Unbiased Boat Reviews?

Does anyone have a url for boat reviews? I get waterski magazine and every boat is incredible and has an awesome wake. Last years waterski mag review was a little informative, but it seems this years edition rates every boat great. I also checked out the level10mag url and it's similar to waterski mags. I'm sure many people looking into buying a wakeboard boat that aren't dealers, manufacturer's, or sponsered by them have noticed this as well.

Good luck. There's an inherent conflict involved: A publication will be reluctant to pan a product when they rely on that same company for add revenue.

Maybe if enough people hound Consumer Reports...

Seriously, the only way to get an unbiased boat review is to review each boat yourself. Boat dealers are usually very open to letting you demo the boat and ride behind it. Before I bought my boat I demoed many different boats in the same weekend, riding behind each of them weighted with ballast.

There is no such thing as an unbiased review!

This site is a wealth of information. For an excellent discussion of the "top 3" check this out:

http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/56143.html

Do a search if you're interested in another boat, or start a new thread...

That would be "AD" revenue...not "add." A pox on me.

swass, I can't believe the mistake!

Points well taken. I'd love to demo 4-5 different wakeboard boats, I live around the DC metro area and most of the closer dealers are still 1.5 - 2 hrs away in 3 different directions. Having said that, anyone know where a correct craft dealer is in virginia or maryland?

Porter- can you sum up what your findings were that weekend and which you chose?

Patrick,

What are you looking for? Wake, storage, room, size?? All can influence your decision. Each boat is better at different things.

Nick,

I posted some questions about Moomba's Mobius LSV. Thats what I'm leaning towards because of the price for a v-drive, storage, interior space, nice looking boat & tower.... mainly because it seems about 10k less then mc,cc,malibu,tige,supra. Skiers choice has a good presence on the wakeboard boat forums... I'm just trying to get as much informative data from boat owners about all to make sure I make the right decision.
Oh and... the wake. I've been riding behind a friends '90-'91 sport nautique which throws a really nice wake when weighted 1000 lbs. This is where I want to upgrade from that wake to a v-drive's wake. And not find the difference marginal.

(Message edited by patrick on April 16, 2003)

Chessie Marine is in Maryland. They carry CC.

Here is a technique I used. I went on flipsell or Boattrader, e mailed people selling their boats saying, " I live out of state, cant buy your boat, but can you give me feedback out it.

What did you like and not like about it, was it reliable, interior hold up, etc. About half the people responded, and I got way more information than I thought I would, good and bad.

Then test drive them!

Another technique I used was to call different dealerships that caried two different brands (ie, cc, bu, tige, supreme) and asked their opinion in comparing the two. Of course they thought only those two brands were the shizz, but the info. did prove helpful.

Patrick:

Last November, I bought a new Moomba Mobius LSV. I've had a lot of problems, and the boat has spent the last four weeks and probably another in the shop. It's been back to the dealer (90 miles away) three times now. The transmission leaked, the guages went haywire, the electrical system is overcharging, a trailer axle broke, the motor started overheating, there was something wrong with a circuit board. The board racks would twist in the wind. I still like the boat, but that opinion could change pretty quick. Dealer's been responsive, but turnaround time on the repairs has been pretty slow. Check with me in a a couple of weeks. If the dealer can work out the kinks, then I probably got a pretty good deal. If not . . . .

Maybe I just got a bad boat, and the rest of the product line is pretty good. Or maybe in order to save cost Moomba has created a boat that just isn't strong enough.

Steve

Hi Patrick. I can sum up what I found, but it is very much from personal preference.

A little background, I've owned Mastercrafts, MB Sports and Tige' in the past. I was considering the Super Air, X-Star(x2 now), Malibu VLX and Tige' 22V. The bottom line is that all of these wakes are really nice with extra weight. The Super Air is the steepest, but also really hard and gives great pop. The X-star(x2) and Tige' have a smoother transition, and the VLX I would say is the least steep out of all of them, but still has a really nice transition and gives great pop.

Considering all the wakes were really nice I looked to interior space and comfort next, and this is ultimately what made me choose my boat. The x-star(x2) was a bit too small for me. It just didn't have much space or storage when weighted and same with the Super Air. The VLX I found to have quite a bit more space, but none compared to the 22V. I can have over 2000 pounds of ballast in the boat completely hidden (lead and sacks) and still have plenty of storage space for jackets, ropes, coolers, whatever. The boat seats 10 people in comfort as well. Theres also a huge storage compartment in front of the driver that worked great for two 12's, without wasting any of the major storage space. The other thing that contributed to my decision is the ride and the TAPS which I really like. It's nice when you are driving fast with weight because with the TAPS down you prevent all porpoising (other boats will porpoise above 30 MPHs with extra weight). It also helps the ride in rough water.

In my opinion if you don't really care about space and storage, the Super Air is the way to go. Let's face it CC knows quality, and they build a great boat. If you like a steep wake, there is no beating the Super Air there either. If you want sometihing with a little more storage and space the VLX is a great boat. If you want a boat that has tons of space and storage, even when weighted with 2000+ pounds of ballast, then look at Tige'. Theres also Supra, MB and Moomba that I'm sure are great boats for the right buyer. I just think all the boats have strenghts and you just have to pick the one that's best for you.

Porter
That was three paragraphs that can be summed up with one sentence.

Demo your choices, and choose what you like.

Patrick,
Let me help, no one is going to be able to guarantee that you wont have problems, but some companies and dealers stand behind there sales. So follow above summary and you will be better off with whatever you decide. Just like Porter said before.