New Guy question

mattandi · Newbie Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 7

Ok, so my wife and I are moving to south fl and were looking to buy a boat. We have done some wakeboarding and we would like to get a boat that could facilitate us being able to take friends out and do some wakeboarding. We really dont want to spend 40 to 50 thousand dollars right out the gate for some pro boat and I was wondering if you guys could help me figure out whats needed and what to look for.

This is what we went and looked at today and it seemed reasonable. Comments?

http://www.tahoesportboats.com/boat/specs.cfm?boat=3004

Thanks for your help

Moon · Newbie Joined: 29 Oct 2008 Posts: 44 City: Prosser

That looks like a decent boat, but if you want a wake specific boat and a lot room for friends and gear then look for a used v drive.

mattandi · Newbie Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 7

could you be more specific Im really new to all this. Also Im going to be using it in Brackish water so I dont know if that needs to be taken into account.

WakeMikey · Addict Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 640 City: Fridley

The boat you are looking at is going to be way overpriced. That is an I/O. You want an inboard motor. Try looking at onlyinboards.com. Why buy new when slighty used is $20k less?

mattandi · Newbie Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 7

these are the suggestions Im looking for. The only reason I was looking at this boat was that I used to work in the parts department for that dealer and was mainly there for motorcycles and Atvs. I really dont know much about boats so my fear about buying used is that I will not know what to look for if something is wrong.

mattandi · Newbie Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 7

are inboard outboard motors bad for wake boarding? I learned how to wake board on a outboard fishing boat without a tower. it was a great workout. lol.

brotherbrown831 · Outlaw Joined: 26 May 2008 Posts: 154 City: Oklahoma City

I/O's work fine for wake boarding, but take it from some one who learned the hard way. If you know wake boarding with friends will be the primary use for the boat then buy a V-Drive. I bought an I/O and have since then dropped a ton of cash trying to make it preform as good as an older inboard. The first sticky in the Boats forum is a chart of inexpensive wake boats. You will have to spend a little more up front but in the long run you might save money if your upgrade to a V-drive later anyway.

Rhawn · Posted: Mar 16, 2009 12:47 pm Post subject:

They aren't bad at all, and you can get alot done in an I/O. But as you get further into the sport, you will appreciate the features and design of an Inboard. There are alot of threads on this discussion in this forum, both sides of the story are rep'd well.

mattandi · Newbie Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 7

ok so you have refered to "v drives" is this a wake specific term? a type of boat? Again Im new to all this so all your info is greatly appreciated.

J.unio.R · Outlaw Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 154 City: E-City, NC

A Vdrive is a boat that has the inboard motor in the back of the boat instead of in the middle. A Vdrive usually has a big back deck that the girls like so they can sun and it also has more seating since the motor is not taking up space in the middle of the boat. Having the motor towards the back gives the boat more weight in the back which equals bigger wake. If you click to my profile, I have a pic of my boat. That is a pic of a Vdrive. Hope this helps. Oh yeah.... get a Vdrive! Youll kick yourself if you dont.

Moon · Newbie Joined: 29 Oct 2008 Posts: 44 City: Prosser

Sorry, I'm pretty new to this as well, but I'll try to help until someone else chimes in (looks like someone just did). Their are two types of Inboards. One is a DD (Direct Drive) that has the motor box in the middle of the deck. This is the one where you have just a bench seat in the back and have to walk around the motor box to get up to the spotter chair, or drivers seat. There doens't seem to be as much storage and it usually holds less people. I believe these are more of a ski boat (creat less wake because the motor is in the middle?), but they do make them with balllasts so they can be used for wakeboarding as well.
The other inboard is a V Drive. The motor sits in the back under what I call a sun pad that the ladies can sun bathe on or whatever. Typically has more storage, and most now have wrap around seating (really roomy). I've believe these are more wake specific because the motor in the back helps wieght it down to create a bigger wake.
I'm sure others will chime in, if they haven't yet while I'm typing.

mattandi · Newbie Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 7

thanks for clarifying that. You guys have been most helpful.

