Need help convincing someone to go inboard/wake bo

I just want to preface by saying sorry to those that frequent this message board and wakeboarder.com. I have been on wb.com for a few months now and have been lurking on here only to sign up today. So i apologize if you've seen me twice now..


So my dad and I have been in the hunt for a boat for awhile now. I graduated and moved back from college to my hometown and my family finally built a place on the lake this spring and I spent the summer really getting into wakeboarding. We haven't had a boat all summer, just a pair of PWCs so i've been riding with friends and neighbors and some even behind the ski.

Well before I got into boarding we had narrowed our choices down to some high end I/O bowriders such as the Regal 2100 and similar choices. They are great boats and ride very well.

Our lake is a nice sized lake, but its predominately populated with pontoons and fishing boats. Plus we have a boat house so we are wanting to stay in the 19-22' range

But now that i've caught the wakeboarding addiction I need a little help trying to sway him to the other side.

Will you guys help me out on some definite points to bring up and discuss regarding Inboard performance, handling, maintenance, and FUN vs. a standard I/O bowrider?

(Message edited by whiskeytown on October 16, 2008)

performance and handling, no comparison IMO.

What you should do is show him a video of wakesurfing. can only do that with an inboard. I think surfing is an easy, low impact, but fun way for non-watersports folk to get involved and have fun.

You will lose some of the rough water smooth ride of an I/O in that length though.

What does you dad want to do with the boat? What are his concerns with going to an inboard? It's kind of hard to bring up points when we don't know what would convince him. The only near-universal advantages of an inboard over an I/O are ease of maintenance and resale value.

Sounds like you have a good set up. When my father retired about 10 years ago, I made a deal. If he buys a place on the lake, I would buy the boat and with that I got to buy whatever boat I wanted. Bottom line, if he is forking out the cash, all you can do is offer suggestions, but in the end it will be his boat.

If your dad is conservative, spending the money on inboards makes financial sense. Yes you will spend more money up front, but I have found that they hold their value better and the total cost of ownership is lower than with IOs. I have owned 2 of each. This is especially true if you can find some 2-4 year old boats.

If you want a boat that is going to tow riders most of the time, the inboards are hands down better. More holeshot, better tracking, bigger wakes, and surfing is a safe option. If you are going to cruise a good bit, IOs have some advantage of smoother ride and tend to have higher cruising speeds. Another advantage, I think, is the seating layout of of v-drives seem way better than the usual co-captains chair configuration.

Don't forget the saftey factor! You are a lot less likley to get eaten by the prop on an Inboard.

What does you dad want to do with the boat? What are his concerns with going to an inboard?

Honestly, my dad will probably use it mainly for short cruises around the lake with my mom and guests and when my niece and nephew get a few years older it will be used to tow them around in tubes and such. Other than that they'll be towing me around on the wakeboard if I dont have my crew out on it. I know he wants a smooth ride, but with having the house on the lake if things get choppy (which isn't too often on our lake) they'll dock up.

Sounds like you have a good set up. When my father retired about 10 years ago, I made a deal. If he buys a place on the lake, I would buy the boat and with that I got to buy whatever boat I wanted. Bottom line, if he is forking out the cash, all you can do is offer suggestions, but in the end it will be his boat.

yeah we have a pretty good setup and relationship and while it is his money and ultimately his decision he understands that i'll be on this thing as much if not more than he is. He is conservative, but he also wants the best. He is very meticulous(sp) when it comes to brand quality and reputation so i know he'd do his homework on his own. And one idea i have been toying around is if we went the inboard route and he didn't like it I would probably purchase it back from him in a couple years.

(Message edited by whiskeytown on October 16, 2008)

I looked at the Regal 2100 before buying my inboard, along with many other Inboard and I/O boats. I thought the Regal was the best of the I/O's that I drove, including Cobalt and Sea Ray Select among others. This is what I gained by going with the inboard I bought, and I have no regrets.
Safer and easier swimming around the boat for my small kids.
More economical cruising. My operating costs while cruising up to 30 mph are better than on the I/O's because of the more efficient hull. At higher speeds the inboard stays in the water so it starts using more fuel than the I/O's.
Price. My Sanger cost me less than I could have purchased the Regal for.
More interior space in the same size boat because the swimdecks are removable..
Easier to keep on the dock because I can park with the nose out and am less affected by boat wakes or wind waves. I always had to keep the sterndrive out from shore on my old boat.
Handling is better for almost everything except loading on a trailer with a cross wind.
My wife and I debated quite a bit, not having owned an inboard before. Over the first 200 hours of use there has never been an instance where I would have preferred the I/O. We put on a Fresh Air Exhaust to keep it quiet and it is quieter on the lake than if we were using a sterndrive.

