I rode an Epic 23V yesterday...impressions

My neighbor bought a used 2009 Epic 23V. I invited myself to take the maiden voyage with him.

The boat has 280+ hours on it and had been used by some sort of resort where you pay money and they already have and maintain all sorts of toys for you. They had several types of inboards, but told my neighbor that this one was the most popular.

I will give a few impressions and then ask for some basic advice as far as proper weighting and anything else that might benefit him. Hopefully he will invite me for a few more pulls.

Pros:
4,000 pounds of ballast is pretty awesome. I somehow thought that epic had a ballast system something like MB/Calabria, but this boat has simple pumps. The ballast was pretty quick for how much it is.
The interior was in great shape for aboat with 280 hours and I think if detailed properly, could look showroom condition. It has obviously held up well.
The guages are awesome, and even include a fuel flow meter.
I love the idea of speakers on the transom, but I forgot to have them turned up while I was riding to see if I could really hear them.
The wake was terrific. It was nice and solid, but not too steep. I got nice pop off of it and I am a very mediocre rider. My buddy landed a couple of 7's, so he seemed to like it OK too.

Cons:
For that much ballast, I thought it would be bigger.
The 8.1L could not get the boat on plane unless you put the trim tab down. Messing the trim constantly was a little clumsy, but I think it could be gotten used to.
The engine was running at 5,000 RPM and was loud as heck. The fuel flow meter read 19 GPH while wakeboarding. For $60 per hour, it better be fun.
The ballast tanks are so big that the floor is higher from the hull than most. Being tall, my knees sit way above my hips when I sit in the boat, that is sort of uncomfortable.
When turning a tight double up with a slight breeze coming at you, the water is sprayed into the boat and gets the occupants wet. Not good when it is 55 degrees outside. I would just make a note to myself to not drive a double up if there is not adequate room.
There is no ski pylon, so as far as a family boat, this aint it. You can pull tubes from the tower, but I would not do it. This boat was intended for wakeboarding only.