Current vs. Previous SAN hulls

[kwalker]

New to the forum but have been around Nautiques for a long time. We are researching to buy this winter/spring our first boat. Riding the fence between 2004-2006 SANTE 210 models and a 2008 210 model. Any advice on how the wakes are different? Has the increased weight of newer the design significantly impacted fuel economy? Is the wake bigger with the 2008 and up hulls? Is Zero Off that much better than Stargazer for Wakeboarding? Any advice appreciated.

Thanks

[shonuff]

A good read for you:

New or Old SAN 210

I have a classic SANTE 210, never ridden behind a new 210 but I'll throw my $.02 in. The general consensus is they're both good, just different. The classic can get a lot steeper, the new has a wider transition.

Some people think the classic's wake is too steep- I'll tell you the classic's wake can be mellowed out. We like more transition because no one in my crew is an advanced rider including myself. I'll be honest, it can get steeper than I can handle so we keep it mellow. With the bow weighted right it makes the wake real nice and mellow, great for beginners.

Here's a picture of my '05 SANTE wake with a beginner rider taken two nights ago. Rider height 5' 3", 350 lb sac in the bow, belly tank half full, wedge tanks 1/3 full, 2 people in the boat and 20.5 mph at 65'.



Who says the classic wake doesn't have a transition?

[xrichard]

I have a 2008 hull and previously had the old hull in the form of a Sport Nautique but have also spent a lot of time behind a 2002 and 2004 SAN.

In short, compared to the new wake, the old wake is steeper, has a much shorter transition, a trough that bothers some, and takes less ballast to get a similar size kick off the wake. IMHO, the main advantage to the old wake is it is low-effort...an easy progressive cut will get you big kick--all you have to do is roll on edge very close to the wake. Earlier in life, when I was a better rider and doing inverts prior to messing up my knees, it was my favorite wake because it was easy to go UP, complete the invert, and land on the downslope of the second wake. I found it one of the more difficult wakes for spins because of the abrupt transition--though I was never very good w/spins. I'm not sure if one hulls throws a wake bigger than the other...that's much harder to judge (and I think less important) than shape and how solid the wake is through the top/lip.

When I bought my current boat, I was actually in the market for an 02-06 SAN. I reluctantly rode behind a 2008 and it was clearly a better fit for me. The longer transitions and lack of trough are way way easier on my knees. Though not as steep as the old wake, the new hull puts out a wake that is steep relative to most boats on the market, including the VLX (all three versions I've been behind), and gives plenty of kick--but it takes more edge/more effort for the same pop. As with the early hull, it is very solid through the top of the wake, so you can edge all the way up w/o pushing through the lip. The interior provides way more storage, it has much more flexibility wrt seating, and it's super easy to add a lot of plumbed-in ballast w/o giving up all your storage.

FWIW, beginner riders almost always find the old hull throws a very difficult wake.

Fuel consumption: I've loosely tracked consumption per set on my current boat and I did the same on my old one. It's hard to compare apples to apples as there are a lot of variable, but it looks like the new boat is worse by about 10%. IMHO, that's pretty good as the old hull is extraordinarily fuel efficient...it's relatively light, narrow, and doesn't take tons (literally) of ballast to throw a great wake.

[210GA]

Road behind both and love them both.

Here are a few pics of my '08 210 w/ about 750lb in the bow, stock rear 3/4 full, belly tank full and two additional 500lb sac in the rear. Don't let these pics lie, the wake is knee high and I'm 5' 7"

And it could be bigger! The boat was running on fumes with only the driver and camera guy. If you fill her full of fuel, that is 40 gallons if I remember correcly, that is another 243 pounds. Add a few more people and she will get massive.

[obd666]

I have a 2008 hull and previously had the old hull in the form of a Sport Nautique but have also spent a lot of time behind a 2002 and 2004 SAN.

In short, compared to the new wake, the old wake is steeper, has a much shorter transition, a trough that bothers some, and takes less ballast to get a similar size kick off the wake. IMHO, the main advantage to the old wake is it is low-effort...an easy progressive cut will get you big kick--all you have to do is roll on edge very close to the wake. Earlier in life, when I was a better rider and doing inverts prior to messing up my knees, it was my favorite wake because it was easy to go UP, complete the invert, and land on the downslope of the second wake. I found it one of the more difficult wakes for spins because of the abrupt transition--though I was never very good w/spins. I'm not sure if one hulls throws a wake bigger than the other...that's much harder to judge (and I think less important) than shape and how solid the wake is through the top/lip.

When I bought my current boat, I was actually in the market for an 02-06 SAN. I reluctantly rode behind a 2008 and it was clearly a better fit for me. The longer transitions and lack of trough are way way easier on my knees. Though not as steep as the old wake, the new hull puts out a wake that is steep relative to most boats on the market, including the VLX (all three versions I've been behind), and gives plenty of kick--but it takes more edge/more effort for the same pop. As with the early hull, it is very solid through the top of the wake, so you can edge all the way up w/o pushing through the lip. The interior provides way more storage, it has much more flexibility wrt seating, and it's super easy to add a lot of plumbed-in ballast w/o giving up all your storage.

FWIW, beginner riders almost always find the old hull throws a very difficult wake.

Fuel consumption: I've loosely tracked consumption per set on my current boat and I did the same on my old one. It's hard to compare apples to apples as there are a lot of variable, but it looks like the new boat is worse by about 10%. IMHO, that's pretty good as the old hull is extraordinarily fuel efficient...it's relatively light, narrow, and doesn't take tons (literally) of ballast to throw a great wake.

well said. ive read many comparisons of the two hulls, and this is one of the better and more accurate ones ive seen ...

[aarond0083]

Having owned and ridding behind both I can say I would never go back to the old hull...but I don't really wakeboard anymore...just skate & surf and IMO the current 210 is the best boat out there for those two things in one package. We only use factory ballast, people, and sometimes up to 280 lbs. of pop bags to fine tune the wake. We have a 2012 on order and I almost went with the 230 to get the flagship boat but as a wake skater the flagship for me with always be the 210.

Also, my wife absolutely loves surfing behind our 210 and I don't want to change her surfing by going with a bigger boat.

Video Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASzsXZylVWk