211 Crossover...

**mjmaatman** · 07-15-2009, 08:12 PM

RE: 211 Crossover...

I have an '06 211 and love it!

We ski and wakeboard, so it provides the best of both worlds. The wake at ski speed is larger than what you will find on a direct drive, but it is relatively soft, rampy, and very skiable. The hydrogate works well, you can definitely see a difference in the wake profile when it is engaged. I have not skied the course with it yet, but hope to before the summer is out. For wakeboarding, the 211 can put out more wake than we know what to with. Have not surfed behind it but there are plenty of posts on this site about setting it up for surfing.

It has been a solid boat for us. Generally rides and tracks well. Several CC dealers have said that the 211 is their top seller. I imagine that the reason you are not finding many in the used marketplace is because people tend to hold on to them. It rides well through the large rollers. You can very comfortably get 7 people on board, published capacity is 9.

I would recommend test driving and skiing behind a 211, I think you will be impressed.

**Red57Bird** · 07-15-2009, 09:34 PM

Keep in mind that the 09 211 is what they call their value entry-level boat. There are a lot of options that are not available on that boat, like the keypad, Zero-Off (Nautique Cruise is the only option), no ballast, etc. The 216V is the real replacement boat for the pre-09 211 and is the boat you may want to look at. More expensive, but I bet you could get a good deal on one. Or look for a pre-owned 07 or 08 211.

My surfing buddy has an 07 211 and it is a great boat with a good wakeboard wake and awesome surf wake. Capacity show 9 passengers but we have had 10-11 on occasion. He has had a few issues with it, but nothing major and all have been handled by the dealer. It handles rough water well, but keep in mind that these are 21 ft. boats.

Try and demo both the 211 and 216V as a comparison. Good luck.

HS · 07-15-2009, 11:53 PM

Redbird makes a good point about options on the '09 -- I had heard this but haven't confirmed it myself. You should get an "07 or "08 brochure to check out what was available on those Team Editions at the time. On the 211, I have been very hapy with how versatile it is. We surf a nice wave, and recofigure the weight for a nice clean WB wake. Kids love to kneeboard and it has a decent ski wake. It doesn't have the large hull and high gunnels you see on the 23s, but it has a great ride in decent conditions. I would be curious to know how a 210 wake would be for little kids learning to ski or kneeboard across that wake without ballast.

**Mikeski** · 07-16-2009, 01:33 AM

Well... The 211 is really no slalom boat, might be a bit better than what you have but don't expect miracles.

My bottom line: V-drive = wakeboard boat, direct drive = ski boat.

I bought it because I really wanted the open layout of a V-drive and I can tolerate the wake if I ski at 28off with few passengers. This is my 5th summer with the boat and I am finding that it is actually ruining my skiing form. Comparing pictures of me skiing now with ones from 5+ years ago you can see that I really have shifted my weight back on the ski so I don't go out the front when I hit the wake. I have skied the course a few times with my 211, it's a bear to keep in the course when I pull hard. I got in deep at 5 ball a while back and went for the kill. Ended up pulling the back of the boat right over the exit gate bouy, cut a big slit in the bouy with the prop, luckily my club had a spare.

The 211 works great for boarding, cruising, and surfing. It works OK for open-water skiing at faster speeds. If you are serious about the slalom course I would keep looking as you will soon be unhappy with your purchase. You may want to consider a few other boats, Malibu VTX makes a decent crossover, but still no direct drive.

From a handling standpoint, all V-drives are pigs, the 211 is slightly less piggy than others. The 216DD is a great ski boat but you will need to load up most of the interior space with fat sacs if you want a decent wakeboarding wake. I took one wakeboard run behind a friends 216DD then just left the board in the bag for the rest of the week while we were at their summer house using the 216DD. I didn't really feel comfortable loading up his 216DD with 8 only hours on the clock with 700+ lbs of water ballast.

The 211 rides pretty smooth in chop up to one foot, much smoother than any dedicated ski boat.

The 211 is much slower out of the hole than any direct drive.

The 211 pass-through from the transom is probably the best feature of the boat.

The 211 storage space is very good, I always get positive comments as I stow everybody's stuff out of sight off the floor.

I have had 12 people in my boat, it was too tight and the wake was horrible for skiing. If you have a mixed crowd you can probably fit up to 10 without too much pain.

Never been on the water in a 216V, might be worth a look.

