took delivery of wakecraft

i took delivery of my new wakecraft demo boat this weekend . here are some pics. the pics of the wake are at different settings with the speed and trim plate but i dont know which pic is what settings. i did howbver have the ballast tanks almost full and i was by myself.

some more pics,,,

i wish i had some pics of us riding but my camra man sucked an kept missing the shots.

the tower on this boat is stout!! no noise or flexing . also the double up's are amazing.

Great looking boat man!! I know many people will bash it being a new company and all, but I think its a sweet looking boat. Congrats!!

the second wake photo looks nice. let us know how it rides.

Looks impressive. Let us know how it holds up - any problems, minor or major. Also, keep us up to date on upholstry and electronics.

That second pic looks good, especially for stock wake. Looks like it has a nice shape.

Looks sweet. Congrats.

nice boat

Thats a sweet looking boat. You will get plenty of attention out on the lake with that ride.

Good luck, Hopefully it works out well for you

The wake looks killer in that second shot. The tower is a bit loud for me but to each their own. What is that disc behind the drivers seat? It looks like one of those old laser disc movies. Also is that a kick plate by the drivers feet? Is so that is a nice touch. If you get a chance take some pics of the dash up close, I would like to see the lay out.

Rod,


First off I applaud any manufacturer coming out trying to make a name for themselves. The pics of the wake look pretty good, esp. for only 1 person in the boat.

Please don't take these points below as anything other than constructive criticism:

- We took a good look at the Pleasanton boat show & the finish / lines were off in my opinion. IMO the finish product looked rushed for its debut.
- You also mentioned the tower was stout & not flexing. I would be concerned with that much stationary fiberglass attached to the tower. We have seen quite a few mishaps with similar designs as of late. Also, didn't Malibu recall their carbon fiber tower - pretty much that exact same design?
- Do they offer something besides the sideswipe exhaust, I have ridden in one of those boats & too loud for my taste.

Keep the pics coming though, wake looks enticing & wish you the best of luck with your new boat / endeavour.


Lzy

The wake looks great. That's what matters most.

I think the boat looks killer. The tower just looks a litle off to me.

It is a pretty nice looking boat, but a few things that nobody seems to get:

1. Sideswipe sucks. Yeah, it gets the exhaust away from a surfer, but it's sooooooo freakin' loud, your ears will ring for days afterward.

2. Arched sunpads are the silliest thing ever. If it's not flat and continuous, it's useless.

3. Fiberglass towers are an accident waiting to happen.

Just my 2 cents.

that looks really nice!

Love the boat, the wake looks pretty darn nice too!

Good Luck with it, personally, it's not for me though. To each, their own...

I hope you dont mind me asking. How much was that boat?

the tower is actually not entirely fiberglass. its some sort of composite material and it also has a metal support i believe aluminum that goes all the way up past the racks. that what the racks attach too. its not an accident waiting to happen. it is so nice, no rattling ,no movement, extremely sturdy and does not obstsuct your view. it also worked out as a great center point to tie the boat up on the dock. just wrap the bungee around the base to the cleat on the dock. boom your done.

i agree the sideswipe exhaust is loud and not for everyone. this boat is custom so if someone wants to order it with rear exhuast , im sure it can be done.

the sunpad seemed very comfortable to me. i think it looks more arched than it really is. my girlfriend loved it. most of the wakecrafts have been ordred with the center upholstered. i wanted it without becuase i have had to many clumsy friends rip my upholstery with the fin. that an it makes a non slip walk way. to really get the boat you have to see it and ride it person. pictures dont do it justice.

Rod, I am very impressed with the shots of the wake. Looks extremely clean and without much of a trough in my opinion. It also looks narrow. Would love to ride behind it. Congrats!

That wake looks sick. Looks like a massive lip on top.

Nice boat! ! !

(Message edited by wakesetter101 on January 29, 2007)

In our Wakecraft I'm having HPI custom make inline high performance silencers approved by PCM since I too thought the stock exhaust was a little too loud. They say it should quiet it down 8-10 db without any measurable loss of hp. This should help. Rod get two of your buddies to surf at the same time one on either wake. Would be a pretty cool pic.

Rod, I thought she wad your fiánce? Did you downgrade her?

