First time boat buyer, needs general info

Hi all,

I am considering buying a wakeboard boat. I have never owned a boat, but have grown up around them and on them. I used to fish water fish as a kid and as of recent years have been deep sea fishing on my dads boat. I am seriously interested in buying a wakeboard boat. I want to see if anyone has general info about buying my first wakeboard boat? I know Hours are something to watch but condition of boat, motor etc are what really count. Can anyone give me advice on what manufacture makes a good first time buyer wakeboard boat. My family and I would like something that can pull wakeboards, tubes, ski's. I still love to fish and dont mind fishing out of it either. I guess what I am getting at is I just want more info to help my research out. Also I dont think I can afford anything above $35K. I would like to buy used!

I suggest you look into these brands. Oh yeah... and spend a month reading this forum (w/out posting) so you can ask more specific quesitons next time.

Happy shopping.

Malibu
Mastercraft
Nautique
MB Sports
Supra
Moomba
Supreme
Calabria
Sanger
Tige
Centurion
Epic
Axis

Hey thanks,

Yeah sorry about that. I realized I should have been more specific after I wrote that. Two of my co workers have Natiques. They both said look into malibu, nautiques, and mastercraft. Seems that those 3 manufactures seem to be the most expensive and I was just trying to get some feed back about the other brands into which ones were a decent boat for a first time boat buyer. I have been trying to read and watch videos about most of the brands you have suggested and the types of boats they make. Well thanks again!

You'll eventually want one of the big 4 malibu, nautiques, Centurion, and mastercraft so start looking at those. Some people like a couple of the sea ray models to wakeboard but....Tandem trailers tow a ton better then single axles, this is big for those long drives to go camping. For under 35k you can find very good boats used though.

Personally if that was my price limit I'd look at the mastercraft X-2 (non-pickle fork) which is the xstar up to 2004 then switched to the X-2 and now the X-1 (http://www.mastercraft.com/boats/overview/x1).

Also plan for the insane gas prices, luxury taxes, board equipment, talk to your insurance agent to get those costs, city ordinances for where to park it, etc

Just a few idea and thoughts. Good luck....

Ok thank you for the good info and feedback. My buddies have said to look at those exact brands. I am familiar with tandem trailers as my Dads fishing boat is on one and we have towed it from SF to SD. I agree with you there on that. ok Ill keep my eye-out for and x-2 or new x-1. the main thing is that I have only wake boarded once and it was fun but Im afraid that other people might have a hard time or myself with the more pro style of wake. but thanks again and Ill start to look toward those boats.

If you want deep sea fishing capabilities and an amazing wakeboard wake, you can't beat the Mastercraft CSX220!

Narrow down your search by picking a size range and whether you want a V-drive or D-drive. If they aren't important it's no big deal.
Smaller is easier to tow and park, uses less gas, and costs less usually. Bigger is more stable and accommodates more people on board.
V-drive gives you a single open seating area and large storage areas. D-drives split the seating area up.
Decide how important rough water ride is for you. Many have quite a flat hull and pound some on the waves but the wake is very good and the draft is low. Some like Centurion and Sanger have better rough water handling but the draft is greater.
Test drive or ride in several to get an idea of what things your like or dislike. Have fun.

I'VE seen alot of 1st time buyers go with moomba alot of bang for the buck. all wakeboard boats are pretty expensive.axis also is a new bang for the buck boat,although i don't know anyone that has one . but i,m sure you will hear from some as i know they are out there.

even though i personally hate mastercraft b/c of my experiences with a brand new boat i owned and 3 seperate awful dealers i'd suggest an 05 ish x2 or newer x1 or a 03-05 210 nautique

If interior size is factor, Malibu's VLX and LSV and Sanger's 215 and 230 have a great deal of room compared to other companies.

Thanks everyone for the help. I have been looking on craigslist a lot and boattrader. My girlfriends uncle has a 1999 Sanger D-Drive with a little over 220 Hrs, Her other Cuz is also the mechanic for the boat and has been taking care of it for him. He said he would give me a good deal. Can you wake surf behind a D-Drive or is a V-drive a better choice for that? As for seating I would rather have a V-Drive but if everything came together then buyn a family members used boat might be a better way to go. Ill keep looking! thanks again everyone!

I would say just go ahead and get a V drive. You already stated you would rather have a V drive so might as well go that route. Otherwise you are most likely going to replace the Direct drive with a V drive in a year or two. You can surf a Direct drive but it isn't going to be as nice or as easy as surfing a V drive.

Moomba, Sanger, are excellent for the first time boat buyer and stick with a Vdrive for Wakeboarding. Old Xstar hull would save you some $ as well. Or maybe the Original Super Air Nautique. Good Luck with your purchase.

I've tried surfing behind a direct drive Sanger (2001 SangAir) and "that dog doesn't hunt". Look for a v-drive!

If you want a boat that can wakeboard, wakesurf and waterski then you must look at the Sanger V215. It's a v-drive that performs like a direct drive. I think it's the best skiing v-drive on the market. The best part is it's a great wakeboarding boat and good surfing boat (when properly weighted). Sangers are great built boat and you don't to pay a ton of money for the sticker on the side of the boat. For $35k you could get a newer Sanger!

Granted, most people on this site are brand-loyal (including myself), so always take what they say with a grain of salt.

I saw some really nice (sub $35k) Malibu's on onlyinboards.com yesterday. Check it out! I have only owned a 2005 Malibu VRide, and loved everything thing about it. I think it's a great "starter" boat. Add some weight to the bow, and you'll have a really fun wake. Have fune with it. I shopped around for about a year and a half before purchasing.

Since it looks like your not a hard core wakeboarder yet I would look into a V drive that gives you more creature comforts than an xstar x2 x1 (205v hull). I own this boat and things get tight in there real quick. It has only a 90" beam. Shockingly enough even going with an older CC that has a I think 92 or 93 inch beam makes things more spacious. If its all about wake then I would say MC or the CC but if your looking for something a bit more spacious really look at Malibu and Tige. I do not know anything about Sanger but they are popular out where you are. I wish my boat was bigger. Good luck man and keep an open mind.

I know where you can get a used Wakecraft pretty cheap. Might be a little wet, but I am sure they will sell it for next to nothing.

Going off your profile I see that you are from California. That is good for a boat buyer as every small/large, expensive/value brand is represented fairly well in your area. I don't think you can make blanket statements like "resale is better on brand A than on Brand B". It is all relative to what you paid for the boat. Seeing how you are a beginner with a family I would try and get a boat that is on the roomy side with deeper freeboard and lots of storage. The ski wake might suffer some looking at boats that are bigger/deeper but just get something with a trim tab so you can make up for it a little. A trim tab will also help the rough water ride of a boat as well as make the wake very adjustable while on the fly.

Honestly I don't think Mastercraft or Nautique make a boat in the 35k range that is a great beginner boat. Both the Super Air Nautique 210 and the original Xstar(205v) hulls are legendary wakeboarding machines but they lack room, storage, rough water ride of the newer and other brand boats. Nautique doesn't make another worthwhile option at $35k unless you can find a SV211 and I don't really think the X30 mastercraft is that great of a boat other than it is big. Something along the lines of a Tige 22v or 22ve, Centurion Avalanche, Elite V, Enzo, Sanger V215, V230, older Malibu VLX, LSV, I have even seen some 05 VLX's or 04 LSV's for ~35k, Supra 22SSV, 24SSV, 21V, Calabria Pro V, Moomba Mobius LSV(06 or newer), XLV.

Make sure and get a boat with perfect pass. It is the best invention ever for a wakeboarding/ski boat.

Basically you need to go drive/sit in a bunch of boats at see what is important to your family.