What BIG (22' - 25') wakeboard boats are good

I'm ready to sell the outboard and get a real wakeboard boat and it’s time to start looking. With three boys, friends and freeloaders I need a larger boat and would love any recommendations. I can't swing a new boat so I’m looking in the 2-4 year old range for a "previously pre-enjoyed" boat.

I'd prefer a V-drive because of the extra room but I'm not opposed to a direct drive. I would greatly prefer one without a tower and many of the "Wakeboard Editions" were the same as a different model that did not come with the ballasts, tower, PP, etc. Looking for ideas for the model boats that did not come standard with a tower (I know where I can get a great deal on a Monster Tower). Depending on what I can get for my boat and what my accounting will let me do (and Monster Tower needs and official tow & show boat) I should be able to spend towards $30K.

Here is what is on my "Hunting List" and I am looking for input on boats to add or remove.

Malibu Wakesetters and Sunsetters
Malibu Sunscape 25' (probably out of the price range)
Centurion Avalanche or Typhoon
Supra Santara or SSV
MasterCraft Maristar 225 or 230
Correct Craft Super Sport Nautique

If it was an outboard I'd just take my trusty compression gauge with me to check the motor, check the lower unit for water and the transom for play. Not sure of the critical things to check on a V-drive or inboard so any tips on what to check out well would be greatly appreciated as well.

Bill

Sanger V230 or V210- refer yourself to the several Sanger post already running.
Tige 22V- My rents have 21i and that boat has been great. I've ridden behind a 20V and it has an awesome wake.

(Message edited by norcalrider on June 07, 2003)

I have been extremely pleased with our X30 (maristar 230). It meets the requirements u mentioned above as far as people goes. We are in the same boat (pardon the pun). My only complaint would be the really wide wake. Other than that, it's great all around boat that will allow you to take all of your gear and friends and be comfortable. If you want more detail, or have specific questions. Feel free to shoot me an emai.

Tige 22i or 22V. The layout of the newer 22i models is great - most room I've seen in a 22/23 foot inboard. Of course there's always the Tsunami...

I am a big fan of the Supra SSV. Nice and roomy, great wake, decent price, lots of storage, nice auto ballast system, great boat. Worth looking at for sure. Good luck.

check out the V-230

http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/9/0/45056190.htm

I have the 25' Malibu now but your right, it would stretch your budget a bit, My last boat was a Supra Saltare. Check one out if you get a chance. 23' boat, roomy, cheap (for what your getting) and a GREAT wake in my opinion. Mine had a 454 and I loved it.

My dealer has a 25LSV with a Boss tower....10amps, TONS of boss speakers mounted on the side of the tower, top, under,etc - Tons of subs, the boat is HUGE -

The system is WAY overkill tho.

You can't beat a Malibu VLX. It is the biggest feeling 21' v-drive, and it throws a world class wake when weighted properly.

If you wakeboard a lot, don't get a 23' boat. You will be disappointed.

The biggest and roomiest 21' boat is by far the Calabria Pro-V. It has more room than most 23 footers. Plus you can actually put wakeboards in the trunk, unlike most others.

www.Wake-Me.com

Can't really argue with Phaeton on that one.
Personally, I wouldn't count the 21's out just yet. Give them a try..Pro-V, VLX, 22V, and then if those are too small I'd go to the 23's and only go to the 25's as a last resort.

Usually in the summer time is when you're going to have the most people and during that time people enjoy riding in the bow, so 8 people in a VLX is very comfortable and the wake is awesome when configured properly. During the colder months you won't fill the boat anyway and it'll be difficult to get a good wake out of a larger boat.

As for the Pro-V...if you consider how some of the manufacturers measure their boats...it's a 23, and it's fricken huge!

The 25LSV is okay for wakeboarding (I guess)but I can't imagine pulling that thing to the lake that much.

Good luck....what kind of tower you putting on it

i would agree with steveaz here and say that if you are looking for a Huge boat go with the Calabria cal air pro-v, we bought the 20 foot Calabria xts and eight months later bought the pro-v, what you would be looking at would be the Calabria vts, the edition that comes without all of the wakeboard edition stuff. we ride with no less then six people every time out and have got up to thirteen people on the boat and there was no problem. its also throws a huge wake as well if you were looking for that in your boat. it all depends on how big of a boat you are looking for, good luck in your search

Excellent feedback and it's greatly appreciated. Since mine is a 19' now and only really seats 7-8 and thats pretty cramped, maybe 21 or 22 with the better seating layout will be fine. 1/2 the time it's just 2-4 people and the main goal it to get a better wakeboarding boat. Sounds like going to big may defeat the purpose.

The hunt continues.

Thanks again,

Bill

I would like to have seen and ridden in some of the "west coast" boats before I decided on the VLX...they just don't make it all the way to Florida!

I tried to track down Calabria and MB Sports and couldn't find a dealer for either in Florida. Bill may have closer access to Calabria since I believe there is a Calabria dealership in NC...

Look at the Gekko Revo 7.1. The boat is in the low 30's and with low interest rates might be more avordable than a few year old boat. Has a deep forward kell and extended rudder. rail like tracking. Geat slalom and wakeboard wakes. There is a thread in boats under G3 or go to Gekkosports.com

steveaz- have you ever rode behind the 25LSV? I had a chance to when our dealer took one out for a demo and with 4 people and no ballast it was one of the best wakes I have ever rode behind for a boat with no ballast. It was big and clean. It was wide, but the shape and size were amazing. Completely contradicting to what people have seen and experienced with say going from the 21 VLX to the 23 LSV. The 25 was comparable to a VLX with factory ballast, but wider. I didn't get to spend a hole lot of time behind it, but was impressed with what I saw/rode.

