V drive or direct drive

[rainman]

I see that there is always alot of talk about which is better, more functional and so forth. Question I have is I just got an insurance check for about 20k and was looking at different boats out there. I had a weighted down IO so I am sure either one is going to be a ton better from what I am used to. Obviously the v drive boats are ussally much more expensive and wanted to know is it worth it. Seems like the V drive is about 5-8 k more expensive but their are still alot of really nice looking dd, that look better than many of the older v drives out there.

My planned budget was about the 20k but woundering if I should increase that for a newer v drive.

[gride300]

direct drives handle better and are easier to work on usually. if all you want to do is board look for a v-drive. if you plan to mix it up w/ skiing and boarding go direct drive. even with a d.d. you can still weight it down and get a great wake depending on the model.

[horkn]

gride said it well. DD's can be weighted down and make great wakeboarding boats, but if all you do is board, a V drive is better. If you ski at all, a DD is a lot more versatile.

Now, servicing a V drive is a PITA compared to a DD. I personally like the seating setup of a VDrive, but much beyond that, I don't know if I like them.

Since you came from an IO, ANYTHING that is an inboard will be better for tow boat use. It sounds like you had the IO set up as well as one can for boarding.

[DanielC]

Go test drive a few boats, or go out in friends boats. that will help you make a good choice.
Do not let the fact that inboard boats are a little difficult when backing up. You will get used to it.

[SkiTower]

Agreed, if you don't ski, a V-drive is the one. If you focus on skiing, a DD is the one. Test and determine for yourself.

[rainman]

Thanks for the help guys. I was thinking v drive was the best do u guys think some of the older models are fine or should u spend the extant for the new ones.

[gride300]

i don't remember exactly what year it started, but the "210" hull ran from around 2000-2006 without changing. there were mainly upgrades like bigger ballast, new guages, etc. the motors did change more than the hull.

[SkiTower]

Thanks for the help guys. I was thinking v drive was the best do u guys think some of the older models are fine or should u spend the extant for the new ones.

be patient and do your homework and you can find a good clean used one. The newer ones overall have improvements, but there's still a lot of love for the older models. The trick is finding one that has been taken care of. Boats that sit in the sun and aren't maintained degrade very quickly. Also, 20K isn't going to get you much that's clean except a closed bow ski boat. You'll do good to find one for 25-30K. Good thing is once you spend it, it won't depreciate much as long as you keep it up. If you're up to restoring one, that's a whole different ballgame.

[behindpropellers]

I would buy the boat that you can afford to feed gas.

95% of the V drive wakeboard boats have a huge wake.....but often the only people using a wakeboard behind them are mediocre.

I am personally a direct drive person.

Decide what you want to do. If you want to be a great skier/boarder then buy a 15K boat and put the $5k into a gas account.

[bkhallpass]

i don't remember exactly what year it started, but the "210" hull ran from around 2000-2006 without changing. there were mainly upgrades like bigger ballast, new guages, etc. the motors did change more than the hull.

That hull was introduced in 95. The hull did not. The top cap, interior, motors, and trimmings changed as you suggested.


BKH

[horkn]

Skitower, there are plenty of clean sports, and airs out there that are 20k or under and not just closed bow ski nautiques.


If you have the cash, now is the time to buy. New boat sales have been very slow, so used ones are on the low end. For now at least.

[GoBig]

For 15-16K you can pick up a really nice 1997 Sport (DD) that had the same hull as the Super Sport (v-drive or also Super Air), the '97 is the last year the Sport and Super Sport (Air) shared the same hull. Even without any weight, this boat produced a decent wake. If you decide on a v-drive, for 20K you should be able to find a late 90s Super Sport or Super Air. I'm biased for the v-drive. I've owned both, just really prefer the layout/look/wake/storage on the SAN --- but you do give up some handling, in my opinion, it is worth it.

[seth]

You can definately find a nice 210 in the 20K range. Use searchtempest.com. I would be all over the first one if I didnt have a SAN already!!!!!!

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/boa/1830432275.html

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/boa/1843459061.html

[jimmyj]

if you like to have room to hang out, vdrive all day.

with a direct drive, you get more than 3 people and gear and you are climbing all over people and tripping on stuff all day. and the storage sucks.

vdrives have lots more room for everything.

[Miljack]

My $0.02 for you, I originally purchased my DD as a "crossover" capable boat. I was slalom skiing more than wakeboarding when we first purchased our boat, a 1999 Pro Air. The Pro Air is a DD boat, but has a wake specific hull which makes it somewhat of an oddity. I can ski behind it, although 32+mph makes the wake much smaller. We can surf behind this boat, I can actually free ride with my son on the board with me, and it makes a very fun wakeboard wake. This boat is basically the same layout/deck arrangement as the 98-'03 Air/Sports.
Having said all that, there is no storage room on the DD boats! Mine has a trunk storage spot, ski locker (both have sacks installed), and the love seat storage area. If you have more than 3 people on the boat, people have to move around to get riders out and ready to go. So, if you will be going out for the day on the lake with more than 1 or 2 other people, the Vdrive will be much easier to live with. With that, and your budget (not sure if you will put more in than the $20k), the V drives in that range will have a little more storage, they are harder to work on.

If it were me, look for a 2003 Supersport or SAN, I've seen them for about $20-30k, and if you don't like it, you can easily resell that boat. '03 is the preferred year due to the rear deck/storage improvement, lowered floor, still has the good tower.

Hope this helps, test drive as many boats as you can.