5280Hawk · Criminal Joined: 22 Sep 2008 Posts: 90 City: Denver, CO

Hi,

Im really new to this as well, and I don't have a boat yet.

But....I have been researching this for over a year while saving up my down payment. Im in the 20K price range

I have waffled back and fourth between a used v drive boat namely a Mastercraft prostar 205 w. a V drive, and and a new 2009 I/O namely a Bayliner 185 bowrider with the flight package (wake tower sport seating and hull graphics).
Because I won't JUST be using the boat for wake boarding, I've decided to go with the I/O Bayliner, and just have to wait a month or two more for the funds. My wife likes the idea of a new boat with a warranty much better.

I just wanted to warn you against that Tahoe, I have been to the dealer you speak of...Bass Pro shops?? and saw that very boat. It scared me away pretty quickly just due to some of the materials they use and the hull felt paper thin, to me. Now the Bayliner is not a top of the line brand, but It's certainly better built that the Tahoe, and can be found for pretty much the same price.

P.S. No offense to any Tahoe owners out there, Its just my opinion and not a very seasoned one.

Here's a photo of the Bayliner 185 -

holdsworth · Posted: Mar 16, 2009 6:27 pm Post subject:

My advice, don't bother with a new boat. Find a nice used 2000-2004 era v-drive that has been kept up well. Malibu has some good ones, Mastercraft 205V is a beautiful boat that would be great to have, along with a Nautique. Search around more...but try to stay away from a brand new boat.

holdsworth · Posted: Mar 16, 2009 6:37 pm Post subject:

I did a quick search on boattrader.com. I found a couple Pro Air Nautiques from 2001, an 06 Moomba, a 2001 Mastercraft Maristar 23' (same hull as the X-30) and an 01 X-9 for under $30,000. For that much more money, you'll get much more out of those boats than what you found.

http://www.boattrader.com/search-results/Zip-34295/Radius-500/NewOrUsed-any/Type-Power/Category-Ski%20and%20Wakeboard%20boat/Length-20,24/Year-2000,2010/Price-10000,30000/Engine-DIRECT%20DRIVE/Sort-Length:DESC/

Moon · Newbie Joined: 29 Oct 2008 Posts: 44 City: Prosser

One thing that makes inboards more desirable then i/o boat is the option to wakesurf behind them. You won't be doing that with an i/o boat because the prop is still behind the boat. On an inboard boat (dd and v drive) the prop sits under the hull so you don't have to worry about losing an arm or a leg when falling. Also, if you have kids they are less like to bump or hit the prop while swimming around the boat.

Chattwake · Posted: Mar 17, 2009 4:31 am Post subject:

Try to find an 00-02 Mastercraft XStar or a Correct Craft Super Air Nautique 210. When looking at an older boat, be sure to look to see whether it has perfect pass (which is like cruise control for you boat - that way when you want to wakeboard you just punch in a speed, drop the throttle, and the boat maintains a constant speed on its own).

You should be able to pick up either of the boats mentioned, which are V drives, and which produce two of the most liked and respected wakes ever, for around 25k

Chattwake · Posted: Mar 17, 2009 4:34 am Post subject:

You can buy a Tahoe, bayliner, or other i/o, and you may be happy with it as an all around affordable recreational boat.

However, if you plan to use it mainly for wakeboarding purposes, and you have friends that ride alot, by the time you figure out what you've bought, and what features it doesn't have, you'll be wishing you'd have bought a v-drive of some sort.

Oh, and if you ride in salt water, you need to find a v-drive with a closed cooling system or salt water package.

WakeMikey · Addict Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 640 City: Fridley

It is a total lie when people say an I/O is more versatile. An I/O takes 3 feet of water to float. An inboard takes 2.

I was on an i/o my whole life and the inboard is so much easier and much better preformance.

If you are on this site, you are interested in wakeboarding. Even if it's not all you do, you should strongly consider an inboard. If you need something cheaper look at the Moomba or Malibu VRide if you don't want used.

