2006 Sanger V215

Had a chance to ride in the Sanger V215 on the weekend. Wow! All I can say... is if someone is looking to get into a brand new tournament wakeboard boat without having to re-finance the farm... Take this boat into careful consideration. Fully loaded it is still $10,000 less than the big names.

It is a dream to drive if you get into some choppy water.

The wake is great. It wasn't as sensitive as other boats I have been in with side to side weight etc. It was the same shape on both sides of the wake. Boat didnt lean or pull to one side.

Very impresses... as I wasn't expecting anything great... but was taken by surprise.

That is one of the top reasons to buy a Sanger...great handling in chop, on fast turns, or with a lot of weight.

"as I wasn't expecting anything great" Don't you read wakeworld, ha ha.

ive found you almost have to try to make the wake uneven, espically with just the factory ballast.. for the price it was the best boat i could find.. i didnt even demo one before i bought mine!

I'm glad to hear such good things about the Sangers.. I'm gonna try and test one in the next month or 2...I'm not planning to purchase until next spring, and Sanger is in my top 3 of boats to try... Because of features and price, its the leading favorite, but I want to be thorough as well...
One question though... what dont you like about your Sangers?

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quote:

what dont you like about your Sangers?

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I don't like the graphics on the newer Sangers.

the only knock i have is that after a few years the vinyl doesnt seem to hold up as good as malibu, mc or cc...

A lot of people complain about the low freeboard, but that was the only thing I could find negative in my research for a boat. Some people aren't to excited about the Mercruiser engine, but you can get it serviced almost anywhere.

Richard,
I think the vinyl is better these days.

I've owned three Mercruiser's and haven't had any issues to speak of.

Angry Mike;

You just cannot go wrong with a Sanger. I have an 04 215 and I load it down pretty good and have had Zero problems with it. The biggest news is to stay tuned for the new towers. They are being made in house. From what I hear they are one of the better looking towers made. They hope to have the final version soon. Sanger may not jump in to all the latest trends with everybody else but they also don't add things without knowing they are going to work. Oh and look to see ballast bags instead of tanks. I knew I could convince Scott it was a better route

Why the knock on Mercruiser? As opposed to what? Indmar?

And why are Ballast bags better than tanks?

Also, when you guys say low freeboard, are you talking the deck floor? Or the upper part/edge of the hull? ( i.e. too sharp a turn makes it feel like you can sink the rear corners!)

Thanks!!
Mike

(Message edited by angrygolucky on August 15, 2006)

I didn't knock the Mercruiser, I just wrote that some people aren't to excited about the Mercruiser engine, as opposed to say Indmar or PCM which are more ski/wake specific as opposed to the Mercruiser. The mercruiser engine is probably in more boats than either the PCM or Indmar, but some people don't like it for some reason.

Ballast bags are better than tanks for some people since they allow more storage when empty and can be changed out for larger bags more easily. On the other hand some people like hard tanks better since they most likely will never get a leak and they can place weight in specific areas, for instance on the SAN 210 the weight is placed more toward the rear of the boat by using a tapered tank. Other boats place the ballast in the floor, either in tanks or encapsulated in the actual structure of the hull. Some people think that the encapsulated ballast system could leak with the flexing of the hull and make for a very difficult repair. Bags are the most easy to repair if they ever do leak. I don't think I could even get the belly tank out my SAN 210 if I had to.

We have an '04 V215 also. There really isn't anything that I DON'T like. It doesn't have all the "Bling" that other boats have so when comparing them visually, it may seem plain inside.

The one thing that we had added that I wish came stock was the jump seat. While our jump seat works, I wish it matched the rest of the boat.

As far as hard tanks vs bags are concerned, I like the hard tank simply for the storage factor. I KNOW how much storage I have and can plan accordingly. If I had bags, I imagine the locker getting over stuffed and having to rearrange things when the ballast is full.

Good luck with your search. I don't think you will find anyone with anything really negative to say about their Sanger.

I also have had two mercs and have had no problems. I will have to disagree with the eveneess of the wake, and sometimes have a hard time getting it even, other than that, the boat is flawless, woudlnt buy anything else if given the opportunity. I will also have to completely disagree with the bags instead of hard tanks, IMO, this is a step backwards. I personally would not buy a boat with bags instead of tanks.

Actually Renee, you've given me the most feedback, and were the one who turned me on to Sangers in the first place!
We'll see once I can actually get out and see these things... Looking forward to it! ( just need to get a damn day off first!)

