Nautique 226 vs. 210 vs. 236??

[chodeidaho]

I'm interested in buying my first Nautique. I'm looking at 2006-2007 model years for budget reasons. My wife and I want to get back into skiing/wakeboarding and want to introduce our four kids (oldest 9 yrs old) to the water way of life. We want a good all around boat for wakeboarding, slalom, surfing, etc. Our slalom skiing is recreational only and we will not be running any courses. I like the idea of having another family out with us, but that will be the exception and not the rule.

Of course, the 236 would allow the most people to come along, but how will that bohemoth affect the wake for mama's slalom run vs. the 210 or 226? I'm also assuming that the 210 and 226 can throw up a bigger wake than we'll need for a long time. Which model is the best all-around? Can you really fit 11 or 12 into the 210 or 226? Any thoughts or comments from some family guys already "in the game" would be appreciated.

[jaybird]

211

check next post

[jaybird]

236-230-226-211

Have not been in the 210 but have spent many hours in the rest.
The 236 and 230 for the most part are the same boat. The 226 is slightly smaller than the 230/236 but the 211 is much smaller in seating and freeboard (depth of sides) than both the 230 and 226. I presently own both a 226 and 230, I just bought the 230 two weeks back , it was a great deal and I wanted the increase power of the ZR-409, the 230 does not really have that much more seating room. One of my good friends has a 211 and I love his boat. The 211 may have a slightly smaller wake for slalom, and 226 will seat about 2 more with the same comfort. The 230 will probably seat 1-2 more than the 226. I think they are all over rated from the stand point of comfortably seating a certain number of people. I would say 11 comfortable in the 230-236, 10 in the 226 and 8 in the 211. That is purely my opinion from a comfort standpoint not actually weight rating. If you like to party and have a good time you can put 14 in them all. :twisted:
It may be a moot point, I hope the 226 is sold, I have someone coming up from Jackson, MS that says they are going to buy my boat but my 226 is still on the market if that deal falls through.
http://www.planetnautique.com/index....wtopic&t=16418

[SuperAirMark]

We bought a 230 last spring and absolutely love it. We looked at the 210 and 211 also. We test drove all of them and found the layout of the 211 to just be uncomfortable with only 5 people on it. The 210 is nice but I think the flexibility of the layout of the 230/236 is by far the best. Plenty of seating that can face forward or backwards and plenty of room for moving around even when the boat is full. We had 10+ people on the boat several times last summer and never felt cramped.

You can't beat the wakeboarding wake and from what I've seen the wake on all these boats is a little tough for slalom skiers, but we had a couple slalom skiers behind ours and they seemed fine. Hope this helps.

[Laptom]

For slalom the 226 and 210 are much better. For the rest is the 236 more suitable (seating, comfort, wakeboarding, surfing, etc). If you really need a slalom wake, you'll need to look at the 226 an 210.

Good luck

[Nautiquehunter]

The 2007 and newer 210 is the best all around choice 2006 was a different hull not as wide.
The 226 was mainly designed for wake boarding . The 230-236 is the one I would buy IF my wife didnt Ski.
I bought a 2008 210 after test driving them all . It says it can hold 10 but it gets pretty crowded with 8.
I am very happy with the fact it can go from ski to wake board to surf at the touch of a button within minutes.
Make sure you test pull your wife on all boats before you buy.

[chodeidaho]

Thanks for the feedback. That "boots on the ground" perspective is so helpful. Much appreciated!

[tchap1]

230/236

I started out looking at the 211 and after looking at the 236 was hooked. 230 and 236 are literally only different in the orientation of the rear deck stripe and graphics (thus CC smartened up and only offer 230 now). IMO, any of these are a compromise for a pure skier. I love to ski but I am advanced recreational and find the wake no worse than the I/O I used to ski behind. I have 3 kids who are just starting to wake board and with the 236 it is easy to bring another family of 4 or 5 no problem. I agree with the prior posts, but bigger is better esp for handling heavier chop etc. You will like whatever you get though. There is no right or wrong--whichever is the best deal.