2.0 vs brand new top three?

So every year I check out everyones new ride in this section and I can't help but to wonder if someone would rather take the 80 - 100k and invest it into their own private 2.0. You can get a 2.0 for 30-40k and dig a pond for about 10k an acre. You would only need about 3 or 4 acres max so the cost is almost the same minus rails and assuming you own enough land. Not saying it is something anyone could do but I've never seen anyone post up pics or shout out their private 2.0 setups. Anyone?

I'll take a brand new top three any day. For me, nothing beats being out on the boat all day. There is just so much that goes into boat ownership that I love (and hate ha). But seriously if you think maintaining a boat can be a PITA imagine maintaining 4 acres of a giant body of water, cables, rails, etc. No thanks.

I'd miss the freedom of exploring new areas etc if I didn't have my boat. Sometimes I just want to cruise, check out the scenery and crank the tunes too. I was a member at a ski lake for a couple years and I felt too confined after awhile.

I doubt there are many if any private 2.0 set-ups out there, its just too big of an expenditure for something that is so impractical and specialized. There's a laundry list of hurdles that I would assume would arise in trying to accomplish something like this:

-Money: Say its gonna cost 80k, it may have to be a full 80k out of pocket. I would think it would be a hell of a lot harder (as compared to a boat loan) to get a bank to loan you 80k to dig a pond and erect a cable/pulley apparatus in your yard that they can't easily repo and sell if you default
-Land: Not a lot of people are gonna have that kind of land sitting around unused in their yard
-Interest: I doubt there are many people (outside of top level cable riders) that are so dedicated to riding cable and obstacles that they would rather only be able to go in small circles in their lawn as opposed to have a boat that they can trailer anywhere and do whatever they want with
-Resale: Once you buy a system and dig a pond, you're kinda in it for the long haul, its hard to back out in a year if your situation changes and you need some quick cash
-Work/Time: Its gotta be a huge undertaking to get all of that planned out and set up, even if you are paying someone to do the entire install

The list goes on and on but I'm sure you get my point.

Don't get me wrong, 2.0's are awesome, but I just don't see there being much of a private market for them at this time. In my mind, it would be similar to a guy who lives on some land outside of Denver saying "well I could buy a condo in Steamboat Springs and buy a season pass every year, but I think instead I will just build a chair lift in the back yard and ski more or less the same 400 yard line for the rest of my life". Personally, I'm going with the condo in Steamboat and/or the tournament wakeboat haha

I bet home owners insurance would have a bird at a system 2.0 . They freak out at trampolines so i can't even imagine

FWIW I have a friend who lives on a lake near us (our's flows through a creek into his) and he has a nice new ski nautique (he is very 3-event oriented). He also recently just purchased 80 acres that was used for cow grazing and had a stream running through it.... he damned the stream, dug out the area and now has a 3/8th of a mile waterway that is completely private. It is wide enough for his ski nautique to make turns at the end (no way in hell a wakeboat could do it) but he is strongly considering not buying a new boat next year (he trades up almost every year) and running this thing for ~5 years and buying a System 2.0 for the land.... so he can wakeboard there if he would like.

Where we live there is also a set of lakes that the taxes are insane on (were I currently live) and all of 5 miles away there are some smaller "private lakes" that have taxes ~75% less, but boats would be tight and it is only about 8-10ft. deep.... where if you could get the 3/4 other owners to agree on any one of these lakes, I think it would perfect for a System 2.0.... and based off the savings in taxes it would pay for itself in ~4-5 years

i will have to get some pics, one of my clients has a weathy friend that made a lake for his boat and they are avid skiers. its in pennsylvania, i have seen pics from my client but never met the man who built it, i understand its not a park, but to think that someone build there own little lake to slalom on is crazy.

How do you wakeboard with no wake?

Good question. No idea. I can see for skiing but without a boat. No wake. Lol

Private lakes are nothing new to 3 event skiers. The problem is a lot of planning and a lot of government hoops to jump through. Just because you have the land doesn't mean you can dam up a waterway, and any impoundment of water over a certain size needs to have clearance by a number of state and national agencies. The process alone would take 3+ years. I have friends with private ski lakes and the upkeep is a lot of money. I think you are undershooting the cost as well. Most ski lakes (though much bigger) bottom out at around $1 million to build.

I have a few people I know who have private lakes for 3 eventing. You would be amazed how sharp the ski boats can turn and dont need large lakes. Besides who doesnt want butter year round?? Now a G23 wont make the turn but a 210 can.

Dont need much more than this...1/2 mile long

I had to turn some pretty loaded wake boats on some pretty tight ski lakes during tournaments. Let me tell you, it will give you white knuckles hammering the throttle on an $80k boat that's loaded and just hoping it starts to turn. I've seen a couple beached before, not pretty.

Plenty of private lakes in California - 2.0's not so much.

And I will sell you the house on the right if anyone wants it.