Looking for a used family oriented Tow Boat

This will be my first tow boat. I need a boat to perform at a high level in all areas i.e. slalom, wakeboard, wake surf, tubing. Willing to spend up to $35k maybe more for the right machine. I have a family of 5 ages 45, 44, 15, 11, and 7. All will be learning to wakeboard and ski for the first time. I have slalom skied all my life. I prefer a direct drive based on my presumption of better handling and slalom ski performance. I have no allegiance to any particular brand however I like the seating arrangement of the Malibu 23' Wakesetter XTI. Any advice based on experience would be much appreciated.

Look at the Sanger V215.

I just bought a Sanger D215 Wake series for not a lot different than you are looking at. My kids are 10, 7, 3. I test drove most and this I thought drove the best and kept the bow driest. It was a much better price than others that I did not think were as good.
There were big differences in the ride, handling, and comfort of the many boats I tested and to me it was not always the same as described by others or by the dealers. Make sure you test drive if the weather permits.
I definitely thought the direct drives were better for my use but I have to admit the Sanger V215 drove very well for a v-drive. I am very glad I got the tournament style boat instead of an I/O.

if you are dunking the bow, then you are not driving correctly

We were in the exact same situation and all the same ages as your family, after looking at most all boats we got a 06 Moomba outback V, couldn’t ask for a nicer boat for the price, 35K with a ½ hr on it, it does all water sport functions with no worrys.

That is a nice size crew.........For a fam of that size and what you're looking to do I would check out a v-drive for sure.

Advantages far outweigh the downside especially with a fam. Though the XTI is a very unique boat so most of the cons don't apply.

These days V-drive can put out decent ski and board wakes....One reason being is wakeplates and trim tabs that are offered. Can lessen the wake by adjusting the riding angle of the boat which aides in making a v-drive more adaptable to slalom behind. By no means is it going to be tournament class as all, but no tournament class slalom boat is gonna be family friendly with a crew that big.

For the most part direct drives sit lower to the water and have less freeboard than the v-drives. The v-drive tend to be much deeper inside and make it much more suitable for families. Again the XTI is unique in that it's freeboard is very similar to that of it's v-drive brother the VLX So that makes it a great choice for a crossover.

Here's what I"d be looking at if I were in the market for a price friendly crossover. Def a Moomba LSV. Very wide open floor plan a somewhat flat hull that produces a decent slalom wake and def produces a top notch board wake with some weight. Also a Supra 22ssv. Same scenario. Little more bling and I would prefer the Supra to the Moomba. Just a bit more attention to deatial and the polaypen bow is sweet. Also in the mix a Centurion Lightning and Avalanche. You won't find a better handling rough water ride out of a boat in its size range. The hull on the lightning is much more crossover friendly as it was designed from an older ski hull......but the Avy is plain huge inside and "can" be skied behind with the plate option. The avy out of the previous 3 would have the toughest ski wake out of all of those. So if ski wake was top choice it would be counted out first. The big advantage Centurions have over the other 2 is that they handle rough water very well. Keep you nice and dry and don't bag the crap out of you when you're flying around the lake enjoying the whole day and all the sports the water has to offer. Those would be my top 4 choices if that was my price range for crossovers at friendly prices. Reason Sanger isn't in there is because where I am from there is only one small dealer and I only have limited experiences. All good ones, but if you're not in Cali they just are very very very hard to find but a 215 would def be that range and a great choice as well. Also Sanger's handle rough water very well. All of the previous stated boats have a hydraulic wakeplate options available so that is why these v-drives are at the top of the list for what you're looking for in my eyes. Wouldn't buy a v-drive crossover without a hydraulic wakeplate. It just allows you to fine tune the wakes for boarding and skiing alike
Like I said these are the price friendly options...I would add a few others but they would be out of your range.
I think you would be hard pressed to find an XTI in that price range, but those are def a good choice as well.

You just gain so much more storage with a v-drive and it is much more people friendly not having to avoid the engine cover. Also lets you strect out a bit more inside. Also you can hide more weight so keeps the floors open.

Best thing to do is drive a few different boats and see which one you like the best. In closing I'd much prefere a v-drive to a direct drive any day of the week..unless I was running a course everyday.

