Which Nautique??

[SkiTower]

Come on there must be more opinions on the SAN vs the SV211...

There is a ton of opinion between these, but in the end it's what you want. They are both great boats. The ONLY complaint I have about my 211 is I need more power. I have the 275 hp engine and it struggles to get my ~300 lbs out of the water on slalom. I love the space, the storage, and the walkway.

Also, if you have time to spare another hot topic on this site is dogs on boats.

One thing I would note: If you are buying new the 211 has been reduced the last few years to an entry level boat. The trimmed out version is supposed to be the 216v (another one I'd look into).

As for test-riding, if you are in NC Whitelake can let you ride whatever they have in stock...the lake is right across the road.

[cedarcreek216]

There is a ton of opinion between these, but in the end it's what you want. They are both great boats. The ONLY complaint I have about my 211 is I need more power. I have the 275 hp engine and it struggles to get my ~300 lbs out of the water on slalom. I love the space, the storage, and the walkway.

Also, if you have time to spare another hot topic on this site is dogs on boats.

One thing I would note: If you are buying new the 211 has been reduced the last few years to an entry level boat. The trimmed out version is supposed to be the 216v (another one I'd look into).

As for test-riding, if you are in NC Whitelake can let you ride whatever they have in stock...the lake is right across the road.

It's funny, I never read anything on here about the 216V other than what I say about it, is it just too new or not a lot of them sold. To me, with her requirements it would seem the 216V would be ideal, I thought this is the kind of buyer they made it for, am I mistaken in thinking that?

[NautiqueOasis]

We have a '05 211 and have been extremely pleased with the boat. We absolutely love the layout and would not want another boat without the walk-thru. It is our personal preference only. We do it all but nothing at an expert level. My wife skis at 32mph (15 off) and I ski at 34mph (28 off). I shorten the rope not because I am that much better of a skier but because of the hump in the wake especially at 22 off. I did it as a result of other members' recommendations and have been pleased. The whole family surfs and the kids wakeboard. We all barefoot with our tower boom. It is an wonderful all purpose boat. Our only disappointment is the slalom wake but I don't think you will find another Vdrive Nautique that out performs in this area. Prior to this 211, we previously owned 4 generations of ski nautiques (the best slalom boat in the world). We are still looking for the perfect Nautique crossover; until that happens, I do not feel you would be disappointed. Best of luck to ya'll!

[jaybird]

all correct crafts you are considering are great boats, I love the walkthru of the 211 but it does not come without a price, it makes engine maintenance much more difficult. And if you do not do your own maintenance it will normally increase the cost of normal maintenance. If your just steping into you first nautique you should consder an open bow direct drive due to the simplicity and lower price when compared to the v-drive boats. I has the 226 with the walk-thru and when gradma came for a ride it was priceless. Has its pros and cons.

[TT]

This is the info I was looking for! Thanks so much guys, I really appreciate the input. I hadn't really looked at at 226, I guess I should check that out. Never thought of the maintenance issue with the walk through...comments anyone with the 211 or 226? I, being such a newbie, thought the numbers represented lengths of the boats, but apparently not, sorry! It appears that there are three versions of the SANTE 210 220 and 230...now is that just length or is there more to it? Obviously bigger allows for more features, but...as mentioned, we are trying to stay under 22 feet.

Also, opinions for barefooting with the different engines available? We have an outboard Johnson FastStrike 150...my hubby just gets up nicely behind that with it to the stops. Any idea how that would compare enginewise to the SANTE engine options? I have a feeling we are going to be looking between 2002 and 2005 years as that is looking to be our budget range right there unless we find a phenomenal deal.

Keep the advice coming, I am learning a lot!

TT

[TT]

If your just steping into you first nautique you should consder an open bow direct drive due to the simplicity and lower price when compared to the v-drive boats

I would totally agree with this except for resale and space, space being a secondary consideration...the only direct drive I have seen at our lake are the isntructors and one other serious slalomer...I am scared to get hung out to dry on getting a good direct drive, paying a fair price and then not being able to sell it when we are ready to move into something else...that really scares me when investing this kind of money into something I get to use maybe 4 months of the year.

