What is th best all around new boat for $38000 OTD

I am a die hard correct craft goof. It has been 8 yrs since I sold my 1983 2001 ski naut.

I am 44 yrs old have a wife and 2 kids 8 yrs and 4 yrs. Want a brand new boat 28 off at 34 mph is my best. long line barefoot. tube riding for fun. Never wake boarded.

I will try wake boarding and I am sure my kids will as well. I do not think I need ballest and tower but I could be wrong. Open bow is a must.

Correct craft 2004, 206 Sig. with no extras is under $40,000 OTD and seems to be the best boat in the class. I have been away from the scene for a long time. What's the word is there a better boat for my family at a better price or is correct craft the way to go. Need lots of help here it's been a while!!!!!!!!!!!

Ive heard that the malibu XTI has a good ski wake, or non wake haha. and it will have a decent wakeboard wake when u switch to the almighty wakeboarding. its a direct drive so ull have all that good stearin stuff, and it still has the raparound seating so it will be all cool, and u'll have the nice wakeboarding sound system. haha yea, good luck! have fun with the kids, take them out on the lake alot while u can!

any idea how much 04 malibu XTI costs?

There are a lot to look at in my opionion:

Elan: Volante 6.2
Malibu: Response LXi, Sunsetter LXi, Sunsetter 21 XTi.
MasterCraft: ProStar 197, ProStar 209
Supra: Comp LTS
Tige: 20i, 21i, Switch I
Maybe even: MB Sports: 220 Sport or Sanger: DLX.

My point is that there are so many quality competitors out there today, that you really need to shop around. Even 8 years ago when you sold your Nautique, there were only really two top quality players, SN and MC. But that has all changed now.
I think that the Ski Nautique 206 is a great boat and will do everything your family wants it to, but my feeling still stands as in the other post I made. $40k otd, just seems like a LOT of money for a 20' ski boat with nothing on it. Plus I think you mentioned it only had a 5.0l 275 hp engine? If you could get a better deal on it, I think it would be a good boat.

Maybe I'm just off here, is there anyone else on this board who ownes a Ski Nautique 206 that could give some feedback on pricing?

Look at the Tige 21i Type R and 22i Type R. If you are still looking to ski, I would recommend staying with a direct drive and make sure you get a tower as well. You will want a wake that you can ski behind at 34 to 36 but will build and grow as you board at 20 to 22 MPH. As you progress with wakeboarding, you can always add sacs or lead to increase the wake size.

I bought a 22i Type R because I still wanted to ski from time to time. The only bad thing is that once I got hooked on wakeboarding, I haven't brought out my slalom in almost 3 years now. So I sold the 22i and bought a new 2003 22V to get a bigger wake.

I used to buy boats strictly on how small the wake was, now it is the complete opposite! Good luck on your search.

Malibu DD or Tige. Demo both.

I was like you, Kirk. I bought a boat last year and was sure when I started shopping that it would be a Correct Craft. However, after months of shopping and research and demo'ing boats, I decided on the Tige 20i (for about $13-15K less than than a Nautique).

I, too, ski primarily, but have been dabbling with wakeboarding. I have a 14 year old son who actually does both (wake and ski) with equal vigor (probably a surprise to many of you that at 14 he's not a total wakeboard freak, but he loves the speed of skiing, and loves the air of boardin'), and an 11 year old daughter who just started to slalolm and has promised to master wakeboarding before the summer is over.

Anyway, I wanted a bowrider, and a boat that would support both ski and wakeboarding. I did learn that while you can get a boat to do both, it will not be able to do both extremely well. The 20i seemed a nice compromise. At 34-36 mph it has a sweet ski wake, and at 20-22 mph it is a decent wakeboarding wake (OK, we kneeboard too, and did I mention tubing!!!). Not as good as a true wakeboarding boat, but it is good enough for all of us so far! Plus the Tige's have the TAPS, which we use all the time.

The 21i Nick and Brent mention is also a VERY sweet boat, lots of storage and very cool "skybox seating". It is, however, much wider than the 20i, therefore will put out more wake, even at ski speeds (although it is still very ski-able).

So, there is my 2 cents. Sorry if it sounds like a commercial for Tige. I will say that I do believe what Nick says above, that there are a lot of good boats out there. We seriously cosidered the Malibu Sunsetter and the Moomba Outback (the Nautiques and MCs were just out of our reach $$ wise, though I was tempted...)

Final word, check out http://www.waterskimag.com for their Boat Buyer's Guide Section. They cover ALL the boats. Great write-ups, all the technical specs, photos and even videos.

(Message edited by kailua_al on August 08, 2003)

(Message edited by kailua_al on August 08, 2003)

As an ex-avid slalom skier, I recommend that you give additional consideration to the tower and ballast prior to making a decision. I originally purchased an MC X5 (center drive) with the plan to do both skiing and boarding. However, I no longer ski and have since sold the X5 and bought a Super Air. I purchased mine used and was able to stay under 40k. If I did not find this deal, I was seriously considering a Malibu. Anyway, good luck on your boat shopping ventures, and I am sure, no matter which boat you buy, you’ll have a great time with the family.

i would look at supra. i just bought a 03 launch ss & love it. its fully loaded & under 40k. yeah, i know its not one of the big 3, but skiers choice is getting the job done. there is a reason they're outselling the comp & its not just price. dont get me wrong--i like the big 3 also, but the supra is a helluva boat at a great price. btw--just my opinion.

I would also second William's opinion, but I own the same boat! Really, most of the direct drives would fit the bill well for you. Since you like skiing, I would stick to the models with narrower beam widths (96" or less). When I tested new boats two years ago, it was pretty easy to separate the best 2-3 boats, but you have to form your own opinion after skiing behind them. I would absolutely get a wakeboard package because you will use it, and even if you don't it will help a lot with resale. Also, I would not buy one without an EFI engine, both for performance reasons but also resale.

I am going to look at the Supra, Moomba and the Tige tomorrow. I can't test drive them but I just want to take a look at what they have in new 2003 still in inventory direct drive models. I am hoping that they will be willing to blow out the 03's. Anyone know of any
rebates or dealer incentives I should be aware of

What area are you in? I don't know what is being offered now, but when I bought mine there was a factory rebate for all remaining inventory and I also got significant dealer discounts. I was out the door for around the figure you are looking for and that was with a tower, ballast, heater, tandem trailer, 2nd battery, and EFI.

(Message edited by bjbatch on August 08, 2003)