(Message edited by hookedonboardin on January 07, 2007)

Aslo forgot to mention in my post above that if you were really wanting a d-drive. My top 2 price friendly options that hanlde a fam very well would be the Wakesetter (d-drive version of the vlx) and the Supra Launch. The Supra is humungous for a d-drive. Feeboard wise its even deeper than most v-drives as well and the playpen bow opens it up. It sits very high out of the water as well so is one of the best riding d-drive out there that will keep you high and dry. The Wakesetter will have a bit better slalom wake, but the Supra will have a bit better boarding wake and a ton more room.

Im partial to the Sanger (biased)..Swatguy has named alot of real good ones. I would also add the Calabria Pro-V to that list. Good price, and huge inside.

You can get a New Calabria Cal-Air that will fit all of your needs. Best boat out there for the money.

I got an 06 Sky Supreme V220 loaded out (tower, ballast, PP, tandem trailer) and it was 38.4 out the door. The fit and finish has really improved with the Supremes in the last couple of years. I also recommend the Sangers and Calabria's all are nice boats.

if your stuck on a dd, i would check out the tige 22i. it has a very unique seating arrangement that allows a lot of people with the skiing qualities of a dd. just another option for you.

I agree with josh...

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/8/384883.html?1162356661

I have a 2003 Centurion Avalanch, with tower, racks, stereo system, wakeboard pro, depth finder, Hydro trim tabs with only 230hrs and much more for sale. Take over payments or pay off the loan.
PM me for photos and more Info

I always thought the Tiges and the Malibus were great family boats. Supra makes a great boat as well.

test drive them all...

Check out a Toyota Epic. It has an advanced Lexus V8 engine that is incredibly fuel efficient, using just a fraction of the gas that other brands use. Toyota boats were made in model years '99 - '02 and their fit and finish is outstanding. Some new boat lines are finally catching up to where Toyota was 6-7 years ago with respect to fit and finish, ergonomics, etc. It's just what you'd expect from Toyota.

Your thread title is what caught my attention. Three years ago we were in the market for a used tow boat for our family. I found an Epic and it's been great. Lots of family room, a powerful engine and top-notch quality.

Since we bought ours, I've watched the prices of used Epics in the NADA Used Boat Guide. Ours has only depreciated a couple of hundred bucks since we've owned it! When Toyota discontinued making them, the original owners got socked with the depreciation. Now, they are a great value. With the Toyota/Lexus name, who knows, they could become a Chris Craft for a future generation (bold, I know, but not unthinkable). Only about 650 were made. There have been a couple of times since we've owned ours that I could have sold it for more than I paid for it, but I'm not selling.

Whenever we are out riding, other boat owners always come over and say that they didn't realize Toyota even made boats and they can't believe it when I show them the engine.

As you can tell, I'm a fan. Our family has been totally satisfied with ours. For more info on Toyota Epics, including Toyota Epic classifieds, check out www.epicmarine.com and you will find information that will tell you if Epic is right for your family.

Allen, it's really hard to find a "family friendly" slalom boat. Even the XTI throws a huge wake compared to a DD Nautique, prostar 190 or a the Malibu Slalom boats. I went through the same thing when I was changing from a run-about to a tow boat, and really wanted to go DD, but the Family weighed in and I ended up with a V-drive. There's a TON of storage in a V-drive and the freeboard is usually higher, making it drier and safer than a DD. My kids are now almost the same age as yours and they began skiing and boarding on our Tige at age 5 and 7( I am not pushing any brands here) using a barefoot boom which is great for training kids. We've had our V-drive since '01 and I would never go back to a DD. Remember, you'll do a LOT more cruising around, sitting in a cove and swimming, partying, etc than slalom skiing on your new boat and space will be a premium especially as your kids start inviting their friends along too. The XTI is possibly the ONLY DD I would conisder for these reasons- but you'll probably transition to Boarding and surfing( cause that's what the kids do these days) and the V-drive's KILL all DD models in these fields. My .02

The X1 (X2/Old X-Star) has a great slalom wake, I have been pulled through a slalom course behind one. Has a bit of a bump at 28 off, but is pretty amazing for a V-Drive.

And we all know how the wakeboard wake is....

Allen

If you havent gotten a boat yet give me a call. I can recommend base on the boats we currently have. We have 3-Sanger V230 and 2 Centurion Typhoon. and the boats we've tested for this season

Ric Morgan
www.learn2wakeboard.com
866.999.9253