Have wakeboard boats gotten too big?

It's starting to feel like wake-boats have gotten way too big with most of the boats dry weight over 4000 lbs and you need a diesel rig to tow it. I miss the days when wake-boats where a lot smaller and you could tow them anywhere with either a full size S.U.V or a Half Ton truck perfectly fine.

No one makes WAKE boats anymore. They make wake SURF boats that throw triple over head surf waves. Every rich guy on our lake has to have the biggest baddest and add as much weight as they can and destroy the lake. I use to be baffled by the 20 max on boats. Now I am starting to understand. My 02 xstar gets the **** beat out of it.

This is wakeworld. I’ve at least a lurker on this site since the early 2000s. It’s amusing that we’re complaining about the wake that modern boats are throwing. We used to throw the biggest wakes on the lake and we told everyone else to live with it. Now that someone else is throwing a bigger wake, we’re crying about it. The circle is complete. I wonder if the oldtimers from ballofspray ever come over here to get a chuckle out of how wakeboarders are complaining about what wakesurfers are doing to the water.

Billy Baller needs to have room to take 3 or 4 families out to show them a good time and that he's rolling hard lol. In the walk through vid of the new Centurion RI 265, one of the opening lines is "This boat is built to impress!"

I refuse to take more than 6 and have 3-4 people a majority of the time. I like to get maximum riding time in, I'm not into pulling people all day long, cove parties and tying up all day aren't my thing. I guess I'm a dying breed being a middle aged hardcore rider, especially since my wife and I have no kids? lol. I'm certainly not a target demographic for boat companies.

IMO it's gotten ridiculous how big they are now. Everybody wants the biggest wave/wake for bragging rights, and able to take the neighborhood. But the reality is that 90% of the people that buy these boats never progress past novice levels.

I'm out 3-4 days a week, I can count on one hand the the number of people I've seen even doing clean W2W' jumps s all summer. Same with surfers, most people are stuck in the novice stage forever.

It's also a snowball effect IMO. Where once a 1/2 ton could pull any boat, you now need a 3/4 ton plus. Boats used to fit in garages, not anymore, so you need to build a big ass shop or rent a storage unit.

I'm actually in the market for a new boat (21'-22') where I don't have to get a new truck and one that can fit in my shop easily, the pickings are slim compared to the big boat selection where everybody wants a 23'+ with loads of storage.

^ I get where you are coming from but the same thing could be said about most vehicles on the road today as well. Besides towing do most people really need the big SUV's, pick up trucks, etc? I'm sure most could get away with having a smaller sedan. Your average mid luxury car like a BMW or higher exotics aren't exactly taking them to the track or using them to their full potential either. Most are cruising 2mph so everyone sees you or commuting to work....not much different. Heck, it's the North American way.lol.

Maybe I'm in the minority but I love these larger boats. With our old boats, we would take water over the bow when we stopped to swim (from waves/wakes). I never have to worry in these new boats and they ride much better due to their heft. I have loads of storage and loads of room to move around without stepping/tripping over each other. Most importantly, we love the wakeboard wake and surf wake. The wakes and waves are a significant step up from the older smaller boats which means more air and more push! Heck, even my wife noticed the difference. We also still slalom and I have to admit the wakes are not as great for that but still not bad. I'm not expecting comp level flat water behind the boat and honestly the slalom wake is no worse than our older boats. Given the V-drive ratios, torque, and larger props, we also can get out of the water much easier/faster vs our older smaller boats. Everything improved for us. I can't see any downside other than price. Ouch. These things are darn expensive.

I also love everything about the bigger boats except for towing them and the price tag. I've got two kids in middle school who like to bring out a few friends every time we get on the water. They all love to surf and wakeboard and it's a ton of fun watching these kids push each other and learn new skills. Many years ago when I had an 02 XStar we would have been packed like sardines.

On a positive note, the tow vehicles have improves to meet sole of these demands. There are a couple capable 1/2 tons like the 3.5 ecoboost f150 or the new Ram1500 diesel. Both could tow a g23 equipped right.

I for one think these surf boats are killing wakeboarding and will soon be banned from almost all lakes. How does someone even learn to wakeboard behind a regular wake boat. I don’t wakeboard anymore but when I learned it was behind an 18’ fiberglass outboard that didn’t even throw a medium sized wake but I learned all the proper technique for pop and could throw a handful of 3’s and inverts. I can’t imagine trying to learn on any wake boat these days.

Check out this boat
https://www.ridegigawave.com/

2 issues, #1 wakeboarding is a hobby, its not a sport, just like surfing, a hobby not a sport, and the boat companies realized that. So wakeboarding was not driving buyers, because people just dont wakeboard, at the level, that keeps boat builders in business

#2 families can do it, as its a hobby, its fun for the fam and people, generally, dont get hurt wake surfing. But all this is still trumped by tubing. So every boat is bigger, easier to drive, easier to fill. easier to fit 16 people, and easier to make 100k+ and people are buying them.

And yes, 1/2 trucks can now tow, just about, every wakeboat in the market. They went through the same growing pains, hence 1.2 ton trucks all have 4 doors, are family oriented and can tow 3/4 ton loads from the 90's trucks

The new boats are awesome, if you're in one. Can be difficult for older, smaller boats in the chop. But, still good water early in the morning so still able to get good use out of my now-small boat and works for the way I use it. If I went out midday more or with big groups more, a newer and bigger boat would be a no-brainer. That Giga boat looks like a monster - 28 people?, 8000 lbs of ballast - that may be good for surfing, sinking other boats and destroying docks.

To me it's like comparing an SUV versus a Mustang. Depends on the number of people in the vehicle, the desired handling and if your riding or sitting at the local cove. I don't really care to surf, hang out for hours, or have more than 6 people in the boat so I will stick to my 230 which to me is still a big boat.

Originally Posted by nick_in_ssp

I for one think these surf boats are killing wakeboarding and will soon be banned from almost all lakes. How does someone even learn to wakeboard behind a regular wake boat. I don’t wakeboard anymore but when I learned it was behind an 18’ fiberglass outboard that didn’t even throw a medium sized wake but I learned all the proper technique for pop and could throw a handful of 3’s and inverts. I can’t imagine trying to learn on any wake boat these days.

My kids and their friends have been learning behind our boat with no issues. We run slow and without any ballast for new people or someone working on something new. No issue compared to the boats I learned behind in 1998. All the same rules apply. We change speed, ballast, and rope length depending on what you want to learn. No more difficult now vs 20 years ago. I'm the old guy but I continue to wakeboard all the time. These new boats are awesome! The wakes are better and easier to create without throwing pumps over the side and having sacks all over the seats and floor. It is also much easier to have a symmetric wake on both sides which was a complete pain on the old boats. I see nothing but positives personally. You still can't wakrboard properly without proper technique. The boats have not changed this.

I'd kinda say yes. I live at sea level and I can still tow pretty much all boats easily with a 1/2 ton, but as most all 23ft boats start to approach 6k, you really need a 3/4 ton if you are at elevation and driving through hills.

....But that said, there are a lot of awesome 20-21ft boats out there and a lot have 102" beams with comparable drafts and freeboard to the 23 and 25ft counterparts. The MLX is probably my favorite Malibu in shallow water--the wake is killer.