If you click on my profile pic I have the older type of inboard called a direct drive. The motor holds a long prop shaft that runs straight back from the motor to the fixed propellor. A V Drive motor is in the rear of the boat, the prop shaft makes a v shape.

--------------------------

from waterskis.com

Increased Handling, Turning Radius and Performance Are Just Several Of The Benefits Offered By MasterCraft Boats.

Bambamski · Posted: Mar 17, 2009 6:38 am Post subject:

Everyone on here as given great advice. If you do a couple of searches you'll find that there is a ton of boat knowledge on this forum.

You were saying you learned on a boat that had an outboard motor and a tower. Obviously you had a great time boarding behind the boat and this is the reason you are looking to buy a boat now. The outboard and Inboard/outboard (I/O) will be fine if you want to take the boat out now and then and hang out and do a little bit of wakeboarding and skiing with friends. Pretty much every boat builder in the fiberglass boat market is going to offer something that will do that job. These boats handle rough water well and are designed to do everything ok but they are not designed to tow wakeboarders and skiers like a tournament boat.

A couple of the comments are go with the Vdrive and save yourself money in the long run. This is such a true statement in so many cases. Many of us started out with a run about ( I/O) and put towers, poles, fat sacs, racks, ect ect to make our boats into wakeboard boats. I'm on my 6th boat now and I'm always looking for the next one. Holding speed and keeping the boat on plane is one of the biggest issues with wakeboarding. A v-drive or direct drive will be able to hold speed so much easier than a run about and most v-drive boats now come standard with perfect pass or some sort of speed control which automatically maintains your speed while towing a rider. There is nothing more frustrating when your riding and the boat is constantly going from 18 mph to 23 mph while your trying to make your cut at the wake. Once you get better you will really understand this. Also surfing is really starting to take off and is an activity everyone can do. There are so many people that don't feel comfortable with wakeboarding but we convince them to try surfing behind the boat and they love it. You CAN'T surf behind an I/O. After everyone has boarded it's nice to relax and do some surfing. Also if the water becomes rough with boat chop or from the wind you can pull out the surf board and burn a couple of hours. Last thing is the actual wake. A V-drive wake will be night and day better than an I/O wake. You can make the I/O wake ok but nothing compares to a properly weighted Vdrive wakeboard boat wake. The nice thing about the V-drive is you can progress with the boat, as you get better, all you have to do is add weight.

You need to do some research and ask yourself what you want in a boat. Before you buy a new or slightly used I/O look at a used V-drive that is roughly the same price. I can almost guarantee 100% that a used V-drive will be more solid and will be better built then most of the new boats you would be considering. The v-drives, drive better, handle better, feel more solid and generally will have a better resale than boats in the i/O market. There are exceptions of course. The Cobalts of the world make an amazing boat as do some others. I don't want to ruffle the feathers of I/O owners. A boat is a boat and they all allow us to get out on the water and do what we love. I think everyone will agree though, a wakeboard specific V-drive boat does this much better.

I think Lightning suggested a couple of boats, which would be a good starting point. Malibu made a VLX back in 2001-2003 that would be in the low to high 20's. Tige, Moomba and Supra all have boats that would be a great first time boat as well. Good luck with the search. Buying a used boat really isn't that difficult. Spend a couple of bucks and take it to a dealer to have it checked out. There aren't a lot of moving parts so if you get the engine and transmission checked out you should be good to go. All boats require maintenance, it doesn't matter if it's 20 years old or brand new. Part of the joys of owning a boat!!

Chattwake · Posted: Mar 17, 2009 7:54 am Post subject:

Just post up here if you find a few boats you are interested in and we'll give ya some feedback on price and things to check out.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

I can back up pretty much everything people are saying. I had a Bayliner up until the end of the season last year. As I progressed further with wakeboarding, I quickly realized the shortcomings of an I/O for the application. If you are going to spend more than 30% of your time wakeboarding and you really want to get "good", consider everything that is being said here. Buying a new Bayliner and discovering that you would rather have an inboard will hurt later. You will lose value on that boat pretty quickly and you will need to hang on to it for several years so you don't take too big of a hit.

