Winter Purchase
 

Hi All,
This winter I plan on purchasing a new or slightly used V-drive to replace a 2002 Calabria D-drive (after various experiences this summer). My wife and I have realized that with a soon to be expanding family and increasing interest from friends to join us and multiple yearly river trips, we’ll need a bigger boat with more storage before next summer.

Primary uses will be split between:
30% Water-skiing (open water carving)
15% Wakeboarding
55% Wake Surfing

With that being said, my wife is concerned with storage and space (see d-drive). I am mostly concerned with wake quality, boat reliability and rough water handling.

I realize that our use of the boat is or can be quite conflicting when finding a boat that suits me. I realize that a Malibu VTX is likely the bread and butter of what I’m describing, but I am open to further suggestions as I think I can get more boat for my money. I am not focused on the “Big 3”.

My single largest challenge is dealer proximity. I live in San Diego and am limited to Axis, Malibu, Nautique and Tige within a 100 mile radius. With that being said, I’m willing to travel for a new/used boat purchase as far north as Sacramento or as far east as the Colorado River.

My budget is up to 60-65k new and perhaps locating a 2014 holdover. If I buy used, I’d prefer to stay around 40k to keep my payments lower. Boat will be paid off in 3-4 years. (Please avoid financial discussions in this thread).

Boats I am most interested in considering include:

Sanger v215 (possible XTZ)

This is the boat I am most interested in and perhaps fits best. Solid wakes, lots of storage, and quality craftsmanship are top notch. My problem is demo’ing one requires a 7-hour weekend vacation to Semper in Madera. Warranty work not related to the power train could make ownership stressful. I believe I can get a new one right around 50k (S Model) 60k (XTZ) or slightly used between 40-50k (2009-2012). Low free board is not a concern for my wife and I (see Calabria d-drive)

Axis T22

Solid wakes, lots of storage, should fit within the 60k or so price range. I plan on visiting the nearby dealership to address concerns with “quality materials” that I see thrown about so often here. Seems to be a solid alternative to the v215. Surf gate is a plus over the other boats in my price range.

Supreme S21/v226

This is a very intriguing option I’m considering. The S21’s sub-floor ballast is a plus. Surfing for either of these boats appears to be a slam dunk. Doesn’t look like it will heed well to open water slalom carving. Tons of storage and a high quality looking boat. It’s also the only pickle fork I seem to find appealing. The v226 looks huge and doesn’t look like it will remind me of my d-drive’s performance handling aspects.

Other boats I have considered but are not yet ready to check out (a little on the small side) include 2008-2010 Malibu VTX w/ DC hull, Nautique 200v, and Tige R20. Not too sure about Moomba yet as I think my feelings of the Axis will guide me on my concerns related to interior materials quality.

Thoughts? I will putting down a deposit the first week of January and I will be boat shopping the last 4 months of the year.