response lxi vs air 216

I am considering purchasing a new/used boat this summer. I am looking at the lxi with tower and wedge or the air 216. I have two small kids so we do a bit of everything from slalom, board, fot, tube, and just hangin out. I have owned both cc and bu but have no experience with either of these models. Any thoughts from those of you that have been in either boat?

Thanks.

RLXI is an awesome boat. I test drove one last spring and was very impressed. Monsoon powered the boat and it handled like a sports car.
RLXI does not have a wake hull SV23(has the SV23 diamond), but should be a good choice for what you want it for.

That reponse obviously has an awesome Slalom wake behind it. Leans more toward slalom than wakeboarding but I bet if you loaded it up with some sacks it would do just fine. We had a sunsetter with the diamond hull on it and it could throw a nice wake with 2000 lbs in it. plus you get a sweet Slalom wake. Also the reponse is a smaller boat than our sunsetter was so it may accually be easyer to sink down in the water than ours was.

I would say RLXI all the way. Its a great boat and from my previous experience with the Malibus, with the proper weight you can get a pretty decent wakeboard wake, and the slalom wake is second to none.

Gator,

Don't you have an 03 Wakesetter DD now? That's a great boat what are you want to improve upon or do you just want a new boat?

For a little more cash you might conisder the Nautique 211, I was in your decision position about a year ago. I am extremely happy with my 211, it does everything very well. If you want a bigger boat the Sunscape should also be considered, they slalom fairly well. You might be disappointed with the 216 wake if you are coming from a 03 Wakesetter DD.

I have an 03 WS LSV v-drive right now. I am selling it because we have moved into a community with private ski lakes and need a little smaller boat to navigate the smallish lakes and learn to run the slalom course. We are also looking to save a little money (new house....ouch) so we will probably be looking at used 03s or 04s.

I-ride if you still want to wakeboard.

My dealer has a really nice 04 216 "left over" but it's in California (Hammers Ski & Marine). Great colors, I don't know why it has not sold yet. I was going to buy it until I drove the 211. See if you can find a promo boat, most are gone but since you already have a boat you might be able to spec one out and pick it up at the end of the season for a very good price (Response LXi).

I have been looking at the LXI promo boats. There are still a few 04s out there but I may have to wait until the end of the season and pick up an 05. I am leaning towards one of these promos but did not want to rule out the 216 without some input. I was very happy with the 2 nautiqes I have owned. Thanks for the info on the leftover 04. I will try to find their web site and take a look.

Mikeski,
I looked at Hammers web site but it gives no info on the boat you spoke of. Can you give me some info on colors and package (air team or signature etc.)

Thanks for the help.

Anybody out there have experience with the 216 that can give me some feedback?

Look up Abundiga or Redelf, here or on planetnautique, they love their 216.

Those are both sweet boats, but if you still want to wakeboard and ski you may want to look at the Sanger DLX's also. They are easy to sink down, make a really wicked wake when weighted, have a decent slalom wake and are awsome in tight situations. Plus, you could get a new one for the same price as a used Nauti or 'Bu. Just a thought.

216 all the way. When we got our 216, wake characteristics had a very little role in our decision. I slalom at 15 off between 30-32 MPH and find a very small, soft wake. This is no SAN, but at the speeds betwen 16-21 MPH, you will find that the boat makes the best boarding wakes at those speeds with stock ballast--we don't use aftermarket ballast. I skyski and don't board, so the slalom wake was more important to me, and it is clear that this boat does lean in the direction towards slaloming, but no kid will be dissapointed in the boarding wake, especially if you add ballast. Any biginner to intermediate boarder will be very happy behind this boat.

It also seems to be agreat boat for footing. Although none of us do it anymore, the boat has the best out of the hole shot i've ever seen. thanks to ZR6. At those high speeds the wake is minimal and just can't picture a footer complaining.

But there was a lot more to it thank wake characteristics for my family, i.e. classic lines, handling, classic layout, etc... The DD layout is not a problem at all and all friends are easily comfortable. When you think about it, and do the math, there is actually a little more seating in the classic DD than the classic V-Drive.

As for handling, let me put it this way. My uncle was driving, his hat flew off, he was careless and nailed the boat hard left, his business friend was sitting in the back bench of the boat, slid across, and flew out of the boat, no joke. That only happens in a Nautique, due to its careless driver, and its exellent handling.

Overall, the 216 is a great crossover boat and seems like you are the ideal family for it. Small kids are the key to success in this Nautique and whether they are tubing, footing, boarding, or chillin, they will have a blast on this boat and you will NOT be dissapointed at all.

Sorry if this was too long and sloppy, its late and didn't proofread at all. Email me at eaglex9@nyc.rr.com later and i'll give you some more detailed stuff with some more pics and it'll be a little more clear.

Good luck!

Obviously Abundingdong (a 15 yr old student who believes 'i own a nautique, therefor i am') has not been in a Response LXi and is suffering from the nautique mystique(more well known as 'i paid too much and now have to justify it').

I will say that the 216 is a good boat, no disagreement there, but you are comparing 2 different animals. The comparable boats are the Sunsetter LXi / A216 (both are 21'6") The RLXi /A206 (both are 20'6").

(STAY AWAY from the 206-ski wake is large at 15, 22 and the wakeboard wake with its whopping 220 lbs of ballast that fill up your trunk space leaving NO room for a 66" slalom ski, is too small!) Try to find a promo 206 or 216, the promo drivers revolted and would not accept that boat to pull tourneys. The awsa rating means nothing if the guys who host, drive, and ski in them refuse to use the boat.

