Wakeboard Boat Conversion?

Thinking about taking a Glastron, Sea Rey or Bayliner and converting it with a tower and everything else but I am worried that I will spend the money and take it out only to realize the wake sucks for boarding. Any suggestions? Just buy a matercraft and be done with it?

Buy a inboard ! I/O's wake suck IMO.

inboard is the way to go

just keep in mind that mastercraft isnt your only option....

Walt - Total generalisation.

Dan, basically most inboards do throw a better wake than your average I/O, it all depends how seriously you want to take it. if you board recreationally on the sea, or on a big lake that gets rough, a larger I/O is the only way to go.

However, if you board on more sheltered water and want to take it pretty seriously then an inboard will be more suitable for your application.

I am in the process of changing from an I/O to an inboard due to it having a better wake, however not ALL inboards outperform I/O's, and remember, a lot of wake preference is exactly that 'Preference'.

If You prefer to wakeboard in really rough water then by all means get a deep V hull with a I/O. But if You want a wake with a nice shape and a boat that will plane out fast get a inboard. And like Nick said there are many inboards that have really nice wakes besides MC. My old boat would be a good example.
Good luck !

Well, I will admit that we have a Bayliner 2050 with a tower...we have a great time on it, and don't have any big payment to worry about. We have taught quite a few people to board behind our boat, the wake is not huge, but it is sufficient for our purposes. I'm sure if we wanted to weigh it down with more than "people" weight, it would throw a bigger wake. In another year or so, we will be looking seriously at moving up to an inboard or v drive, but, like I said, we, and all our friends, have a great time on this boat. Buy what you can afford, throw a tower on it if you want, and go have a blast! That's the real point...

I have seen loads of inboards with small wakes, thats why there is such a large market for water bags.My 2 cents.

I'm not bad mouthing I/O boats. I'm just saying if you're looking for a wakeboard boat a I/O would not be my first choice. But I will say that I/O's are better multi purpose boats.

The first pic is My friends I/O wake the second is my inboard wake. I'm not saying it's the best wake going but I've never seen a I/O wake this nice. My two cents and You be the judge. Keep in mind that there are many direct drive and V drive boats that would make my wake look bad but I've never seen a I/O wake better that mine.There are also other factors like holding speed.

Dan, Here is my advice. Make a list of what is important to You in a boat and go from there. There is no one boat that does everything so You need to have a good idea of what really matters to you and will make you happy. I've owned a I/O , out board and inboard and they all have there advantages and disadvantages but IMHO if you want to use the boat primarily for wakeboarding a V-drive or direct drive would be the way to go.

Walt the I/O must be beter because you managed to stay up behind that one but fell off behind yours

Dave, Thats not me in either pic. I like Your Lifetime ambition (profile) and I may adopt it for myself.

(Message edited by walt on October 10, 2004)

Walt what type of boat is that I/O?

A beter question on that I/O pic is: when do you get to the rinse cycle? More suds there than at a Guinness kegger.

I own an '04 glastron that I modified for wakeboarding with tower, stereo etc. There is a pic of it in my profile. Here are some more pics of the boat and pics of the wake behind it:













People bash inboard/outboards all the time, but we've had nothing but great times behind this boat all summer. I've gotten over 10 of my friends to become wakeboard freaks behind this boat and the wake is good enough for inverts are anything else you wanna do behind it. Those wake pictures were with one 600 pound sack in the bow, 2 people in the boat, and one rider behind.

This boat is up for sale, because since all my friends beg to go out to the lake all the time now, I need to get a bigger boat with more capacity. Inboard boats are great, but don't let people tell you that inboard/outboards purely suck.

My 2 cents.

PeAcE

(Message edited by drumnwake420 on October 10, 2004)

(Message edited by drumnwake420 on October 10, 2004)

I've got a sea ray, any hope for a nice wake?

Bess, I think it might be a Glastron too ?
Joe, That pic was taken in salt water (foam)

Drumnwake - as a side note how do you find that Typhoon tower? Doe sit rattle or come loose at all? and how solid is it when you push it?

I have a 21ft Cobalt I/O that we have been using for over 3 years. We have probably had 35 different people ride behind it, including advanced riders throwing inverts, spins, etc. Agreed, a V-drive is the best choice, but any boat with a wake is better than no boat at all! Nice wake in the photos from your I/O. Mine is at least that good, and even better if I trim just a hair. I have not used any extra weight, other than a full gas tank and a bunch of girls. None of my regular crew are the large type, so I just have to go with higher numbers instead of girth.

BTW - Mine is also for sale. It has a tower, stereo/amps, etc. There is a brand new 05 VLX out there calling my name!!!!!!

Bess: Not sure about that Sundeck's hull shape. Last one I saw had what looked like a modified tri-hull.

Try bagging it (fat sacs), since you have a tower already.

I have about the same prob as drumnwake. I have an i/o I modified for wakeboarding too, including perfect pass. It's for sale solely because I need a bigger boat.

Definately go with the inboard because of the power the engines produce. I think the smallest inboard engine is like a 310hp. This way you can load the boat with ballast and still be able to pull a rider. With an I/O you are looking at an engine that is like 180-220hp. A lot of power for a 20ft boat, but not if you are thinking of weighting it down for a wake.

I bought a 04 glastron with an outboard simply because my home lake only allows outboards - no i/o's or inboards. I added two fat sacks and the wake is usable. My friend has an 03 Supra inboard and I have to admit that I enjoy wakeboarding behind his boat much more. You don't have to work for the height with the inboard, just come in with a good hard cut and you fly. I do like the Glastron for its overall versatilty since we do all types of water sports behind it,in all kinds of water conditions. Plus the cost is about 1/3 of a new inboard. Its all about what you can afford and what your expectations are from your boat.

i wouldnt dump alot of money into a i/o but you certianly can have a great time with the wake and unless you are ready for vulcans sbends and glides(not that they cant be done behind and i/o) the wake will probably serve you just fine.

Brit Rider: The tower is OK. It does flex too much for my liking but considering i had little choice in the matter when i bought the boat it works fine for my needs. I pull very hard when i cut out and it's solid enough for me.

Walt - That second picture is awesome. It should be captioned: "Dealt With."