[TRO]

i say get whatever boat works for you, dd or v drive, expensive or base model. get the one that fits you best.

[Nautiquehunter]

The 210 changed hull design in 2007 anything older will not perform as I have posted . From what I have been told the older 210s will not have a good ski wake as they are primarily a wakeboard boat. As for the 226 it is a wakeboard boat also and will not give a good ski wake. The numbers do coincide with the size of the boats. 210 is 21' 220 is 22' and 230 is 23' etc. Test ride them all what you like is not necessarily what others like. As long as its a Nauti you will have a great boat.

[NautiqueOasis]

Regarding the maintenance issue, if you are considering a Vdrive, I don't think you'll find any one model better than the others regardless of whether it has a walk thru. I believe one of the previous posts was just suggesting that a dd has easier access than any Vdrive. I sent you a PM with some contact info.

[SkiTower]

Ok, you've given a little more detail. If you have a budget, the new 216v probably isn't for you.

I don't think the 226 fits in your size limitations. Before I say that, though, you need to confirm exactly what the requirements are. A "22 foot" boat tends to not include things like swim platforms and outboard motors. If there is a physical limitation, better to know now. If it's just to keep the big boys out of the area, then yeah, the 211 is 20'9" and the 226 might fit (not sure on the length). SANTE (Super Air Nautique Team Edition) nowadays doesn't specify what boat you have. As you noted, there are three boats: 210, 220, and 230. And from reading on here over the years, they are three very different boats. 210 is the smallest, with 220 next and 230 the big boy. And you have loyal owners on here for each but they tend to have very different wakes. 230 and 236 are essentially the same boat. From what you've said, you were right in the beginning to look at the 211 and 210.

If you can barefoot behind a 150, you don't need to worry about inboard engines. The smallest outperforms what you're used to. However, you may quickly become accustomed to inboards and find you desire more power. Once again, try it out.

As for the walkway messing up service, not sure where that comes from. V-drives are by nature harder than direct drives, but pop 3 hatches, remove two dividers, and I don't see how it's any different from any other V-drive. I don't service my own, though. And I definitely love the individual hatches as opposed to one big one.

[AirTool]

If you can barefoot behind a 150, you don't need to worry about inboard engines. The smallest outperforms what you're used to. However, you may quickly become accustomed to inboards and find you desire more power. Once again, try it out.

Careful now..on "top end" outboards often (usually?) out run inboards. Obviously it depends on the prop / boat.

[SkiTower]

Careful now..on "top end" outboards often (usually?) out run inboards. Obviously it depends on the prop / boat.

ok...not really thinking top end but more hole shot and possibly wake size...Remember, this is coming from a 300 lb sea anchor...

[chris196]

Careful now..on "top end" outboards often (usually?) out run inboards. Obviously it depends on the prop / boat.

this is also true of I/O's mostly because of the ability to trim and get more boat out of the water. My old 19' SeaRay with a 175HP 4.3 V6 could hit right around 50mph.
My 1998 ski Nautique with a 310HP V8 gets to the mid 40's.
so if you plan on barefooting, be very careful with what speed you require and make sure the boat can do it.

of course, the nautique will pull your arms off if you want it to and is solid as a rock with a slalom skier.
it's a matter of design for intended use.

[1sicknautique]

its all depends on what you are wanting to spend?

[TRBenj]

I am a skier and barefooter (not a wakeboarder) so I have absolutely no personal experience with any of the v-drives in question. If youre not a hardcore wakeboarder though, I would be giving a stronger look at the direct drives for many reasons. Among them would be ease of maintenance, handling, and improved ski wake.

Regardless of which way you go, if you are set on a 21+ ft boat, I think youre going to want the upgraded 6.0L motor for barefooting. The larger boats tend to top out in the low 40's at best, and will slow down with added gear, people and a footer behind the boat. Anything that doesnt run at least 44-45 unloaded will be borderline fast enough to foot behind comfortably. Add a few mph if you want to do one-foot tricks or youre a big guy who likes speeds in excess of 40mph.