Congrats on the boat, wake looks nice, emphasize on looks like a steep 210 wake!!

yes it is my fiance, oops.... yes the surfing should be fun. this first trip was out at a man made ski lake , so guests are limited and so is the wake ! when the public water warms up we will give it a go.

Rod, how deep is the man made lake?

Way to go Rod. We all wish you luck (so you can buy Sodar's boat ;). What are the service details? Any partnership with an existing dealer/shop?

I think it would look pretty good with a different tower, and a longer swim platform. Ok, guys it's time for my to clock out, I'll let one of you throw some different towers on...and touch up the gell.

the man made lake is about 4 1/2'. so i imagine out on a deeper lake the wake will be even better

That's what I was thinking....

Kool looking boat. I like a little arch in the sunpad, it adds to the curves of the rest of the boat.

Not a bad looking boat. Seems to me to have alot of "Malibu" lines in it. The bow of the boat and the deck above the rub rail looks alot like a Malibu to me. As well as the windshield and the dash. Not saying anything bad, just making an observation. Things I don't really like (My opinion):
-Tower: The lines and angle of it just doesn't look good. Don't like the graphics on it as well, but that's cosmetic.
-Flames: Personal preference and again, cosmetic.
-SunPad: Seems too small and curved. It looks like a cross between a Centurion and a Sanger. There's another boat it somewhat looks like as well but I can't think of it. It's the one with the diesel engine.
-Wheels on the Trailer: Hey, I like bigger rims as much as the next guy but those look hideous on that trailer. I think it's the big wheels on such a short trailer. I don't know how long that boat is but to me it looks like it's about 19' long. And with it being that short those wheels look out of place. Almost looks like a jacked up four wheel drive trailer! LOL!!
-Swim Platform: Too Small!!! This one blows me away that who ever designed that boat missed on putting a larger platform on there. As we all know, a larger platform makes it much nicer when putting on a board and helps with keeping the board away from the transom. If this boat was designed by boarders, this wouldn't have been missed.
-Seating in Walk-thru: It's a concept that is growing in popularity and it's great that you incorporated it into this boat. However, it seems too chopped up in the walk-thru. What's up with the small amount of vertical fiberglass behind the seat directly to the left of the driver? That could have been designed a bit better to be more creature friendly. Looks to me to be too choppy.


Now, other than that it's a nice boat and I give props to the guys/company that built it. The wake looks great! Clean and has a great lip on it.

(Message edited by Kraig on January 29, 2007)

Tower-Agreed 100% I would do just straight black

Flames-Not a fan of the flames. I would love to see wakecraft take a picture of one of their boats before it is painted with the flames and graphics and have them post it on here. Not sure if any has the capabilities of making that request happen on here but it would be cool to see.

Sunpad- eh with most sunpads you can fit what 3 girls laying down comfortably? This one they just have to squeeze a little bit closer together. Oh, and I believe your thinking of Sessions?

Rims-I agree about the rims. They wouldn't be my preference. I would actually request normal trailer rims for a reduced price over the 20"s

Swimplatform- Its actually a recessed platform that goes into the hull of the boat, thus taking away from storage space and making the swimplatform look awkwardly small from the side in an era of 3 foot swimplatforms ie Calabria

Eric the the graphics are in the gel. I'll post a pick of mine when they pop it out of the mold and get it looking like a boat in a few weeks. I went without the flames and a black and carbon tower.

That will look sick. I can't wait to see it

Thanks Eric, Sessions is exactly what I was thinking of but for some reason had a brain freeze.

No problem.

I'm really a huge fan of these boats. I personally like the malibu inspired lines, without the malibu price tag. If I had 60k this is how I would set mine up

They have a gunmetal, carbon looking color, towerless, then put on a titan III, no stereo(i personally find sony about as good as paper bayliner speakers), then do alpine head unit, polk speakers. No shower, graphics at all, flames or company logo, sideswipe.

We still haven't heard a price tag for these yet. You'd think since he already has this boat in stock that he would be telling us what the price of it is. Something tells me it's not cheap. Seems to me that all these "New" boat brands that are coming out are just as, if not more, expensive as the big boys.

50k What you see is what you get.

For a few grand more you can add a third amp another sub and a third battery and go Polk instead of Sony.

Fair enough. You guys have thought this thing through pretty well.