I/O's are good boats for cruising, fishing, hanging out and doing "some" wakeboarding. We loved ours and it did great for us as a first boat. Once it got to the point where we spent our whole Saturday at the lake primarily wakeboarding, we realized real quick it wasn't the boat for us anymore. Luckily, it was older and still held it's value so we could get our money back out of it. We were thinking about selling it already, at the end of the season, when it was totalled in an accident. We got a good settlement from our insurance and probably got a little more than had we sold it.

Moon · Newbie Joined: 29 Oct 2008 Posts: 44 City: Prosser

A couple more inboard boats you may want to look at are... MB Sports (that's what I have), Sanger, Calabria, Centrion, and Gekko. I'm sure there are others, but this is just off the top of my head.

DRAGON88 · Posted: Mar 17, 2009 8:56 am Post subject:

5280Hawk · Criminal Joined: 22 Sep 2008 Posts: 90 City: Denver, CO

Chattwake · Posted: Mar 17, 2009 10:31 am Post subject:

If you buy a well maintained 01-02 xstar (same as the 205v), it will be just as reliable as any other newer boat. The 330ltr motor that came in those boats was indestructable. I put 400 hours on my 01 Xstar - the majority of which was with over 2000lbs of ballast in it - and the only problems I had were self inflicted.

Once, I overheated that boat because I didn't change the impeller at the beginning of a season. It got so hot that the exhaust hoses melted. However, because it had cast iron heads and a cast iron block, once everything cooled down and I changed the exhaust hoses and oil (like 3 times in a row) it ran like a top for several more years till I traded it in.

I have a friend with a 99 205v that we've put 300 hours on over the last two seasons when we're not riding behind my boat and have had zero problems. I've ridden behind a bunch of different boats, and I still love riding behind that 205v w/2k in ballast.

mattandi · Newbie Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 7

I feel so lucky to have wondered across this board. My wife and I really appreciate the advice, because clearly we were about to make a mistake. We will be moving to the St. Lucie / Indian River Area for the next 2 years and then on to Tampa. Any suggestions for a good dealer/boat mechanic to use in those areas.

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

5280Hawk, expand your search some and look into having something shipped or drive to get it. It will be worth it. I found an older Supra for a good price, but I had to search as far as CA to get it, and I'm in OK.

J.unio.R · Outlaw Joined: 23 Feb 2009 Posts: 154 City: E-City, NC

I did the same as Okie but not as far. Going that far gives you that feeling that you hope the seller was being completely honest and not wasting your time. Good luck and be patient, with the times we are in right now there is someone wanting to sell at a good price.

5280Hawk · Criminal Joined: 22 Sep 2008 Posts: 90 City: Denver, CO

Okie Boarder · Ladies Man Joined: 03 Mar 2008 Posts: 10056 City: Edmond

Thanks 5280Hawk. The key is to take your time. I started looking in November and bought the bought in February.

m_lesney · Soul Rider Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 358 City: Austin

5280Hawk · Criminal Joined: 22 Sep 2008 Posts: 90 City: Denver, CO

Leaning very Heavily towards a 99-01 X-star.

There are a few out there. I may need to save a bit more for down payment, as they are asking 22-25K

Wakebrad · Ladies Man Joined: 11 Dec 2003 Posts: 12257 City: Dallas

5280Hawk, I would go with the 01 if you could. They redesigned the tower from a fugly looking thing to a pretty nice one. That is a great boat, have some friends I used to ride with with one, great wake.

If anyone is looking for a boat that is primarily for wakeboarding (even 51% of the time) I would recommend at least an inboard and almost always a V-drive. Almost every wakeboarder I know who bought an I/O first upgraded within the first few years.

5280Hawk · Criminal Joined: 22 Sep 2008 Posts: 90 City: Denver, CO

I know what you mean about the Tower, its kinda lame looking but its a classic! Im sure if i needed to i could get another tower to swap in.

Also I think the V drive is better for family boating as well as throwing a big a$$ wake because of the open cockpit and I really like the wrap around seating.