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semi

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Anyone here know anything about ski boats? wakeboard type boats? currently looking for a used boat but don't know much about the brands etc.... or even what we want. Not many forums on these type of boats.

Malibu, Mastercraft, moomba, Natique etc.... Trying to find something in the late 90's or 2000's but don't know what to be wary of.
 
Yes, if you have any specific questions I would be happy to answer them.

Without knowing much of what you are looking for, for wakeboarding or surfing I would at least recommend a boat with a V-drive. Those started showing up around 99 or 2000. This means that they moved the engine from the center of the boat to the back of the boat. It makes the boat feel a lot roomier and it moves the weight of the engine to the back which is better for wakeboarding and surfing.
 
semi said:
Anyone here know anything about ski boats? wakeboard type boats? currently looking for a used boat but don't know much about the brands etc.... or even what we want. Not many forums on these type of boats.

Malibu, Mastercraft, moomba, Natique etc.... Trying to find something in the late 90's or 2000's but don't know what to be wary of.
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I'm sure there are some here more knowledgeable than I, however I have some knowledge specifically on the older ones. Nautique, Mastercraft and Malibu are the big three, traditionally Nautique and Mastercraft were the go to names but Malibu started making a big push in that time period, and provided alot of bang for your buck. Moomba and Supra are the same brand, with Moomba being the no frills budget model, and Supra the higher end boat. Centurion is another boat I would look at as well.
 
I am definitely not the most knowledgeable, but my dad has a nice Boston Whaler Vantage that is a ton of fun to wake board behind. The Mastercraft are also incredibly nice.
 
found some older 95-99 model year malibu's.. i have my eye on a 2006 mastercraft as well with the motor in the back. I believe its the X2, but its more costly. Do you guys know of any motors to stay away from? I heard the Ford motors are no good, etc.. Thanks for your help on this. going to look at a few tonight so i will certainly get back with questions.
 
A friend of mine, does all the marketing for Cobalt Boats.
 
semi said:
found some older 95-99 model year malibu's.. i have my eye on a 2006 mastercraft as well with the motor in the back. I believe its the X2, but its more costly. Do you guys know of any motors to stay away from? I heard the Ford motors are no good, etc.. Thanks for your help on this. going to look at a few tonight so i will certainly get back with questions.
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Is it for skiing, wake boarding or mixed?
 
basically I would go for what appeals to you. boats gotta look good. That being said, We love the 84 Chris craft scorpion 210 as a great all around boat. water skiing, wake boarding, just fun.

Its a deep v design so motor in the back, its a 5.7 mercruiser, so basically a small block chevy engine. easy to service parts not expensive, but just remember this.

B - Break
O - Out
A - Another
T - Thousand

as the saying goes.

Good luck on your search. I personally like an open bow, at least 21 foot, with a nice V8.

:)
 
Man they are all so nice these days.

Mastercraft, Air Natique, tige, moomba, Calabria, Malibu, the list goes on!

Check out inboardsonly.com


Sent from my Verizon iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Supras are sweet too!


Sent from my Verizon iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Wake said:
Is it for skiing, wake boarding or mixed?
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kneeboarding, wakeboarding, surfing and skiing. Gotta do it all. I looked at a 98 last night and it was in rough shape. Very faded from the sun, water in the bottom of the boat. I think i am going to have to pony up more money to get a good one.

I already have 3 boats including a Ranger Reata Fish and Ski at 19 feet. Just looking for a pure ski boat that can pull multiple skiers and wakeboarding with a boom to train the kids.. Can't do that with my Reata. The Reata has a 175 hp 4stroke and although it can tow, i have it set up for tournment fishing mostly and even with the 175 it doesn't yank a 200lb guy like me out of the water on a wakeboard. Ski boats have that ability and makes it far easier to train the younger ones.
 
any comments on a MasterCraft X2? has a ski boom. BTW, can you collapse those to get under a bridge?
 
semi said:
any comments on a MasterCraft X2? has a ski boom. BTW, can you collapse those to get under a bridge?
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They are great boats, The X2 is just the replaced X Star. So when they release a new x star, the old x star (which is the top of the line wakeboard boat) stays in the lineup as the X2. That is the way it used to be and assume it still is on the newer models.

When you say ski boom, I assume you mean tower that stands above boat? That is typically refered to as a tower. That is for wakeboarding, a "ski boom" extends out to the side of the boat and is typically used for barefooting or teaching someone to ski.