I hope that helps. It might not be for your situation but it was for mine.

I owned I/O's for 20 years before buying my first inboard in '99
All I could say is why did I wait so long! Much better handling, safer, more fun to drive, easier to dock, less maintenance, and oh yeah... better wake!

J-Sos,
I just sent you a video comparing I/O's with Inboards from the Mastercraft website. It is a really good comparison of the two.
Once you go to an inboard you will never go back.

Darren, I just got back from lunch and watched it. Thanks! I will definitely email that link to my dad for him to check out.

be sure to not mention you cant steer backwards in an inboard

Jesse - Take a look at the Bryant brand. I have been very happy with the preformance of these boats. It doesn't have the big ballast system or the things some v-drives have, but it is a lower profile bow rider. Very smooth, and handle amazingly. They pull just fine and have a ton of top end for when your dad wants to cruise the lake. You can surf behind them if they have a platform. I have never come close to hitting the prop. I own both styles of boat so I like them both, but for what you describe a bow rider may work for now, then in a few years, upgrade. Regals are nice but not this nice. A Bryant will out preform a Regal. May not have all the bling but it's better. www.bryantboats.com.

snacks, seriously...? surf behind an i/o? you've got to be kidding.... you might as well bungee jump with floss....

I have never once hit the platform on an inboard, why would it be different on a i/o?

you are saying that you surf behind an i/o right? its different because the propeller is right in front of you on an i/o. with and inboard, its tucked under the boat

malibu,
None of these comments are going to help Jesse. I surf behind an Epic.
Jesse nothing compares to surfing behind a wakeboard boat. Yes it is possible and yes it is safe IF the boat has a platform. Malibu has a good point, not the best idea, but don't point that out to your Dad.

i would never surf behind an i/o period. I know that much. so shifting back on point. We did take a look at Bryants as well. One of the local dealerships is an authorized bryant dealer around here.


malibu, that is a good point about steering backwards. I'm thinking about all the situations in my cove and that shouldn't come into play too often.

The no steering in reverse is no big deal once you have driven the boat for a while. I have 460 hours on my 06 tige on busy Az lakes and have not had a problem.

I'm not really sure wakesurfing will be a factor. I'm just picturing trying to use wakesurfing as an argument to my dad and I'm pretty sure any response I would get would be along the lines of what the Drill Sergeant from Full Metal Jacket said when he found Pyle in the bathroom with the machine gun. My dad used to ski and slalom but he's not getting pulled by a boat anymore no matter how low impact it is. Your dad may be looking to do some sort of watersports but given that we're even having this conversation I really doubt it.

Your best bet is to test drive a few so he can see that cruising is still very viable on a wakeboat and that most of them aren't the ski boats of old with cramped interiors and a jarring ride in any sort of chop.

Dante, i think you are completely right. My dad can ski and has expressed interest in trying the wakeboard. But at 54 he's not going to invest all of his time in a new sport when he has other hobbies/interests. So test driving the inboard and showing what it has to offer him as a driver and what it offers the entire family is what will have to happen.

Here's a quick hit list I put together for our website. Obviously I sell MC but all inboards have the same advantages.

derrrr.... forgot to attach the file. Here it is.

Def get out and drive one, try to ride it also because then you get to check out the wake and your dad gets to see how much easier it is to hold speed, hold a straight line and how fast you'll pop out of the water.


(Message edited by snowboardcorey on October 17, 2008)

I agree with david rogers, backing an inboard is no big deal when you get used to it. To me the difference between an inboard and I/O is that the inboard is a "sports car" and the I/O is a "mini van".

Inboard is the way to go with wakesurfing or wakeboarding.