06 V215 here. Only thing negative is why the hell did I wait so long. Great to hear about the boat after a couple of years and still no problems. As far as Mercruiser goes they have been building marine engine since the beginning of time so there should be no issues. Also they are a huge company that should stand behind their product. I agree with Renee and Craig on hard tanks rather than bags because of the storage and re-arrangement issue but also due to the fact that they are zero maintenance. Now on to the graphics issue I chose an all white hull with the V215 graphic on the side. IMO looks very classy and clean. I did get the bling package so interior looks as good if not better than some other boats i have seen (IMO of course). In my personal experience the wake of this boat has helped me progress this season 10X more than with my old boat (granted it was an I/O) but the shape of this wake is very friendly for all riding abilities. Great boat and if I'm in the market again this would be the first boat I would consider. And that is not just owner goggling.

I hope tanks are offered as an option, bags suck arse IMO

To many people are knocking bags because of the old technology in the construction and they did leak. I will debate the issue of tanks not leaking, since I see a lot of boats with tanks in them there have been several problems with fittings breaking and seams busting on the tanks. That does not make them bad and it does not make bags better but for me I prefer bags for several reasons. I now have 400lb sack in each rear locker (witch if you have hard tanks you only get 250lb)and if I ever get off my lzy arse, I am going to install the false floor like you see in the Supra 24V and on the SAN 210. The thing I like about bags is the extra storage I have when family time comes around and I don't need the bags filled I get all my storage back. Fly High Extreme sacs are virtually indestructible now. They are made out of river rafting material and take abuse very well. To each his own I see the benefits of hard tanks but I also see the benefits of not having them. JUST ADD POP BAGS>>>>>

(Message edited by sanger215guy on August 15, 2006)

Bags are good, hard tanks are good. What I do know is that 100lbs of sand (two bags) on each side in the way back do more than the hard or soft tanks (250lbs) filled. I run 2 bags in each rear locker and another two under each front seat. That 400lbs with a full tank gets me a HUGE wake. Will have some pics Friday. It's because the weight is focused more towards the back of the boat. IMO, I would love to see hard tanks that took up the entire floor and were low, instead of the side tanks. Also, if the tanks were dimensionally built to be higher in the back we would have more weight in the back. This would allow for boards to fit in the locker among other things. Right now, the space left in the locker is not wide enough for a board or a wakeskate. One more thing, if this is changed, I would love to see a locking rear hatch. This way I could leave my gear on the boat in a locked storage bin. Theft deterrent is better than nothing. All IMO.

Uhmm...You mean like the SAN tanks?

No complaitns with my 05 V215. I don't care ffor paying all the extra just for bling that I can cusomtize myself. Plus it makes it easier on me since I am a neat freak and have kids on board alot. I don't have to over stress..

Hard or soft tanks, I just think it good to have the option. I prefer hard, like Renee said I can plan.

Renee is guilty of truening me on to Sanger also

As for the wake, never had a problem adjusting, found it to be very easy.

Gary you have to spill the beans on the tower!!
will it flow further back like the MC, so the music isn't blowing people out of the boat, maybe spinners?????

Renee I am considering a jump seat, how much and any picks?

Mike - that's right! We did have a lengthy conversation about that!

Kenny - I ordered my jump seat from Sanger. They had Wayne their apholstry guy do it.

Have you considered a jump stool? I made this little seat with no back. It plugs in above the extra battery in the observers storage.

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?t=34294

After thinking about it a lot, I decided on Fly-High custom quick connect bags for all three bags on my 06 V210. Takes less than a minute to pull or install all three, they don't leak at all, (completely "O" ring sealed), and I can't see how you would even get in the rear compartments to do any engine service with hard tanks. Because mine is a late 06 with the completely re-designed interior layout, there was no hard tanks made yet, but I wanted bags anyway. You can't go wrong with any of the Sangers' IMHO.

Sparky, what did they change in the interior on a "late '06?"

I bought a Malibu VLX Last August and have spent the last year wishing I bought the Sanger. Everytime I take off and have to look over the bow going up, I remember the Sanger had no bow rise at all. Bu also seems to swamp easier in front.

Plus in Sacramento the Sanger dealer was all class & the Bu dealer ownership sucks.

You will have to explain what bow rise is, people with Sangers have no concept of it. At least there is a ready market for VLX's kick it on and pick up a new V215.

Just a little to say on the Mercruiser. We had it in a '92 Malibu, put 1400 hours on it without a single issue. Then we had an '02 Centurion with the 315 Merc in it, in 235 hours the thing was in the shop no less than 5 times and had considerable issues, including not starting for no apparent reason at all. The '03 Centurion we have had also been virtually problem free, but has had one issue with belt alignment. We went through 6 belts on the '02 as the dealer could never seem to line them up. Only one on the '03. I'm sure all the engine companies have their issues, but this changed my opinion somewhat on Mercruiser.

Duncan, in a nutshell, they made the 210 almost identical to the 215 inside.

Thanks sparky. I have an '06 v210 as well and it is different from the '05's (new drivers seat, molded floor in the drive seat, passenger back rest only flips up etc.) did they do something else to "late" 2006's ?