V Drive Question?????

Ok I know that V-drive boats are great for wakeboarding. My question is how can I relay that to a buddy of mine. We are looking at boats together and we are looking at a used X-star as wel as a Malibu LSV and an XTi. He really is into the XTi and I tell him that the V-drive LSV will give him a bigger wake and his reply is "why not just put weight were the engine would be in a V-drive? Am I in the wrong with telling him a X-star or LSV would be better suited for his needs. He says he wants a great if not the best wakeboarding boat. So what do I tell him?

The biggest advantage I see is that with the V-Drive your weight is at the very back and it doesnt change. Where as in a direct drive, with a full tank of gas, you have some weight at the back, but will get lighter and lighter as you use gas.

Also, V-Drive storage is nicer to hide away the extra sacks if you require more weight.

So if the intent is to be a more wakeboard specific boat... go with the V-Drive.

The only advantage I see in the Direct Drive is the servicing is sometimes easier.

At this point in time, V-Drives have better resale value.

A direct drive will throw the same wake if the weight is comparable. Problem is... you will be stepping over sacks!

X-Star or VLX. I think the LSV gives up a little bit as far as wake is concerned, due to the hull shape. The xti is more of an all around boat.

I have a couple friends that have / had XTi's. XTi's are actually more difficult to weight than a normal direct drive. The only good place in back is the middle of the floor, and/or all over the seats. Then you have the totally differently shaped areas on the sides of the motor... It's more of a pain that you might suspect.

Tell him to run a few searches here on WW.

In addition to the weight distribution there is also the shape of the hull that effects the size and shape of the wake.

A direct drive boat will probably have been built with slalom skiing in mind and thus the hull will be shaped to provide a small, narrow wake. Adding weight to the back will certainly make the wake bigger but it might not be shaped the way you would like.

When you say you are looking at boats together, do you mean that you are going to be partners on a boat, you are both looking for your own boat, or you are just going along with him when he buys his boat?

If it is not going to be your boat, then you might refer him to this forum but beyond that I would recommend just keeping your mouth shut.

I also recommend NOT going in as partners on a boat. I have never seen it work, but I have seen it fail miserably a number of times.

Thanks for the input guys. No we are not going in together just looking. He just took up wakeboarding this year and is hooked and has asked my advice and thoughts seeing that I ride with him all the time.
I am not steering him one way or another just offering my input and all that I have read has been the LSV is better suited for wakeboaridng than the XTI and of course we know about the X-star.

You have to remember that the LSV didn't get put on a "wakeboarding" hull until 2004...so if you are looking used keep that in mind. http://www.themalibucrew.com/forums/index.php?autocom=custom&page=hulls

For space configuration alone I love our V drive over the direct drive we used to have. Total PITA to have sacks and fat seats and crap all over with a dog house in the middle. If he ever has women on the boat they will appreciate the spacious convenience of a v-drive...plus they can tan on the back. I lived with a direct drive and sacks for three years and wouldn't buy one a second time even if the wake was comparable.