V drive boats for slalom skiing or ski nautique 2001 ('89)

[schuey87]

I will start by admitting that primarily I am a wakeboarder. My brother and girlfriend are also wakeboarders, my dad is a slalom skier. We currently have a 1989 Ski Nautique 2001. It makes a good wakeboard wake, obviously a wakeboard boat makes better, but for an old boat it is pretty good. Not so much of a great ski wake. Even at 28mph, it is a BIG bounce across the wake in comparison to a newer 196, a prostar 190 or a malibu response. The boat we currently have is my dads boat.

 

We are looking to upgrade within the next year, once we do 75% of the boat will be mine. We are in the UK so it's hard to tell you our budget because boats cost different amounts in the US compared to the UK, but essentially the price of a 2003-2004 Mastercraft X-2 in good nick is in the region of our budget.

 

The difficult thing is that we want a boat that can do everything better than our current 89 Ski Nautique 2001. Now I am quite up to date with wakeboard boats, and knowing what boats produce what types of wakes with how much ballast etc etc. My dad doesn't know much about ski boats and ski wakes, other than he'd like a softer smaller wake at 28mph than what he's currently got.

 

Knowing wakeboard boats, I'd love a V drive, but my dad is still going to own 25% of the boat, so if a V drive such as an 03-04 X2 doesn't improve the ski wake at 28mph over our current 89 Ski Nautique 2001 it's off the cards. So what is the ski wake like behind such a boat at those sort of speeds? And can you reccomened any other boats?

[jipster43]

I'd look into the Mastercraft X7. If I was in your shoes, it's the boat I would get.

[ToddL]

I would think that in general, it is much harder to force a wakeboard boat to have good slalom wakes, than it is to force a slalom boat to have good wakeboarding wakes...

 

Nautique has the Sport 200 v-drive. Add some agressive ballasts...

 

See also:

http://waterskimag.com/features/2008/08/05/the-v-drive-shoppers-guide/

[unksskis]

96-98 MC Prostar 205

[Ed_Obermeier]

'95 - 97 MC 190 with a pylon and sacks can make a surprisingly decent wake for intermediate level boarders, plus the fact that it's an excellent slalom boat. If you or your dad are anything even aproaching serious about slalom skiing, V-drive's make terrible slalom boats. Period. Haven't been in a new Nautique 200 V-drive so that may be the exception, don't know. But doesn't sound like it's anywhere near your price range either.

 

Ed

[6balls]

Unksskis has a good suggestion. A buddy had one of the 205's of that vintage and it was a good compromise for space, slalom, wakeboard, and we even barefooted it some with as many as 3 200 lb barefooters simultaneously.

[skier2788]

I personally like an 04 Malibu with the wedge. A guy on our lake has one and I can run all the way up to 35 off behind it. Then the tower gets in the way. After I can put down the wedge and go throw a backflip on my wakeboard. good all around boat.

[Wish]

Malibu Sportster with a wedge.

[unksskis]

FYI, the Prostar 205 was an AWSA approved towboat. Doesn't have 196 wakes, but has pretty decent slalom wakes, especially compared to the 190's of similar years. The 96-98 is the same hull that the original X-star, or 205V have. Slalom it will get the job done, and for wakeboarding the shape is nearly perfect, and the size is easy to get good enough for most wakeboarding. It is, in my opinion, the best all around multi-sport boat ever made, however the new Sport 200V could be the next, but there's no way I can afford one of those at this time.

[rodltg2]

Don't have any experience with it, but how about an ps214/x14.

[Bulldog]

Wish is right, I have a 2005 Malibu sportster with a wedge and the wakes are perfect for slalom and when the wedge is down the ramp is plenty big for the knuckle draggers, I have even surfed behind my boat. Do not buy a v-drive for slalom.