For what it is worth an X2 is not going to be a wakeboard boat, you can do some very recreational skiing behind it, but it isn't really a ski boat. If you are thinking about using it for both a Prostar 209 or X9 would be the better bet. The X2 would be better for straight wakeboarding, but if you intend to do any slalom skiing, especially on a course, it is not at all ideal.
 
yes, sorry i meant a tower. Mainly going to be used for skiing, tubing, wakeboard, maybe try surfing. It has the KGB ballasts installed. WE are by no means professional, just getting into a ski boat for family activities. Have a 2nd home on a lake that we spend most of the summer weekends at.

it has the 350 hp motor as well.
 
semi said:
yes, sorry i meant a tower. Mainly going to be used for skiing, tubing, wakeboard, maybe try surfing. It has the KGB ballasts installed. WE are by no means professional, just getting into a ski boat for family activities. Have a 2nd home on a lake that we spend most of the summer weekends at.

it has the 350 hp motor as well.
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No worries, just making sure you didn't run into any confusion in the future. I think it will fit your needs nicely, have a link?

Someone already mentioned inboards only, also check out team talk, lots of info on mastercrafts there.
 
semi said:
yes, sorry i meant a tower. Mainly going to be used for skiing, tubing, wakeboard, maybe try surfing. It has the KGB ballasts installed. WE are by no means professional, just getting into a ski boat for family activities. Have a 2nd home on a lake that we spend most of the summer weekends at.

it has the 350 hp motor as well.
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I think an older X2 would be a great boat for what you are looking for. Its basically the V-Drive version of the Prostar 205, which was a tournament approved three event boat. With the motor in the back, it will add a little bit of a peak to the wake but it is still very ski-able. The beauty of that boat is that if the kids progress with wakeboarding, you can add more weight and turn it into a pro calibre wake. What motor does the boat you are looking at have? How many hours?

Another brand that I will mention that is not too common outside of CA (& sometimes Texas) is Sanger. They make a heck of a boat and can often be found at a very good price. The V215 would fit what you are looking for nicely.

Another thing to look out for is boats that have been used in salt. IMO I'd never buy a boat that wasn't fresh water only. You can only clean them so well and the salt will start to eat away.

How much are you hoping to spend and where are you located?
 
The X2 has the 350 hp motor and has 300 hours. Live in Wisconsin and the boat was kept on a freshwater inland lake. Asking 40k, but i won't pay that. NADA said somewhere between 32 and 37 ave retail. Does anyone know what kind of draft these boats have, Can they be used in 3 feet of water which is the approach to my dock?
 
semi said:
The X2 has the 350 hp motor and has 300 hours. Live in Wisconsin and the boat was kept on a freshwater inland lake. Asking 40k, but i won't pay that. NADA said somewhere between 32 and 37 ave retail. Does anyone know what kind of draft these boats have, Can they be used in 3 feet of water which is the approach to my dock?
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Sounds about right for an X2, year and condition dependant. NADA may say one thing, but supply/demand and the Mastercraft name will say another.

These boats are all either direct drive or v-drive, which means they have a drive shaft that goes through the hull and attaches to the prop. Behind that is the rudder. Those usually extend roughly 18 inches below the hull. Depending on the width of the hull, weight of the boat/passengers etc etc, the draft would likely be in the 24-36 inch range. This is obviously just a guess. These boats do not handle striking the bottom well as it doesn't take much to bend a prop or rudder, when things get out of alignment you run the risk of causing damage to the shaft seal, v-drive and motor. I think with 3 feet you would be fine, especially if you are going slow but again, best to keep these boats with plenty of clearance.
 
thank you, great advice
 
The X-2 is a fine boat, but you can find something that will do everything you are looking for for much cheaper than 40K. We paid less than that brand new for our Wakesetter in 2000.
 
GolfFest said:
The X-2 is a fine boat, but you can find something that will do everything you are looking for for much cheaper than 40K. We paid less than that brand new for our Wakesetter in 2000.
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Ski boats have SKYROCKETED since then. A new wakesetter today can run you 150K plus. Its crazy.
 
Wake said:
Ski boats have SKYROCKETED since then. A new wakesetter today can run you 150K plus. Its crazy.
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Yeah they have gone up a crazy amount. It means that a 16 year old boat depreciated very slowly. Still you can find boats around that year for around the 20K mark now.
 
GolfFest said:
The X-2 is a fine boat, but you can find something that will do everything you are looking for for much cheaper than 40K. We paid less than that brand new for our Wakesetter in 2000.
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Wake said:
Ski boats have SKYROCKETED since then. A new wakesetter today can run you 150K plus. Its crazy.
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Wake, I was going to say the same thing. My dad bought his Mastercraft Prostar 205 in '98 for $38k, I don't believe they sell a single boat for twice that now.

Side note, after pulling up some used boat ads, I forgot how much it drives me crazy when people don't mention how many hours the boat has. :banghead:
 
TheHeez said:
Wake, I was going to say the same thing. My dad bought his Mastercraft Prostar 205 in '98 for $38k, I don't believe they sell a single boat for twice that now.

Side note, after pulling up some used boat ads, I forgot how much it drives me crazy when people don't mention how many hours the boat has. :banghead:
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Haha, I remember looking at 90s ski boats in 2007 or so, calling to find out how many hours they had, finding out they were in the 2000s.

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