I think so. I've spent a year researching and almost buying but I went Wakecraft since its up to you to make it look the way you want. This way I knew I was getting everything I wanted for a very good price. Now I hope we get enough rain to fill these lakes and rivers. Third driest winter on record so far for us.

That boat is absolutely sick and if I ever buy a wake boat, I am getting a Wakecraft. That boat looks incredible and takes lots of the best features from other major makers. After looking at the long list of standard options you will see how great the deal is. Take and compare a Malibu, perhaps a Centurion or Mastercraft. Add all those features in cost and you will get a much more expensive price tag. I give major credit to Wakecraft. I am pissed that their is no dealer in Colorado, so they weren't allowed to be in our Boat show two weeks ago. Based on the details I have, the upgrade options would be more then 20K. The Engine upgrade alone is worth big bucks. Good Choice Rod!! I am quite jealous! I am not sure where you live, but I want to get on a plane with my new 2007 LF Shane and head out to get a tug. Should I bring my drysuit? haha! I am looking for a Crossover boat for the family, but I do all my wakeboarding behind a 2006 Centurion Avalanche C4.

You wont find dealers since they are factory direct. Owner referral system. Pretty sweet deal. Just tell them Rod sent you.

Hard to beat previous X1/X2 towers...

That tower looks AMAZING on that boat. I love it

I like the look of the boat much more with the MC tower.

No Dealers, intresting concept... What about Warranty Work, Parts, Repairs, Services, etc?

How does Wakecraft plan to support their buyers in the longtem?

last 2 pics of the wake look killer. i'm amazed at how fast they got this thing into production. like any other new product,there will be issues. but shouldn't be too tuff to work out. especially if they stand by their product. I think the boat looks great. props to wakecraft.

whats stock ballast on her?

Kevin, post pics ASAP. sounds sick.

IMO....The wake looks ok, but the rest of it doesn'•••••• great that you can get what you want, but can't you do the same thing with other boats makers? Plus you get the reputation of boat builder that has been making wake boats for many years. I would have spent my money elsewhere, just my opinion.

(Message edited by BBR on January 30, 2007)

(Message edited by BBR on January 30, 2007)

What's with the red dots??? I didn't swear.

Didnt Evil Knievel try and jump the Snake River in that thing? Is Pee Wee Herman their spokesperson?

I'm sorry, but that boat looks terrible. It looks as if they took the rear end off of a Rinker I/O, the midsection of a malibu, the paint scheme of the older MB B52's, the nose of a Svfara, the rear fall off line of the new Nautiques, the interior of a Bu and Tige, and ripped off Centurion with the Sideswipe exhuast and malibu with that fugly tower.

I'm all for new stuff, but too much of this boat seems 'borrowed' and rushed (especially the tower).

My $.02 for honest criticism.

(Message edited by sinkoumn on January 30, 2007)

Even if I liked the way the boat looked, I still wouldnt gamble $50K on a startup company with no dealer network. If that boat was a price point boat in the $30K range, I could see taking a gamble. With no dealer network to stand behind the product, I just dont see how this company can last. Think about how many times you have to get stuff fixed on a boat. Even when it is other manufacturer's products on your boat that has to be fixed, your dealer is the pointman and gets the job done. I hope anyone that would buy this boat know how to fix them, because if you think the manufacturer is going to send somone out to your house everytime something goes wrong, in a timely mannor, I need to get in the boat building business. Without a dealer, your are screwed, IMO...Please prove me wrong...

^ agreed

Where we live its over an hour drive to the nearest dealer for any boat. Wakecraft is only a 10 minute drive and will do all needed repairs ets and a local boat repair facility in town is PCM cert. 3 years on PCM and trany with 5 years for the rest with lifetime hull. Designed owned and operated by someone who helped put Malibu on the map, it's worth the gamble to me. But i do see the point that if you are across the country or even several hours away from the central valley of California it may be a deal breaker. I'm a water skiier who is looking to start surfing and wakeboarding. But I wanted a boat that can plane for skiing as well. This hull design does all that for us. Most of the Vdrives I've been around are too big a wake even at waterskiing speeds to enjoy some skiing IMO.

Nacho standard ballast is 1200 lbs.

