best slalom course that will also wakeboard boat

What is the best boat that will run a slalom course but if outfitted with a tower/ballast or wedge will work well as a wakeboard boat?

I bought a Svfara SV609 for that exact reason. Granted, it has no compromises for slalom, so the wake is not as big as a true wakeboard boat, but it can be built up pretty nice with weight. Put about 2k lbs in it and the wake jacks up nice!

MC 205 DD. I currently run our X-Star(X2), but the wake has a bad bumb below 36mph, and you have to have an experienced driver. IF you can't run at 36, get the 205. I use to have one, and it was a nice slalom boat when unweighted.

I have yet to wakeboard behind my 96 SPort Nautique, just bought it, but the ski wake is nice.

I just bought my first boat, its a 04 moomba outback. Since its a D drive, with no weight in it, going about 30 the wake is almost gone. I think this boat is still a true slalom boat but we put 2k pounds in it and it has a nice wake.
I have a tower and everything, for wakeboarding, but its a perfect boat for both, and one of the cheapest as well.

Mid '90's Ski Nautique has a great ski wake, and with some weight will throw a nice wakeboard wake too.
B

I'd skied a lot behind a Sunsetter, our S22, and a whole bunch of IOs, but the one that really did is was the small BU with the Monsoon and the open bow (sort of). Think it's a Response - playpen, is it called? No walkthrough. Anyway, the water at Buenavista was so good last October that I broke out the ski and went for it behind this old BU. Amazing lack of wake. Just a round, soft little flat speed bump of a wake. Felt like a total pro back there.

It's a cramped little boat, but gives an honest 50 up top and turns on a dime (but the steering will give your arms a workout). Bet you could pick one up for cheap.

With a tower or pole and enough ballast, it'd probly throw a great wake.

I see in your profile you're a doc. Being a smart person I'm sure you'll choose a Tige. The hull is designed to do exactly what you describe. The TAPS helps to adjust the bow to meet your needs whether it be pulling a big wake or zipping along to pull a skier. I've found mine to be excellent. If you were more serious about skiing, I would choose a direct drive. I bought mine because I prefer the seating of the V-drive, but since have lost the love of the ski. It still skis better than any I/O out there.

(Message edited by talltigeguy on June 08, 2004)

Nautique SV211.

Derek,
The Malibu Response *is not* a wakeboard boat - it's Malibu's premier ski boat, built to make the smallest wake possible, which is why you were so impressed by the ski wake. It will throw a decent boarding wake for its size, but the Sunsetter LXI would be a much, much better crossover boat than the Response.

They do handle like a dream, don't they?

i have a malibu response, its not a bad wake at all, sure it could use sum fat sacs, but its built to put out alomst no wake at a slalom speed. an that is no where near what most people wakeboard at, at 34 or 35 the wake is almost gone, but at 23 or 24 its pretty good for wakeboarding. and yes they handle like a dream, they turn on a dime.

Sunsetter's big like the Toyota he's got now. Big boats make big wakes, right? Sounds to me like he's asking for a great ski boat and an okay wakeboard boat. Take the small Response and load it up, and you'd probably get the wakeboard wake a slalom guy will live with.

BTW - When the Malibu guy drove the Epic, he said "Derek, you've got a Cadillac here". I slapped him and said, "call it a Lexus or you swim."

MC 197 with tower or X-7. Great slalom boat, load some sacks and makes a nice wake. I have the 197 Hull(see in profile) and love it. Considering you want a slalom and wakeboard wake you will have make a choice. Good Luck and test drive them all. What suited me doesn't mean it suits you. Again, wish you the best of luck in your search.

Yeah, the Sunsetter's a big boat, but it's the only big boat that's actually tournament approved. My husband had a chance to ski the SSLXI, the Response LX & Response LXI all in the same weekend & he says the SSLXI puts out a wake that's not much bigger & only a little harder than the Responses. Personally I think that if you want a crossover boat that leans towards the skiing side, the SSLXI is a hard one to beat for its versatility. If you're a hard core skier that occasionally straps the board on, then the Response would be the boat for you. (The RLXI has the new walk-through bow, RLX has a step-over.)

I would go with the Response LX or the Sunsetter. The Sunsetter (non-LXi) or Wakesetter DD would have the better wakeboard wake, but the slalom wake is not as good as it is the pre-diamond hull. The Response and Sunsetter LXi both have the Diamond hull which will be harder to weight down. The 197 is a great slalom boat as well and like it was said above, can be weighted nice for boarding. I used to have a really negative opinion of Tige but was in a mid 90's 20i this weekend and it was really a decent boat. I think TAPS is overhyped, but that might be a way to go. From what I have heard the Nautiques with the TSC and TSC 2 hulls are really hard to weight.

Derek, it might drive like a Lexus, but it sure gets out of the hole like a Pinto ;)

Nick, tough shot. Like when Bibby rounded the screen roll a couple years ago and drove the dagger home. I guess when the six year old outgrows a 2K wake we'll have to upgrade to a real boat, huh? Or put a blower on it, maybe.

Try Supra's new Launch LTS. Take it for a spin and judge for yourself how versatile this boat is. It is cross training taken to the max! It delivers tournament skiing capability, but with ballast, tower, and hyd. wakeplate it can deliver the sweetest wakes for boarding. Sounds like a commercial huh!!!!!!!

MC Prostar 209 or x9-see my profile
great shortline wake, tracks nicely in the course @ 34 & 36..press the button, fill the ballast and bring on the crew...fantastic wake board wake..I regularly run shortline slalom through the course behind an 03 Nautique 196...shortline and in the course the 209 is comparible and regularily wake board behind x-10 and Malibu Wakesetter and when weighted up my 209-gives just as good wakes to ride and great control.
I believe when they launched it in 01-it won boat of the year and was the only rated boat that was world approved waterski and wake board boat.-noted that it could pull w.r.c. tourneys
best bet is find a Direct drive to offer versatility...and transition between salom and W/boarding..research which companies make a direct drive boat of that intention..then it boils down to personal preferance...as all the boats will "do the trick"
on that note: I am very biast to MC and for my purposes of use, I perfer my "9" over any boat I have been in/behind!

I also have an X-9 and love it. I pretty much do everything - slalom, kneeboarding, trick skiing, surfing, wakeboarding, hydrofoiling, etc.. It's very versatile.

I have a 21' '01 Sunsetter VLX that has the Diamond ski hull. Puts out a pretty flat wake for a V-drive and with the wedge down, center sac and two side sacs it puts out a decent wake for wakeboarding. Bigger than I'll ever need.

mastercraft x7 or x9

Derek, sorry, was kind of a joke. Didn't mean for you to take offense, Toyota makes a great boat from what I've seen.

Any direct drive will ski pretty well at shortline. The key is to try the wake at 32-36 Longline, 15', and 22'. Most boats don't have much of a wake past 32' off. I've got a '03 Centurion LaPoint Open Bow and it skis well and puts out a pretty good wakeboard wake.

David,

Test Drive the Nautique SV 211, it sound like is just what you are looking for. The wake is almost as large as the 210, it just does not have the dip down before the wake. The ski wake is next to none, I could even be AWSA approved. Do test drive them all and keep us informed...

If slalom skiing is more important get an X7 (it is a 197 with a tower and a ballast system). If wakeboarding is more important then you should get an X2. Unfortunately, there is know perfect boat for both. I faced this dilema and went with the X2.

X7, without a doubt.