Engine Choice for SN 200

[ChipK]

I am shopping for a SN 200 and have seen quite a bit of debate about the engine size. There has been discussion about the higher RPM and lower MPH for the 5.7 because the 200 is a bigger boat than the 196. There has even been talk of the 6L becoming standard. It is a lot of $$$ for the upgrade, but you only have this shot once. Does anyone have the real skinny on the engine, and a recommendation on the 5.7 vs the 6L engine?

[swc5150]

I would imagine there'll be a number of tweaks after the first real-world season of the 200. It is under-powered with the Excal, and even my dealer suspects the ZR becomes standard at some point. With the 343, it has a weak hole shot, and barely exceeds the 40mph mark. The down-side is a ZR equipped 200 of course is the price.

[ClemsonDave]

I have spoken with several that prefer the 5.7 over the 6L. One has both. What will you be using it for?

[TW]

Unless you are a 200' jumper go with the EX343. Those who praise the 6.0 as having a better holeshot obviously haven't driven both boats. Just like with the SN196 the ZR holeshot is much weaker than the 5.7. Now mid-range and top end the ZR is much stronger.

It is unlikely the 6.0 will be standard for the 200 as many slalom skiers simply don't like skiing behind it with the 6.0. A more likely change will be props and I'm certain we'll see this change made this season and probably by May.

[etang789]

Unless you are a 200' jumper go with the EX343. Those who praise the 6.0 as having a better holeshot obviously haven't driven both boats. Just like with the SN196 the ZR holeshot is much weaker than the 5.7. Now mid-range and top end the ZR is much stronger.

It is unlikely the 6.0 will be standard for the 200 as many slalom skiers simply don't like skiing behind it with the 6.0. A more likely change will be props and I'm certain we'll see this change made this season and probably by May.

So does that mean I pick the wrong engine for my SAN 210? I got the ZR6.0

[j2nh]

Unless you are a 200' jumper go with the EX343. Those who praise the 6.0 as having a better holeshot obviously haven't driven both boats. Just like with the SN196 the ZR holeshot is much weaker than the 5.7. Now mid-range and top end the ZR is much stronger.

It is unlikely the 6.0 will be standard for the 200 as many slalom skiers simply don't like skiing behind it with the 6.0. A more likely change will be props and I'm certain we'll see this change made this season and probably by May.

Maybe it's different with the 200 but with the 196 I have found the difference between the 5.7 and 6.0 to be fairly significant. During the season, I drive 05 196's for our show club, one with the 5.7 and one with the 6.0, and frequently will drive both boats in the same practice. 6.0 pulls more off of the dock with a slower roll out (hit) and in fact we build our show around the twin dyne pulling the biggest load first, the 6.0 second, and the 5.7 with the lightest.

Question. Now that AWSA testing is done for 2010, which includes boat, engine, prop, and speed control, can the manufacturer change props without retesting? I know in the past they had to have the tested prop on the boat but maybe that has changed.

[TW]

Etang789,

No, the 6.0 works great if you can wrap it up and the 1235 or 1579 ACME props were specifically designed to get RPM. This change was brought about because the 6.0 was taking forever to plane out on CC's pros loaded out SAs (2K-3.5K lbs over stock ballast). The 6.0 could handle the extra baggage (unlike the 5.7) but the hole shot was a major drawback until the new props. If your boat is a Team it will have power prop.

J2nh,

There are 2 issues which make my comments and yours not apples to apples:

1. your team's '05 is powered by an engine equipped with the MEFI IV ignition module rated at 330 hp (assuming it is as purchased/OEM).
My comments assumed (sorry I wasn't more specific earlier) we were dealing with the E-Control 343 hp. If you haven't driven an E-control
5.7 you will notice a considerable difference, especially in an '08. In fact, many complaints arose from the '08 because it was sooooo strong
out of the hole. Because of this the bottom end calibration was changed for '09 which made it more driver friendly. Additionally, your 2005
isn't DBW (again assuming it is OEM) and this also makes a difference in response time.

2. your comments and mine come from entirely different perspectives. Mine assumed a singe slalom skier being pulled up (again I should have
been more specific earlier) while your comments were based on pyramids or multiple barefooters or multiple jumpers or whatever other
massive loads your team is pulling. The 6.0 is a better engine for these type of activities. Especially if your team is doing dock starts, which
although show skiing isn't my expertise when I've been around it the majority of the heavy load starts were done off the dock.

[etang789]

Etang789,

No, the 6.0 works great if you can wrap it up and the 1235 or 1579 ACME props were specifically designed to get RPM. This change was brought about because the 6.0 was taking forever to plane out on CC's pros loaded out SAs (2K-3.5K lbs over stock ballast). The 6.0 could handle the extra baggage (unlike the 5.7) but the hole shot was a major drawback until the new props. If your boat is a Team it will have power prop.

J2nh,

There are 2 issues which make my comments and yours not apples to apples:

1. your team's '05 is powered by an engine equipped with the MEFI IV ignition module rated at 330 hp (assuming it is as purchased/OEM).
My comments assumed (sorry I wasn't more specific earlier) we were dealing with the E-Control 343 hp. If you haven't driven an E-control
5.7 you will notice a considerable difference, especially in an '08. In fact, many complaints arose from the '08 because it was sooooo strong
out of the hole. Because of this the bottom end calibration was changed for '09 which made it more driver friendly. Additionally, your 2005
isn't DBW (again assuming it is OEM) and this also makes a difference in response time.

2. your comments and mine come from entirely different perspectives. Mine assumed a singe slalom skier being pulled up (again I should have
been more specific earlier) while your comments were based on pyramids or multiple barefooters or multiple jumpers or whatever other
massive loads your team is pulling. The 6.0 is a better engine for these type of activities. Especially if your team is doing dock starts, which
although show skiing isn't my expertise when I've been around it the majority of the heavy load starts were done off the dock.

Thanks for clearing up the confusion!

I have ordered a 2010 SAN 210 Team with the Crusader ZR-409 engine... I use mostly wakeboard and the older guys in the family slalom ski... The last boat we had a Indmar 315hp engine, we complained that if its fully loaded it takes for ever to get up(we have choppy water here) and older guys complained the engine would struggle to keep in the skiing speed they wanted... I hope I made the right choice