Correct me if I'm wrong but what other company will let you design your own graphics in the gell as well as the pattern and seat designs inside? I'm just stoked to be getting back in the water finally!

i agree these boats will probaly be a california customer base at first . that is until someone outside of cali buys one and sets up a mechanic. i have set one up here in sac. area who will take care of all warranty work on the motor and tranny.

one thing you got to understand is tthat most of you are too focused on the gel scheme. the whole boat is customizable. you think malibu would let you design your whole gel scheme ... no way. you just pick the colors. there is a current wakecraft customer who is an electician and wants a lighning bolt. so that is what he is getting, not a sticker but in the gel.

evyone is entitled to there own opinion and obviosly the boat is not for everybody. it wasnt design to be a hardcore wakeboard boat alone. since a small percentage of buyers really are hardcore,this boat was desing to be a great crossover boat with great wakeboard wakes, surf wakes and decent waterski wake. all that with a fully loaded package at a good price..

i forgot to add , i agree the mc tower does look good on there. maybe even more so than on the mc!

JMO - the shape of the factory tower is what kind of misses for me. No curves, not swept forward or backward, kind of a straight easter basket hoop that is tilted forward.

Other than that, not a bad looking craft. Like other here, not a big fan of gigantic wheels on the trailers.

Had a friend who bought a go fast boat from a small manufacturer here in SoCal. Got a lifetime warranty on the hull. 2 years later, the manufact closed shop...Hope the hull is good....

Maybe I missed it but is there a relationship with PCM on this boat? The ZR6 logo is exactly identical to PCM's ZR6

"i have set one up here in sac. area who will take care of all warranty work on the motor and tranny."

Engines & Transmissions rarely have issues, so what about everything else? Is it the owners responsibility to get warranty work done from every sub-manufacturer you choose to use on the boat, and if so, how big is that network. For example, if a ballast pump goes out on me here in Florida, who is showing up at my door to fix/replace it?

IMO, the manufacturer is cutting out the dealer to sell directly to the end user, which equals more PROFIT to the manufacturer with LESS customer service to the owner...

" engines and transmission rarely have issues"

i wish that were true, i still would have my mc..

the mechanic can handle all repairs. but like i said wakecraft is not going after markets outside of california right now. thus no boat show's outside of cali. a huge majority of boats in the US are sold right here in central california. plenty of customers here for the time being. keep in mind this is the first year. you dont think rob shirly had a bunch a dealers right off the bat do you??

"i wish that were true, i still would have my mc.. "

Good call. Since MC makes their own engines and transmissions it has to be MC's fault...

BTW, what engine and transmission is Wakecraft using?

obviously it wasnt an mc problem, it was indmar. not typical but i had enough of the problems and it was time to move on. my point was that engines/tranny's do have problems regardless of what boat brand/ engine. its not that rare.
thats why it was also a concern of mine for service.

wakecrafts come standard with the pcm 375hp.

Sooo, unless I missed something from this thread, I assume the tower is fixed and not collapsible? Thus this boat will spend it's life outside or in a warehouse? If I missed something I stand corrected....

i give the company a year!

Actually it folds toward the back of the boat and rests about 3 inches off the sun pad. We backed the prototype up my driveway and it fit nicely in my garage.

of course the tower folds down, however i havent had too. if fits in my wareshouse and in my car port at home with it up..

OK, so I spend most of my life standing corrected, so nothing new! I like the boat,and a good looking ride. Expect to hear lotz of questions on the water this summer (I will most likely be standing in that line).Have fun, be safe, but take that boat to the limits! Prove its worth, or have first dogging rights...

Kevin and Rod. Be proud and put your Wakecraft in your profile!!

Scott I only hope folks ask about it this summer. I'll put my Wakecraft in my profile when they finish the boat. It comes out of the mold tomorrow. I'm going over Friday afternoon to check on the progress.

well my wakecraft demo has been sold. my next one will be due out in about a month. this one i will be doing a bit different. im going without the flames . doing a top rail in red, bottom hull in red and white middle. i will share some pics of the process from start to finish. i will definalty miss the first one. although only took it twice it performed well ....

Curious what did you sell it for? If you dont mind me asking.

Rod, are you going with a different tower on the next?

im keeping the same tower. although it seems a bit funky at first, its the nicest tower ive had. its so extremely solid and quite. plus has all the goodies built in.

Good Job Rod! I'm going to cruz over to Wakecraft tomorrow hopefully to find mine out of the mold. Congrts again.

i hope so becuase my goes in next!