Not that this boat is in mr Monster Towers budget but just wanted to share my experiences in case anyone else is looking.

But in general I would agree with everyone elses posts about it being hard to get good wakes out of the bigger boats. I think that we are going to see that change in the next few years. Look at the new X-Star. They are going to have a monopoly on a dedicated wakeboarding giant. Natique has a nice looking bigger boat but how is the wake? And Malibu has a contender with the 25 LSV, but they are not marketing it as a "wakeboard bad a$$". Just my .02

Monster, Check out the tread G3 assault V-drive. 23ft 102beam, tons of storage, great mult-sport boat at a great price..The pics are with the boat loaded with 3 boards, 2 sets of skis,12 jackets, ropes etc, and tons of storage left to boot...oh with 2 500lbs sacks next to engine, 600lbs in the middle...lots of room and fun

J. mac,

23' includes the swim platform, doesn't it? How much of the boat do you think is actual platform?

360,
the boat is 23ft 3in....i am guessing that the boat without platform is around 21ft and some change

Tony...yes sir, I have! But in my opinion, a VLX with factory ballast sucks. Rampy, small....

Not argueing though...I think we both know how to set up a boat, so I'll take your word for it. Still couldn't imagine that being my wakeboarding boat of choice, even if the wake was similar to my VLX.

Cheers,
Steve

Take a look at the Mobius V 22' lots of room and imo a respectable wake. Get the EFI engine and perfect pass and you will be set for well under 40 if you bargain well!

Does Malibu even make the 25' anymore?

The Tige 22v is getting good reviews but there is another Tige that is big and makes large clean wakes. Check out the new 24v. It doesn't need insane weight to get the wake big due to the new convex V. The same is true with the 22v. Watch for the 24v to be a big hit.

Why isn't tige pushing the 24v? I saw one at a boat show but it's not on their web site. To me it looked like the 23v. Any specs on the boat?

Yeah, the 25LSV is not that old... It is an awesome boat. Check one out if you ever get the chance.

Fiberglass flooring with snap out carpet, 8.1Liter motor with electric hatch, Big... lots of room and a decent wake!

Nautique 226.
Length Overall 24’ 9.5” (7.56 m)
Length w/o Platform 22’ 6.5” (6.87 m)
Lifting Rings (between centers) 20’ 1”(6.1 m)
Beam 96.5” (2.45 m)
Draft 31” (.79 m)
Fuel Capacity 50 gal. (189.3 L.)
Approximate Weight 3900 lb (1773 kg)
Max. Capacity 12 people (2000 lb / 909 kg)
Transmission Ratio 1:1
Big Block Vdrive Radio 1.19:1
Small Black V Drive Ratio 1.46:1

I love my 2003 Tige' 22I, it's a direct drive, but has tons of room and storage, and a really cool seating layout. You can have 9 behind the windshield and all but the driver facing the rider! I am partial to direct drives, anyway like the 22V mentioned above it has the convex V and throws a nice unweighted wake, espacially if you have a boat load of buddies with you.

You won't find one new for 30K, but it's about 5K closer to your price than the V Drive version.

Check it out,

Cheers

Oh talk to a dealer, they come from the factory without a tower, one is usually included standard in the price, but they might knock down the price if don't have one installed. My dealer did it for me on the standard "included" stereo.

As a follow up, the 2002 and older 22Is don't have the new convex V. But they do have the same seating layout. So the wake might not be as good as the 2003 22Is. I have never rode behind one so I am not sure. But I have heard that the 2003 with the convex V was a big improvement over 2002.

BigD I think the 24V is a limited edition, limited production boat this year. That might be why they don't have it on their site.

I know where a 24v is if anyone is interested.

I thought Bill's budget was $30k?

Yeah but that is just where you start! By the time we are done with him he will have the most kick a$$ $60K boat out there!

Come on how many times have you told your salesmen your budget is $XXXX... what is the first thing they show you? Something that costs $XXXX + $10K!

Enjoy your new boat Bill! Whatever you get!

Ahh yes..... the consummate sales process

Build the value
Overcome the objections
Ask for the sale!

Tony Neal or is it Tony Robbins???? j/k

This sport is an obsession. I went out this morning saying today I was going to land the wake to wake 360 heelside, thinking the Moobma at high 20's may work just fine, although the Tige 22V is so sweet but another 10K - but by the time I pulled out my 8 year old outboard, I really needed a new X-Star with a matching H2 to pull it -What is up with that ???

Still not sure what it's going to be (except for the tower ) but I appreciate all the input and the additional boats for the list.

At the end of the day it will be what I can find a good deal on and it will be way better than the current ride.

We have a bunch of marketing plans for whatever it is so you will see it on the pages of all the magazines, and Breanne will be back for another shoot (like that will be a terrible day at work)

Bill

www.northwestmarine-ski.com
Check out Ski supreme's new V-230

This Boat leaves a monster wake! No pun intended Bill.

WakeNup,

We actually used to kneeboard behind a 60' Hatteras as kids (talk about CO poisioning) and tied the rope off the Tuna tower. Luckily one or my friends Grandfather never grew up and was into it.

I see that with nice wakeboard boat on the bow as a viable retirement home for me :-)

Bill