Which older V-drives handle rough water best?

I am thinking down the road to my next boat. I may be moving to Las Vegas and I know Lake Mead can get rough at times, or I may need to travel through rough water to get to good water. I currently have a 1991 Malibu 20.5' Sunsetter DD with an open bow. It works great and throws a really nice wake with the weight I am using, but it doesn't like the rough water. I have to keep it below 25-30 mph in rough conditions. My previous boat was a 20' Bayliner I/O and I could travel 40+ mph in rough conditions and it did well. I don't expect any wakeboat to do super well in the chop, but I would like to get people's opinions on different v-drives in the rough. I plan to look for a V-drive; quality of the wake is #1 priority. I will be looking probably in the sub-30k range, and would like a boat that is new enough to have EFI. I was thinking about mid-90's Super Sport nautiques, but I couldn't really find any reports of how they do in the chop. Any thoughts?

I grew up behind a 21' Wellcraft excel. It has a particularly extreme length to width ratio. It is reall long and not that wide. It is AMAZING in rough water. Well craft owns and produces the "scarab" brand. This is a "cigar" type boat. Off shore racing heritage. Wellcrafts slogan is "a little scrab in every boat.". It is true. As compared to other v drives it needs little weight to produce a desent wake. It is in no way a wake specific boat, but all around it is great. + add weight and the wake is killer.

Maristars have a nice deep hull for slicing though the chop.

My maxum v drive (see my profile) has a deep v and is great in hoppy water (I ride in the sea) and has a great wake too. Its EFI, has all the extras like heater and shower and would leave you with about 10k to spare.

Maristars have a nice deep hull for slicing though the chop.

Not really - deeper V in front - still pretty flat in back - I have to really slow down when it gets rough. A friend's ~92 Nautique Excel throws a great wake, and has a continuous "deeper" V and handles rough water better than my Maristar.

Sanger V210...

Sanger V215...

When we were first demoing our boat in 1/04, we made sure that we went through rough water to see how well it did in the chop. The first boat did NOT pass my "boobie test". It was painfull for me. The next boat, the Sanger V215 was very nice and passed the "boobie test" with flying colors.

After we bought it, we took it out on Clear Lake in Northern California and it was ROUGH. White caps galore with about 2 foot swells. While there isn't much you could do about that, and you certainly couldn't take it 45 mph across the water, we made it through. Afterwards we thought to ourselves, "wow, it this thing made it through THAT with no stress fractures in the hull, this thing will last FOREVER!"

So IMO, not only is it less painful across regular chop, it holds up in "severe" chop.

Don't ask me why, I have no idea. Perhaps we have a deeper V than other boats, or perhaps it could be the wood structure rather than steel. Ask Gary, he knows everything.

Renne, do you have video of that test?

Nope, but you can join us on the water anytime to personally observe the test in progress.

Could you get a sanger v215 in the 20-30K range like he asked?

I have a 95 SS, great boat and okay in the chop. Not sure about speed in chop though. My current prop only allows me to run around 35mph tops, even in smooth water.

I will say that if you are looking for a v-drive under $30k, hell even under $25k then the older SS is a GREAT choice. It's a current 210 without the frills.

Tiges are the best for rough water. You can adjust the ride as you drive.

I've been on Mead when it's rough, and let me tell you it can be as bad as 4 or 5 foot chop with that wind. We were in a VLX and a Toyota inboard and it was scary getting back to the launch.

They sell a lot of Tige's out there. I'm told Tige's are great wake boats in rough water because of their weight and draft. Check out Matt Detman's dealership, maybe he can help you.

Sanger V210 handles awesome in the chop. Low freeboard scares some people off, but I'd demo one if you can, you'll be impressed with how solid it feels. Should be able to find a few used in the $20-30K range. I have to disagree on the rough water ride of the CC Super Sport/SAN. Awesome boat, one of my favorites, but they dish out a beating in rough water in my experience. Can't beat the price/wake/ride of a V210.

You may be able to get a used V215 closer to the $30 range. I think 2004 was the first year they were made so it would only be a couple years old.

I have to Agree with Renee and Richard. My sanger V210 Handles very good in the rough. I would have to ask my wife about the "boobie test".

Any Sanger rides great.

If you are looking to do over 30mph in rough water, you need something other than a wakeboat for sure.

Even a good-riding towboat isn't built for that kind of speed in that kind of water.

I hope the guy that buys a used boat from you knows that you use it to the 'fullest'.

One more here for the Sanger!!

I would say the best for rough water is Sanger or older Tiges. The reason why is because of the XL Marine grade wood that is (was in Tige's case) used in the contruction of the stringers. It has superior vibration dampening capabilities than fiberglass stringers. FWIW, I have never ridden in a Sanger, but my guess would be it compares to the Tige because of similar construction. Take it for what it is worth. I have ridden in some of the other big names and in my opinion, they ride rougher in the chop.

When I replaced the stringers in my Nautique, the ride was a ton better (of course, the old stringers were Douglas Fir and rotten, so there are a lot more factors). We have all noticed the ride is way better in the chop than even much larger and newer boats. My buddy's parents have a Malibu LSV (only a few years old) and the ride is like night and day. That old SN is way smoother. Of course, we made the thing like a tank when we rebuilt it though. We overkilled the hell out of the thing. Neither of us wanted to go through that experience again. LOL.

Thanks guys; that is a bunch of great info. To clarify, when I refer to "rough water" I am talking about maybe 1 - 1.5 foot swells. I am a water snob an hate to go out unless the water is glassm but a lot of times around here I have to drive 4-5 miles through this kind of water to get to a protected cove with glassy water. When I am trying to make those afternoon runs after work before the sun sets, time is crucial and the ability to get there faster is important. I know Lake Mead can get much bigger than 1-1.5 foot swells, but this is the kind of rough water I anticipate needing to navigate on a regular basis (if the weather is more threatening than this, I will not be going to the lake).

Sounds like Tige and Sanger are brands to investigate further. Thanks again for the help!

a correct craft nautique excel V drive will be the best at handeling chop, it has a very deep v bottom, and in 1992 1993 was avalable with an open bow. other ski boats are still pretty flat on the bottom.
http://correctcraftfan.com/reference/1993_brochure/index.asp?page=12

Moomba XLV

I cant believe no one has mentioned the the supra ssv. My buddy has one and we ride in and around the intracoastal waterway and a very large bay. It is regularly chopped up pretty bad and hid boat handles it very well, for a wakeboard boat. Pretty close to how my 20' I/O handles it but not quite there.

I would take a look at the Centurions in particular the Cyclone, Lightning C4, Avalanche, Typhoon C4 and Enzo all run on varying lengths of the same hull. This has lie they Tige and Sanger and the above mentioned CC Excel have a lot of V all the way to the back of the boat. This is picture of the Excel/Barefoot Nautique and the Centurion Cyclone.

With 1 -1.5 foot waves on a regular basis, a traditional wakeboard boat may not be what you want. While our Sanger held up in 2 ft swells we were still hanging on for dear life.

You best bet would be to wait till you move and then test drive some different types of boats ON LAKE MEAD including some I/O types.