Would I get a decent wake?

I'm looking for my first boat. My primary purpose will be wakeboarding and I'm not in the market for something real expensive. The boats I've been looking at have been glastrons, larsons, crownlines, etc from the mid '90's because they seem to be nice looking boats in my price range. Right now I'm looking at a '94 glastron 175SSV. Would I get a decent wake? Maybe with additional weight? Or am I just completely headed in the wrong direction here? I appreciate any input. thanks.

So much depends on the engine, many of the smaller i/o's are underpowered. If you have the power to add weight to the front and trim the motor up you can probably produce a decent wake. If it comes with at 3.0 liter I believe you will be disappointed or will quickly outgrow the capability. The biggest price difference in I/o's and inboards is the engine. If you get a Crownline with a 5.7 liter engine the price is equal to a Moomba, Centurion, Supra, Tige, etc.

IMO I/o's suck for wakeboarding. The wake will be small and it's really hard to hold speed. Find a V-drive or DD.

Get an old direct drive malibu, correct craft, or mastercraft. You can thank me later.

The 2001 Model natique's (88ish---92ish?) were like wakeboarding boats before their time. They suck for slalom, but make good starter wakeboard boats.

80's Nautique

Your way better off buying a used Nauti,Mastercraft or malibu IMO.
What kind of money are we talking about spending on your boat? Whats real expensive to you?

I agree with everyone - a used inboard would be the best thing, especially if your buying it for wakeboarding. I could see I/O if it was going to the family tube puller / glass wrecker.....but if its wakeboarding you'll outgrow the I/O quick like mobv said. Even if you need to raise your limit it would be worth it

Ran across a Supra Saltare for 8kthats a 23ft directanotther 5k and that boat would be sick.

Thanks for the info. That's good to know. I have time to look around for a while being from south dakota. It will be a good couple months before I will be doing any wakeboarding. I'm looking for something less than 10k if possible. Greg, where did you see the supra?

My first boat was a Glastron SSV 195. It had a modified V hull that was less deep than most I/O's . . . It's wake was small, but, got me started in the sport. The first time I rode behind a loaded inboard, all I could think about was replacing the I/O. The pic below was with no ballast and 4 people. I used to put about 700 lbs of sandbags in it and the wake got a little bigger. I recommend not buying a boat that is less than 18' in length. Good Luck.

Where you at in SD? I used to wakeboard at Sheridan, Pactola, and Angostora.

Those lakes are pretty nice. I'm from near sioux falls, but usually wakeboard at kampeska. Will probably be doing some boarding on the river at yankton this summer also.

I can get a pretty darn good wake out of my I/O. It's better than the Prostar 190 or Malibu Skier I've ridden behind. I/Os tend to have very different hulls from one another. The worst I've ridden behind was a Stingray. The best* is what I currently have: a late 80s to early 90s Sea Ray knockoff hull (a LOT of people stole that hull design). It can stay on plane at 20 mph with some help (tabs or hydrofoil stabilizer), can hold speed decently, and can kick up a good wake. The 4.3L engine has hampered me when trying to add weight but I can still put about 1500lbs in there and get up in a reasonable amount of time.

That being said, if your primary purpose will be wakeboarding, then I highly recommend an older DD that has a good hull for wakeboarding. That other wakeboarding site has a chart of good DDs to get for the price range you're looking for. I'd advise an older Mastercraft Tristar 220 or Prostar 205. They can make a good wake weighted properly, don't have wooden hulls to rot on you, and are fairly reliable as older boats.

If this is your first boat, get one that doesn't depreciate much in value. There's usually a significant gap between what you think you want in a boat and what you actually want in a boat. You'll probably be selling this one in a year or two.

One last thing: keep in mind that I/O or not, you're still going to need to add weight to get the most out of your boat.

* I am talking in the context of I/Os, not overall.

(Message edited by hal2814 on February 28, 2007)

cobalt wakes are big and really steep when trimmed right, however you can get a nice wakeboard boat for the price of a cobalt. go with a 82-89 ski nautique 2001. you can NOT beet it for the price. heres a wake pic. however search around and there are better wake pics out there