**dpolen** · 07-16-2009, 05:49 AM

Thanks guys.

I only took a quick look at the boat when I was at the dealership yesterday. I didn't realize that there was no balast on this model...I'm going to need to investigate this one a little further as this could be a deal-breaker.

I thought the walk-thru transom was one of the coolest features on this boat...even my wife thought it was sweet when I started the "sales pitch" on her last night.

The dealer also picked up an '08 211 Team Edition, but didn't really inquire about that one as I wasn't hot on the colors of the boat. Both boats are bank repos, so I would need to figure out how warranty would work in this case...

My MC is starting to age, so this could be a good, fun boat for my family. Appreciate the feedback. You guys have a great site here, did a great deal of looking around last night. No arguing that CC makes a top notch product.
Doug

**MikeC** · 07-16-2009, 06:26 AM

I agree with everything the others have said, and like Mikeski said - don't expect it to be a great slalom boat, it's an adequate slalom boat but it's also a great surf/wakeboard/family boat. You'll never find one that does everyting great.

Warranty - the warranty can be transferred but it has to be certified by a dealer and it costs a few hundred dollars so I would get theat included in any deal.

If I were you I would compare the '09 to the '08 just to see the differences, it may be worth it to go with the '08 even if it's not the perfect color.

**Red57Bird** · 07-16-2009, 08:01 AM

Any cross-over boat is going to be a compromise. For the size of boat it is, one of the things it does best IMO is provide a great surf wake. I believe it is one of the easier boats to get dialed in. The wake board wake is very respectable, but nothing like the 2x0 series boats. I can't comment on the skiing part since I don't ski, but I think Mikeski and others have covered that pretty well.

If I were in your shoes, I'd take a serious look at the 08 211 you said the dealer just got, as well as the 216V (not the 216 DD) and see what you can work out. Unless the 08 211 had a really weird color combination that would be hard to sell in the future, I wouldn't worry too much about colors. Good luck and let us know what you end up doing.

**MarkSkelton** · 07-16-2009, 08:05 AM

Warranty- the 2nd owner is parts ONLY. You pay labor.

**SkiTundra** · 07-16-2009, 08:37 AM

We've got an '08 211 and couldn't be happier. It doesn't run the course nearly as well as a 196, but then neither do I regardless of the boat I'm behind. Good enough though. It's as good a ski wake as you'll get without going to a CC196/MC197/CC200 type boat. Everyone has been happy with surf & wakeboard. A friend of my son's who wakeboards competitively and has a 210 and an X-Star said that it's not like his, but 'good enough'. I'd love to have a ski boat and a wakeboard boat, but funds said 211.

NOTE that the '09 211 DOES have BALLAST. 625lbs according to the Nautique website. I wouldn't worry too much about the other TE stuff missing from the '09. Keypad is nice but personally I prefer simple analog switches and stuff that don't go bad. If you get in to competitive slalom and want ZO I think you s/b able to add it. Audio stuff can easily be added and would likely be better than the factory TE system anyway. If I were you I'd certainly give serious consideration to the '08 211 (or previous years) but the '09 would make you happy.

**zapada** · 07-16-2009, 09:50 AM

Warranty- the 2nd owner is parts ONLY. You pay labor.

Warranty - the warranty can be transferred but it has to be certified by a dealer and it costs a few hundred dollars so I would get theat included in any deal.

Both boats are bank repos

I'm not sure the two top statements are correct in this case. I believe that when a boat is repo'd or auction (that sort of thing) that the CC factory warranty becomes null/void. You could purchase an aftermarket warranty perhaps, but you definitely need to get this cleared up before you commit to the boat. The warranty is one item that makes CC boats so attractive, without it the value definitely needs to be adjusted.

**Red57Bird** · 07-16-2009, 10:05 AM

Sorry for the bad info on the ballast on the 09 211. Skitundra is correct in that this boat does come standard with 625 lbs. of ballast.

**dpolen** · 07-17-2009, 08:49 AM

Thanks guys...I definitely want to get the clarification on the warranty, the dealership I'm working with has a call into CC to get the official answer.

Here's a pic of the one I'm looking at, posts are always better when you've got something to look at. Appreciate all the help guys!!!
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**Landry1** · 07-17-2009, 08:54 AM

What is the tongue weight on that trailer?

**MarkSkelton** · 07-17-2009, 09:06 AM

Ha. Ditto Landry1's question...

211 Crossover...

211 Crossover...

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