What would be a good starter boat ( will be teaching kids to ski and board) and any advice on what to look for or stay away from. Have expierience with inboards but its been 15 yrs for me. Thanks

We love our Moomba. They are a great versatile boat that throws a decent wake for wakeboarding and then flattens a great deal at higher speeds for skiing. They come with a tower so it is easier to get air and they are quite adequate without additional ballast (although we ride with a fat sack and a fat seat). Moomba has a great price point too -- 30K brand spankin' and less for used. We got our '98 for 17k. <BR> <BR>The more you use this board you will find that everone has STRONG bias towards "their" boat brand. I think it is great that everyone is proud of what they own. Take all suggestions with a grain of salt, test drive a few and for price comparisons boattraderonline.com is great. Best of luck in your search - everyone on this board is quite helpful. <BR> <BR>I might also suggest to figure out what you want to spend and that may help narrow down your choices. New top of the line wakeboard boats can cost up to 50K and yet it is possible to ride behind a boat that is 7k. Price/value is what led us to Moomba. While there are some parts that ar noticebly "cheaper" than other boats (such as durability and thickness of the vinyl seats) for us it was the best boat in our price range.

I was thinking in the 7 to 12k range,that way in a couple yrs if the family enjoyed it we could move up. I just have concerns about wood stringers.

I bought a 1991 Malibu Sunsetter back in April, and put a monster tower on it. Boat was a little over $12k after TT&amp;L. Throws a good wake, but I need to add a bit of ballast.

The Sunsetter is a great boat. However, there are a couple others that I would rank slightly above the early 90's Sunsetters as far as wake goes. Probably the best wake for older inboards is a Ski Nautique 2001. However, this is a small boat with a closed bow. You can usually find them in the $6,000 - $12000 price range. They were manufactured from the mid 80's to the late 80's. <BR> <BR>Another great boat is the Sport Nautique. These are early to mid 90's boats that look GREAT and put out a great wake when weighted properly. (This boat will cost you more though). <BR> <BR>Other boats of interest would be the Mastercraft ProStar 190 and 210, and the Supra line (a few models, such as the Martinique and some others). <BR> <BR>Moomba has made leaps and bounds in the past 5 years. Before that the wakes weren't what you could get out of the boats that I mentioned above. I would shy away from the Outback and smaller Moombas for wakeboarding, but they make really good ski wakes. <BR> <BR>There are many options out there for what you are looking for. Check <a href="http://www.flipsell.com" target="_blank">www.flipsell.com</a> and <a href="http://www.boattraderonline.com" target="_blank">www.boattraderonline.com</a> for an exaustive list of used boats (also the classifieds here on Wakeworld). <BR> <BR>One word of caution is to check the wood stringers on the 80's boats. Make sure the engine mounting bolts can be tightened. If they can't be tightened, then it is likely that the stringers have rot damange and you should run from that boat like the plague. <BR> <BR>Good luck!

Thanks for the info, been looking at a 91 sunsetter in good to above average condition, would 8 to 9k be a fair price this time of the season?