1999 Epic 22

Another boat question...

Can anyone tell me any information about these boats? How is the wake? Does it come with a ballast system? Is the boat Mechanically sound? ANY information on these boats or where to find out more about them would be appreciated. Thank you

great boat, great engine, great fuel economy. Made by Toyota.

It's always been a boat that would be on my list.... but I always had it in my mind that I'd make damn sure I can get parts.

I can't tell you how many times I've lucked out at the auto store getting misc. parts for a BBC or SBC. Toyota Lexus Marine Parts??

I had one, it was an amazing boat...! You guys seem to be missing the biggest thing though about these boats... they don't need parts. I ran mine 400 hours and mine never had a single (real) issue. Forward of the transmission, 99% of the parts are the same as a mid-90's Lexus LS400. From the transimssion back (its a Hurth transmission, which seems to be the tranny in most of towboats I've seen), it's the same off-the-shelf marine stuff as any other boat on the water.

To answer your questions...
How is the wake? Very nice with weight. With a single 600-800 lb. bag in the rear and about 5 people in the boat, the wake is nice...

Does it come with a ballast system? Not that model. The X22 (direct drive) and the SX (v-drive) were the wakeboard versions and came stock with ballast and towers.

Is the boat Mechanically sound? They are, so long as the one you are looking at wasn't abused (obviously)! They are very well-built boats.

ANY information on these boats or where to find out more about them would be appreciated: Go to www.epicmarine.com and cruise the forums. Great people there who wil help answer any specific questions you have.

Thanks for the info guys!

Cal question for you. Was there enough room in the ski locker and in the rear compartment for fat sacks?

I used to ride behind the X22, and the wake was soft.

Soft Compared to?

Sinko, you probably needed more weight. ;)

Matt, I had a Fly-High sack custom made to fill the rear compartment, was somewhere around 800-850 lbs. and still left enough room for jackets, wetsuits and backpacks on top (Fly high has the specs for the sack that was in my boat, drop me a PM if you ever need my name to reference it). The off-the-shelf 750-lb Fat sac would fit back there too.

If we only had a few of us in the boat, we ran a pair of Fly High side-sacks on either side of the engine and the wake was very nice. But if you upgrade the rear bag and run with bodies in the boat, the wake is a very nice intermediate wake....

for those curious about the shape, it is very similar to the old (2001-ish to 2006) Supra 22SSV, firms with weight with a nice pop off the top. It can handle about 2500 lbs of weight with the stock 13x13 prop.

(Message edited by phenom_1819 on May 20, 2009)

Cal is right on the money. It's a great boat that's highly reliable with solid performance, low fuel consumption and great fit and finish that rivals many new boats being made today.

Since it's a used boat, have a marine survey done to detect any potential problems. It's money well spent. If everything checks out, you'll be all set with a fabulous boat.

Since the boat is a Toyota/Lexus and it's kind of rare, there will always be strong interest in them. I typically get one or two calls a year from my local boat dealer wondering if I'll sell mine and to name my price. (How often does that happen with a ten year old boat?) It's such a great boat that mine is not for sale.

I went out in the x22 found it cramped and i thought the power/torque was below avg and that was with no ballast. Handled well quiet and smoothe.Wake was good for skiing and so so for boarding again no ballast.Over all not a bad boat but would not be in my top 10 list by any stretch.