleast better than the sea ray we have now?

What do you guys think about this type of upgrade? if you can even call it that? The review in this "trailer boats" magazine had nothing from an experienced wakeboarder commenting on the wake. So if anyone has any info please share it with me...

Thanks.

[Chad H]

I would consider the Malibu Sunscape 25. It's big, and also has the Captains chairs as he wants. I don't know if you've considered this, but it's an idea.

As for the Rinker, It wouldn't be a downgrade. It's just all about how your going to use it. Will you be using this boat that much longer? Or will you only use it till you go to college etc etc?

[Blindside_137]

well I never thought about the sunscape, just the 25 foot wakesetter which is waaaaaaay out of our budget. And also, i think in last years boat buyers guide in wakeboard mag, they said the wake on the 25 ft wakesetter just wasnt as good as the smaller boats, but still big. But I'm sure weighted properly, the sunscape would have a wake twice the size as the sea ray. But even the sunscape 25 might be out of the price range...

The boat will stay at the lake for probably a good 6 or 7 years... maybe longer. But I'll probably only be using it for the next few years as I might get into some college wakeboard club and then use my friends supras and bu's and everything else they might have. But if something like a VLX came along with captain's chairs... I'd be using it 24/7...


Is there any company that offers captains chairs in 21-23 foot boats? Would they maybe do a custom interior layout if we talked to them and were willing to pay a little extra?

[ripperchick]

Why does it have to be a malibu? Have you thought of any other wakeboard boats that your uncle might like that you can get with dual captains chairs? Are you also looking for a bigger boat, or just a newer one?

Why don't you ask your uncle to test drive a V-drive to see if he likes it or not? Find out why your uncle likes the captains chairs so mucher better than the wrap around benches. If i were you I would try to persuade him to at least test drive some of the boats you want him to look at. Be convincing.

I know how you feel though. My dad and a buddy of his just went into a new boat partnership and were looking at some used prostars, but in the end they went for an X-1.

Good luck!

[nickl011]

[Blindside_137]

he likes the captain's chairs so that when he and my aunt are "cruising" the lake, she doesnt have to stare at him or the wake. They both can admire the lake or something. Its dumb i know...

ripperchick, I'd go for any boat, just used Malibu as an example, but practically no wake boat has captains chairs...

In one of my wakeboarding mags it says April 28th is National Malibu demo day so maybe I'll try and get him to test drive that.

Adam fields lives on his lake so maybe adam will take him around in his centurion or something.

I know that direct drives make great skiing/wakeboard packages so that may be my best bet. But unless we can find a DD with captains chairs, I think I'll just talk them into a Monster Tower for the sea ray because i dont think anybody will be happy with spending 40K for an imitating Rinker.

we might just wait til I graduate college. My dad and I get a sweet new/used v-drive... My uncle keeps the sea ray for skiing and everybody's happy...

[AndyAndy]

uh....is nobody going to suggest the mastercraft csx? come on people...definately look into that, the wake is sick, its a centerconsole, and its ill

[LFADAM]

jflo452, he wants a cruiser kinda runabout boat...not a salt water fishing boat. (this is what i gathered at least)

[matt1808]

I would definitely ride behind the Rinker before buying it. All they did is take one of their existing boats and add some wakeboard equipment to it, like every other I/O manufacturer. It isn't like they designed the hull for watersports.

Also I haven't really looked at any Rinkers for a couple years, but last time I did they didn't impress me too much. They just seemed over priced. That is without looking at them too in depth though, take it for what it's worth.

You should check out the "boat discussion" section on the trim tabs if you decide on an I/O. Most people say that they mess with the wake, but i don't have any experience using them for wakeboarding. Probably not worth the $1000 you said the option costs.

[Blindside_137]

matt1808, yea, My uncle did not see the reason for going from his sea ray to a rinker...

And I kept telling my dad that there was absolutely zero info in the article about the hull. I came here to see if the boat was worth convincing my uncle. Obviously it is not so I think we'll just wait to get a new boat for another day.

jflo452, even if the csx were in our price range, my uncle wouldnt like the seating and personally I dont either.

Thanks everyone for your input, I really think that now there's hardly a difference between the rinker and the sea ray. I think we might just drop a couple grand on some ballast and a tower this spring/summer. Hopefully I can convince my uncle to drill some holes in his boat for a tower...but that's another story

Maybe one day I'll be able to have a sick supra or something on my own while still being young enough to use it! haha

Thanks again everyone.

[ripperchick]

[ATROPINE]

Didn't Tige offer a v-drive in a 23-24 foot boat that has dual captains chairs, at least up until pretty recently? I will do some searching...

[ATROPINE]

Doesn't look lke they are offering this configuration for 2007, but it looks like the 23V had the setup you are looking for. Here is a link to one:

http://www.hightechmarketing.com/tige/default.htm

You can look for 23V's in the usual used boat sites, but I didn't see a whole lot right now.

[HHI Dave]

I think any boat that someone else is paying for is a GREAT deal.

If its got a tower and Perfect Pass, then that's just one helluva bonus, isn't it?

[bmartin]

If they are practical people, you might appeal to resale value to get an X1 or other vdrive, but it sounds like they really do not like some of the features of nearly all v-drives and seem pretty set on an I/O. In the end if someone else is footing the bill, then be happy that they are at least thinking of some boarding options and make the most of it. I'm with HHI Dave - get a free boat to ride in with PP and tower is pretty sweet. If sacs are part of the equation - all the better.

Can't really help you with the R1 vs SeaRay, but as far as I/Os handling chop better, that is not hear say but a fact in most cases, not all cases but most. I would rather have an I/O for cruising too.