Pavati boats
 

So I've been seeing advertisements for pavati boats lately and the more I do research on them the more I dislike them. I can't find one advantage to them they're all aluminum which is lighter than a traditional fiberglass boat Ibut why would they go lighter a heavier boat will generally produce a bigger wake I also believe an all aluminum boat would cost more than fiber glass to make. With heavy gauge aluminum I'd imagine you wouldn't have to worry about a hole in your boat but you could still put a pretty nasty dent in your boat and I have no clue how much that would be to fix but I feel fiberglass would be cheaper and easier to do. Also with an aluminum boat wouldn't that be noisy on the water? Let me know what you guys think.

Also I watched their video on YouTube and the wake seemed to be really crumbly and almost all white wash

Has anyone ever ridden behind one I looked on their website they only have 1 dealer listed in Arkansas and I talked to a guy at a local boat dealer he said he called acting as an interested dealer and they told him 120000 for a boat and that's the dealer price does anyone have the actually price?

Im not in the long thoughtful explanation mood, so ill just shoot my thoughts haha.

Weight, I agree, them advertising "light" is odd. Makes sense if you want to tow with a small vehicle, but they better have one monster ballast system...
I had heard that aluminum is much cheaper to repair? idk ive never physically done either repair, so I can't say.
Noise? insulation, problem solved.
Dent? I think you have the wrong idea, its not gonna feel like the sheet metal on your car haha. Ive seen tons of videos with aluminum hulls taking a beating...here is one for example hahaha...its pretty insane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB1zlEiL24U

Wake9 surfed one, they liked it

Haha funny video true about the dents I don't know I just don't SE the reasoning for the aluminum at all

before the final video came out there were a few photos lurking of the wake and there were not really any complaints then... if anything there were a few peeps that were impressed. not sure what happened in the video
here is the thread i had in mind
http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1782552

and this one too
http://www.wakeworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=795937

not sure what the hazards are for working with aluminum vs fiberglass. i imagine that aluminum might be less hazardous, but then again it is probably a trade of one hazard for another. also i am thinking of the hazard to the environment.

Working with aluminum the hull can be changed much easier since there is no expensive mold making. prototyping and tweaks will be a piece of cake i bet as well as custom orders and changes

lighter boat trailering to the lake, just as epic boats advertises. speaking of epic, i think pavati has 4,000lbs ballast too?

i bet the boat will be HOT as HELZ in the sun... so best mind to step on the fake teak

wonder what the care process would be between glass and aluminum? which would be easier to clean?

oops, just found the ballast quote on the site = 3, 020lbs. but i bet they could make it bigger for whoever ordered one?

i must say i like the tower lines and how it is integrated into the boat. but that is my opinion

New 2014 Update
 

Hey everyone, new 2014 model ballast is 3,600 lbs, they just put sneak peaks up on their fb page, here are a couple. Aluminum doesn't get hot to touch in the sun, that's one of the reasons they use it for heat dissipation in engines.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...26852149_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...55799301_o.jpg

It's on their fb page with a few others too: https://www.facebook.com/PavatiWakeboardingBoats

Yeah that's one of the beauties of Aluminum, it has top notch heat dissipation. For an elementary example, put aluminum foil on the grill and heat it up, the moment you turn off the heat, you can pick up the foil. Obviously thinker material is slower, but even a paper thin sheet of steel would be red hot for 5mins. All that too say, I really like them. I'd love to ride behind one and check out the rigging.

Aluminium is becoming very popular in fishing boats for its quick time to manufacture, light weight for fuel efficiency, durability for hitting submerged objects or beaching.

All of that makes sense for fishing, but not for wakeboarding (except maybe durability). Unless you could go extreme on the ballast, and the boat was significantly cheaper, I just don't get it either.

Wow look at the freeboard on this! Man you could slam it.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...44378508_n.jpg

The lightweight part isn't valid in this case.

Specifications- AX Series:
22ft / 3,950 lbs
24ft / 4,175 lbs
26ft / 4,525 lbs
Ballast: 3,020 lbs
Engine Types: Indmar LS3 or LSA

The only reason to buy one of these is if you like the looks. There is no advantage to an aluminum wake boat over fiberglass.

Is it just me or does that bow look huge and the storage compartments next to the engine look small?

Oh boy, opening the Tin versus Glass debate up.....

Sppeders, the storage compartments in the stern are larger than they appear. The sky shot was taken with a fisheye lens, so it's not super proportionate.

The specs for the 2014 model AX-24 are:

3,800 lbs dry
3,600 lbs ballast

Making for a combined weight of 7,400 lbs.

The boat is definitely easy on the eyes, but that's not the only reason to use aluminum. Resale value is 20% higher on aluminum boats, aluminum is customizable (not built out of a mold, can be built to customer's specs), and gives better fuel economy on the way to the water (and on the water).

price that at 50k, and people would be all over it, price it at over 80k, nobody will buy it.

My 21.5 glass boat weighs 3800 lbs, and has 3,400 lbs of ballast.

I scratched it badly the other day. $50 gel coat repair.

Scratch the side of an aluminum boat badly, here comes the bondo and $1000 paint job.

Notice them taping the graphics before spraying with automotive paint? You have to paint the entire side when you ding or scratch it.

@ Will, There is no resale value on aluminum wakeboats. None have ever been sold.

spork.

Invalid. This spork is made out of titanium, the pavanti brand is aluminum

on the flip, take a sledge to your glass boat, and take a sledge to a tin boat, and see which gets the most damage.

I own both a glass, and a tin boat. Each has their advantages, each has their shortfalls.

I like the durability of my Lund when fishing the rocky waters of Lake of the Woods, and the smooth lines of my Mastercraft when out on the southern MN lakes.

I'd love to get in/behind one of these Pavanti's, I think it's a great idea. Now would i buy one, my limit on any boat purchase is $10K, so probably not.

If I planned on hitting my wakeboat with a sledge hammer the pavati has an advantage.

If I planed on repairing said damage, the fiberglass boat pulls back in the lead.

Tournament edition:D

Unless you buy a $5 bottle of touch up paint to repair the Pavanti, Pavanti pulls ahead again, No gel repair... :D

this debate can, and has gone on for years. I realize that 99% of the guys on this forum know nothing but glass..... I don't gouge my boats so i can't speak to the cost to repair either of them.

touche sir. well played