Test drive and compare the top inboards (Tige, MC, Malibu, CC) equally. The sales guy is going to give you only their "pitch".

The video on MC site says it well, and is true with all inboards.

Good luck with your search. Keep us posted on what you decide.

Totally agree with you Julianne! Love your sports car / mini van analogy

Except the I/O is a minivan with sports car space and the inboard is a sports car with minivan space.

Oh yeah, right on Art!

Everyone seems to forget one main fact of an inboard........prop and shaft damage. Get an I/O if it's an all purpose recreation boat. Lift the trim up when you pull up to an island, and be happy.

If your serious about boarding, then get an inboard.

As for Regal.......hmmmmm, can't say it could come close to a Cobalt. Definitely more affordable, and very nice looking these days.

I am selling my Cobalt 250 for only one reason...the boys. They want to move into intermediate wake boarding. Otherwise, I would NEVER sell my I/O. Ever, Ever, Ever!

I/O's are practical, more efficient, give you more space to service your engine, take less "boat" space, and the bravo three is indestructible . Turning radius is the same or better with a Bravo III. Mastercraft's turning illustration is exaggerated.

This is a wakeboard site. The question is...are you a wakeboarder or recreational boater?

Vote McCain!

greg are you serious with your shameless political plug?

Jason,

I can only assume that you truly believe in fairy tales. Obama is a nobody junior senator with no experience, no cabinet positions, no committee positions (that are of importance), no foreign relations, never been to Afganistan or Iraq until recent, and has done "nothing" in the 2.5 years in office.

And Yes! He'll change the world just for little ole you.

These days, all you need is the media to like you, and tell the public what they want to hear.
Experience doesn't matter.

Does anybody have a brand new boat they'd give me?

??? first of all - you can not surf behind an I/O - illegal.

Secondly - surfing you've never hit the platform? We start and stop by surfing on and off the platform all the time (maybe you just have a small wake)

Third - draft on a typical inboard is 18 to 21 inches. The I/Os we sell are three feet and if their pushing the boat at all trimmed up they are still a good 18 inches into the water - measure it.

Fourth - I/Os can not hold a steady speed because they are falling on and off plane at ~ 17 mph (may vary with different boats). Inboards hold - they don't fall on or off plane.

Fifth - Steering and responsiveness is much more stable and safe going forward with an inboard. You can also parallel park up to docks with the reverse torque pull - just have to spend about one day learning how to drive it.

Sixth - We've actually found wife's more comfortable driving inboards because no trim & excessive bow rise to deal with.

Seventh - when we've cleaned out the bottom of inboards we usually have 1800 to 2400 dollars damage (depending on the fiberglass damage). When we've cleaned out or hit items with an inboard - bill can be anywhere from 3 to 5K. Trans is exposed and gets replaced on bad hits - if there is transom damage from an I/O hit - your done.

But - a 409 HP engine in an inboard will FLY..... So if you want speed - get an I/O.

We sell both inboards and I/Os (and make a lot more money on the I/Os we sell) but - inboards are definitely the way to go for any family on lakes swimming/tubing/doing anything around their boats... (just for the safety factors alone)

Vote Bob Barr

and a straight inboard is the EASIEST type of boat to service yourself.

A Bryant boat will turn sharper than most wakeboard boats on the market. I have tested it many times. The only wakeboard boat that turns sharper that I have seen in the Epic, due to the dual rutors.
Look you will have an easier time in most cases convincing your Dad on an I/O, more family friendly, deeper for the kids, less worry around shores.
A wakeboard does offer more to the towing side of boating. I know this is a wakeboard site but that is not the only thing his parents are going to do with thier boat. Fishing, dinning, etc. is easier on a I/O.
About surfing on a I/O, ya NOT THE BEST. Possible? Yes I've done it, never came close to hitting anything under the platform. Yes we start and end on the platform, my six year old niece starts and ends on the platform, but that's not hitting it when you fall.
Our 260 Bryant puts out a big wake. The Epic wakeboat has a 4000lbs ballast system. NOT A SMALL WAKE.
Look Jesse, test drive like they say earlier in the tread is the best way to convince your Dad. He will see that both styles of boat will preform different but not really one better then the other, just different.
Good Luck