Former Jet Boat Owner

Hey guys,

I am new to this site so it's only proper to do a little intro....

Three years ago I bought my first boat for our small and young family, a 2006 SeaDoo Speedster SCIC. It's a small 215hp jet boat that only seats 4, more like a PWC with a steering wheel, but it did treat us good for our intended use at the time. I'm sure you guys aren't fans of jet boats, as "wake" is in the forum name. A few weeks ago I sold our boat and I'm now doing some research for our next boat.

Our kids are very young so tubing will be the first thing on the priority list, but I would like to keep our next boat for a long time and hope that our family can grow into it.

I first looked at the Yamaha AR195, which would fit our needs now, BUT, I expect our kids (and us) to want to learn how to wakeboard and wake surf. I have never done either but can't imagine anyone not enjoying either once they get the hang of it.

I can't justify spending more than $35k on a boat, I wish I could, but it's not in the cards at the moment, and probably won't be for a long time. I am in no rush to buy and am learning a lot from this forum.

Hoping to store it in my garage so length on the trailer (with a folded tongue needs to be at or under 21'6" or it will have to be stored outside, which I don't want.

Anyway, any feedback would be appreciated!

Welcome! So I had a 2011 Yamaha SX210 for 5 years. It was a great all around family boat, serving our needs well when the kids were little. Lots of space for a 21, dry ride, no prop to worry about. Ours was 100% reliable - literally not one thing ever went wrong with it. Exceptionally easy to maintain, too, as there is no transmission, no impeller, etc.. However, when we wanted to start doing more watersports aside from tubing it became clear that the boat was just not ideal for those activities. It could certainly be pressed into service but it just wasn't really designed for it. Last summer we sold it and moved on to a v-drive. Frankly, I couldn't be happier. The new boat is better in almost every way that matters to me. It is quieter (a lot quieter), rides smoother, is easier to drive under all conditions, is far better for any kind of watersports. On the downside, there's more to go wrong and there's a prop to consider in shallow water, it isn't quite as dry of a ride, and doesn't go as fast on top.

I would suggest that you're in a bit of a tough spot, as you can either buy a new boat like that for your $35K and it will likely suit your family fine for a number of years, or you can get an inboard that you won't outgrow but it will have to be probably 10 years old or more in order to fit your budget and will only get older each year. Even though I really liked our Yamaha and am glad we had it to get back into boating, I can tell you that if it were me, I'd look for the cleanest used inboard I could find in my price range and never look back. Othersie, I wouldn't be surprised if you're looking to upgrade as soon as your kids start to want to wakeboard.

Yea, prices on inboards are just gonna keep getting higher as the new boats cost more every year. Lucky for you, the best time to buy a boat, is winter! Find a good boat that is clean and has clearly been maintained well since when boats are neglected, lots of things can go wrong. Once you find what you like...pay a mechanic a few hundred to check it out. It verifies that you are choosing to spend your $35k well and will last you a long time..OR flip side is buying something that you will constantly be dumping money into, to keep running. Paying someone $300 to make sure your $35k toy is good to go, is smart money when you are new to this this kind of boat. Don't get me wrong, owning a boat is not cheap whether you have one that costs $25k or $125k... but adding mechanical problems to the mix can be costly and very stressful in middle of summer.
Inboard engines can pretty easily hit 1500hrs+ if taken care of. Some people get much less....some people get much more, just depends on maintenance and is the #1 thing you should look for. You are probably looking for something with around 400-500hrs. Higher is not always bad if documented oil changed at 50hrs, etc. Very low hours can sometimes create more issues since engines are meant to be used or they can corrode inside and have other issues.
You have a decent budget, you can find something nice if your take your time and do the research (but you do have to be ready to jump on a deal when presented or it will be gone). Biggest thing to keep in mind is that everyone has their own opinion and that doesn't make it right for you. Educate yourself, demo and find what will suit what you want. Perfect time to shop for boat tho is from Oct till Feb, only time of year its a buyers market

Your budget and the fact you aren't in a rush are going to be in your favor . Their are lots of boat that will suit your needs well . Id recommend searching out a smaller Vdrive . You can do some research and take a tape measure with you when your looking to see if the boats your looking at will fit in your garage. Most boats have a folding or removable trailer tongue and removable swim deck to help with getting it to fit the garage . Im a Sanger guy so of course Im going to recommend a Sanger v215 but I dont know the true length with the swim deck removed and the tongue folded in . Im sure someone here could tell you .

welcome! TONS of awesome vdrive boats in your price range. onlyinboards.com is run by Ian, a member here. great site and great place to start your search.
concur that a v215 would be an ideal boat for you, but may be tough to find you area. Do look for one, damn fine boat that would fit your purpose and a lot of boat for the $$.

you'll probably want to stick to a 20'ish boat to give yourself some wiggle room in the garage.