Back to the question at hand, RLXi has an incredible ski wake that will far out ski the 216, the wakeboard wake will also be a nicer, cleaner shape, and surprisingly large as you have the wedge (1000 lbs) compared to the 400 lbs tank in the 216.
The RLXi is also much more nimble than the bigger, heavier 216.
Top Speed in the RLXi 50.3
Top Speed in the A216 45
0-36 in the RLXi 138ft
0-36 in the A216 189ft
Fuel Cap in the RLXi 41
Fuel Cap in the A216 30
Being an entire foot longer, you gain only 1 person in seating capacity.

Maybe if Ab's dad had made wake characteristics a more important role, they would not have bought the A216. BTW, drunk uncle's are just as safe in a RLXi, though the guy in the back seat who ended up in the drink (could've been your kid) would not have been pitched out of the boat had it been a RLXi. Not the best selling point...

Garrett,
Which engines did the boats have where you got those numbers. The boats I am looking at have the :
Monsoon - LXI
Excalibur - 216

Thanks for the input

Garrett is right, I have not been in that specific Malibu. I don't have the opprotunity to ride behind or drive BU's unfortunately. But that does not mean I cannot say all the positives about my boat that I love and I think should be accounted for in this buying decision.

I don't think you got the point I meant to get across about the reckless, not drunk, uncle event. The point I was trying to get across is that the boat handles so well, and tracks so well, like no other, it is possible for someone to be tossed. I am also using this example to try get some bad boaters to be a LOT more responsible driving. People don't get thrown out of Nautiques b/c of their handling, it's b/c of a bad driver.

I do agree that in '03, CC made big mistakes on their storage issue with the tanks. In '03, with tanks on both boats, there was virtually no storage on the 206 and minimal storage on a 216 w/ tanks. But you're not considering the 206, so lets rule that out. As far as the 216 goes, in 03 the tanks curved up the side of the boat, making it hard to get a 68" ski in. Possible, but it had to be diagonal and on its side.

I would consider the 216 in '04 only because in that year they fixed the problem 100%. The tanks are now flat, and you can easily fit in a 68" ski. Trust me on this one, I have one.

Again, no hard feelings. I admit I do not know much about the BU, but I can tell you all the positives about CC. The boarding wake behind the 216 w/ stock ballast btw the speeds of 16-21 MPH is great, and I can garuntee that your kids will love it, esp. if they aren't pro and beginner. Slolem wake is phenominal, it would be rude to complain about it. Its the same hull--2 ft. longer--as on the 196--arguably the best slalom boat on the market.

Good luck! Only you can decide the final answer after you test drive, board behind and slalom behind if possible each boat!

If you want a boat that has both a better slalom wake and better boarding wake you can look into the malibu sunsetter lxi. I owned the prior version which threw a great ski wake and nice wakeboard wake, but the new one gives a little on the ski side for boarding. I have not used one extensively, only on a demo, but it was nice and the wakes were better than my old 216.

Garett,

I don't think it's necessary to slam Abundiga, and I think you stepped out of line. I invited his comments in my earlier post because they own the boat that Gator is asking about, nobody else seemed to be giving first hand knowledge. I know he and his dad are fairly passionate about their boat. it's a beautiful boat and it meets their needs. Maybe he was a little overzealous saying best this and best that. Most of his posts are very polite and well written and I personally enjoy reading them.

That said obviously you are very partial to Malibu. I don't understand why Malibu and Mastercraft guys feel the need to say things like "suffering from Nautique Mystique", or that boat is a "peice of sh**", as my buddy that sells Malibu has said about the Nautique that I just bought. You did however manage to make some good points between your bashings.

I really wanted to buy a Malibu this time around. I was very close to signing on the dotted line when I figured just drive the new Nautique just to make sure I was not making a mistake. After considering everything I ended up buying another Nautique. I am pretty happy that I don't feel compelled to bash the other boats out there. Personally I feel that Correct Craft spends a little more time working out the little details that make the overall boating experience a little more enjoyable. Still the boats are far from perfect.

Gator is looking at two very high quality boats on proven hull designs. I really don't think he could make a mistake with either boat.

If salespeople only realized how bad they sound when they bash a competitors product they would probably stop doing it.

Mike,

At what point did I bash? Where did I ever say anything was a piece of sh**? I pointed out some obvious pros/cons. I very much agreed that the 216 was a good boat, 2nd best out there! I simply made a list of the particular items in which I felt differ from boat to boat. Yes, I referenced ab's personal quote in order to point out the bias, but it was HIS quote nonetheless. Looking at ab's reply, he agrees with many of my valid points. Im sorry your sales buddy is negative towards his competition, and therefor you are sensitive to it. There is a fine line between being negative and pointing out differences in his product- hopefully both of you will see that.

Ab-That 2' makes a world of difference! There are other subtle differences as well, even though the hulls carry the same name. BTW-196 is the best pure ski wake out there.

Gator-You are looking at the right two choices of engines.

I see, let me clarify. When I said this "but at the speeds betwen 16-21 MPH, you will find that the boat makes the best boarding wakes at those speeds with stock ballast" I was not saying the 216's wake was the best comparing it to other boats. I'm saying that between those speeds is the where you will find the best wake out of this boat... In other words, the 216's best wake is between 16-21 MPH. Sorry for the miscommunication, I would never say a 216's wake is simply the best, I know better than that....