226 vs 220

[nautirook]

New to the site. Haven't been able to find too much on the 220's. From what I can tell they're pretty similar to the 230s. Is there a good reason why they dont make them anymore? I've been looking pretty hard at buying a 226 - have 2 boys 8 and 10 who are beginning wakeboarders but still want to be able to surf/tube and ski occassionally.
Stumbled upon a great deal on 2009 220 TE that's getting a brand new PCM (somebody forgot to winterize). Is there a downside to the 220 for my situation (is it too much boat for beginners)? Will also be boating on a pretty choppy lake. Thanks ahead of time.

[SkiTower]

Test ride it. The 220 is a love it or hate it boat. There have been several threads on this. As to why they don't make them, my guess is they expect the new 226 to fill the void. They weren't selling many, but there are several on here that LOVE them.

FYI: the 226 went through a major overhaul a couple of years ago, so there are two very different boats out there. Definitely drive and if possible, ride the wake. Only you can answer if it's acceptable.

[GCSuper]

In Texas there are 220's everywhere. We're looking for 210's and the picking is slim.

[keegan]

I just picked up an 07 220 TE and I love it. Have only had her out 4 times as the water is still cold out here. The storage is great, I love the garbage can. This boat will suffice for many years to come.

-Keegan

[210GA]

I'd lean away from the 220 as the resale value isn't up there with the 210's and 230's.

[shag]

It is a personal preference. Some people have had issues with keeping the wake shape good, and some love it. I opted for the 230. A lil more $$, but worth it IMO. At any rate, build quality is usually superior.

[AllianceBJJ]

The 220 was one of the more polarizing boats....The cabin layout was very segmented with the bulkheads, to me it made it feel smaller, but again some loved it with the trashcan in there....Everyone that I know with a 220 had trouble with them being very weight sensitive and washing the wake...Recreational/beginner wakeboarders will likely not notice the wake issues for a bit.....I almost bought one, but once we did the demo on the water and had 4 people trying to get around in the boat, it made our choice a few years ago to get a 210 easy....Buxton always seems to have quite a few 220s on their website for sale...

[pzthk6]

The only consistant complaint on the 220 is the wake sensitivity port to stbd, but overall it is a very good wake, surf, etc boat. The storage on the boat is substantial (almost too many storage comparments). It will handle the rough water very well as the hull is quite similar to the 230, just a foot shorter.

[Gasman87]

220

We are huge huge huge 220 fans !!!! We think it has plenty of room !! As for the wake , we are not really pro riders !!! Lov the 220

[Kurpski]

We have an 07 SAN 220 and love it. We looked at both a 210 and the 220 when we purchased but the 220 had the features we wanted (end of season deal).

We love the 220 and the layout. The nice thing is with the seating broken up, each person has their own space and with the reversable center seat their is alot of seating space. We have had 6 -7 people out and never felt cramped. There is tons of storage space in the leanbacks and under the seats. We use the garbage can for wet towels.

The boat does well in rough water, the high side board helps with waves. I have noticed the 220 seams to be rear weight biased and can use more weight in the nose to help wake shape. The wake is sensitive side to side to get it cleaned up but this is as easy as having someone sit in the center reversible seat and move a couple inches either way to adjust. One other note is to get the wake cleaned up, I find you have to be up in the 21mph+ range, otherwise it is washy (this may be true of any boat).

As for recreational skiing, it is rough, like hitting a wall trying to cross the wake. Wake boarding wake is great and the 220 seems to take as much weight as you can put in it. Wake surfing is fantastic, decent even with stock ballast.

[nautirook]

appreciate all the comments. Sounds like the 220 should work. Definitely gonna take it out for a test run as soon as the motor gets dropped in. This 09 220 is running 20K less than new 2010 226, so kinda hard to pass up. Pics to follow.

[uwhusky]

I was going to say, you'll get more for your money with the 220. If you don't mind that it's been discontinued then you'll be fine.

I bought a 220 last year (brand new 2007 model) and don't regret it one bit.