MC 205v/x2 would be my first pick
Supra 20 SSV
Tige makes a 20' also

enjoy your search!

Hey,

My first boat is a VLX 2004. It was a blast to tube behind, but that was only once. We got into surfing and almost 100% surfing. Wake boarding is why I bought it. Its a very small boat, simple and great. I got it with 550 hours but it had 70 on the engine. Since a mechanic didn't tighten the nut on the prop, it flew off and blew the original engine. So the guy had brand new engine put in and new well a lot of stuff. I had documentation of it all and talked to the mechanic who did it. You can easily get a steal for around 30k right now.

Keep your eye out and don't be afraid to travel for it. That's what I did. I have the dealership and people asking all the time to sell or buy it. They know I got a great deal on it. The only thing I would say different then everyone else is, just because it might not have something say lights,stereos,perfect pass all that fancy stuff, but is a good deal get it. You can always add it later like I added better ballast. Thankfully my came with everything I just wanted to add extra ballast.

Good luck, my buddy who has a jet boat, its fun I still ride with him sometimes but the wake is nothing like the vdrive.

Guys thanks for all the great advice.

Unless I missed it, I don't see an option on here to "like" your replies or tag you to thank you, but all your advice is very helpful and much appreciated.

I did so much research on the jet boat side of things, but there are so many more choices with the V-Drive wake boats, it's a bit overwhelming at first. Totally different ball game.

I am trying to skip my second boat and go right to the third. Like @Soulsurfer said, I think the AR195 would serve us well for a few years, but then I will be in the same boat (no pun intended) as I am in now, going to the next step.

My one little one is still napping during the day, I really don't mind shopping for the right one for another two seasons. By then she should have shaken her nap and we can go out for the whole day without messing her schedule up.

I live in Pennsylvania and it does seem that used wake boats in general are hard to come by. I am pretty particular when buying used, I'll definitely wait for the right one that was taken care of, and I don't mind paying a tech to check it out. It's cheap insurance for a big investment. I also don't mind driving for the right one.

In the meantime I will be lurking here trying to absorb knowledge like a sponge.

Thanks again!

I just sold my 2003 22 foot Tige riders edition with 180 hours for 28k. It was "at its time" considered one of the best wakeboard boats. (Arguably) I added a 6k wetsounds full system on it, Perfect pass, full ballast system that would fill faster then my new boat now with 5k of water. If I was in your budget and position, I would consider an older wakeboat from "California". It's rare you will see many with a ton of hours as we are simply way too far from lakes to do daily watersports activities. So the boats are used a few weekends in the summer a season.

Just to give you some advise as that was the boat I owned. I did yearly or bi yearly maintenance/service on the impeller, oil changes, etc. The only major thing that I ever replaced on that boat was upgrading the water pump and upgraded the alternator after the sound system.

The 350 Merc is a great engine. 2002 and newer I believe we're all injected. Those motors can take a beating.

Good luck with your new endeavor and I think you will absolutely love a wake boat

I wasn't aware Yamaha made an inboard, I'd wager that boat you mentioned is a jet drive... And not in the good sense like with a big block, over the transom headers, and Berkeley drive. So forget about anything Yamaha, overpriced junk

For your budget and size restrictions a Mastercraft 205/205v immediately comes to mind. Also consider a newer Supra SunSport (round windshield, 93 and up, I think they called them something else around the turn of the century but it's the same hull through at leastearly/mid 2000s). I'm not sure what Correct Craft options there are but maybe a Sport Nautique. With your space constraints you may need to add removable (quick release) platform brackets and a foldable tongue... That or build a carport on the side of your garage.

Originally Posted by cadunkle

I'm not sure what Correct Craft options there are but maybe a Sport Nautique.

You can find a Sport Nautique for under $10K. 35K will get you the nicest late (2005/2006) OG210 Super Air or possibly the newer model (2007 onwards). Don't really know prices of those though, never looked at them.

I have a 2005 Sanger V215 and its been an excellent across the board diverse and great family boat. Surfs good and the wake is good for beginners but can be built up to be much bigger. Handles choppy water well and is nimble. It's roomy and comfortable and its been very reliable. I love that it fits in my garage. 10 minutes to fold the tower and slide off the swim platform and its backed in the garage. I'd give another thumbs up for this model. This is my second Sanger.