Soprt 200 vs. 216

[dredly]

Like others, surprised at the lack of significant feedback on the Sport 200. Looking at either the 200 or 216, wonder about:
1) Room/storage
2) Skiing behind one vs the other
3) Best all around boat for a family of novices (I grew up on boats but not my wife or kids)

Appreciate feedback. Dealer says the Sport 200 is the bomb and is pushing it for our family (even though he'd make more on a 216 order. He says the Sport 200 will make the 216 obsolete?)
thanks

[SkiTower]

I'm assuming you're talking about the 216v that is currently available and not the 216 direct drive, right?

I like the layout of the 216v better, but the wake behind the 200 sport is better for skiing. If skiing is a priority, then the 200 sport is the answer. Otherwise, I'd give the 216v a serious look. It's a little more roomy. But the only one that can make the decision is you and your family. Drive them and if possible, take your ski.

[dredly]

Yes the 216V, though I understand the DD might be better for skiing? Most of my family won't know the difference between boats performance-wise but I am concerned about space and comfort for all-day outings on the 200.
My friend has a 210 and is trying to talk me into one, says surf and skiing both better behind the 210 than the 216.
Hmmmmm

[cedarcreek216]

He's not telling you the truth. No way the skiing is any where close to as good behind a 210 as the 216v. We own a 216v and love everything about it. It boards good, surfs good and skiis good. Great family boat.

[SkiTundra]

Cedarcreek is right. Skiing behind a 210 is quite awful. The 210 is a pure wakeboard boat (IMO). Our sv211te, other than continuous electrical problems since it was new, has been a great family boat for us. The port side walk-thru is great for people getting in/out and it skis, boards, and surfs well. Doesn't board as well as a 210 nor ski as well as a 196 (or 200dd), but is a very good compromise. The 216 doesn't ski as well as the 211, but does ski far better than a 210. The 216 has the port side walk-thru and holds more people. If you want a boat that will comfortably hold 10 or so people, board and surf well, and ski somewhat well, a 216 could be a good choice. One other concern I have with the 216 is that the tower is kind of narrow so sun protection from a bimini will be less.

A 200 ski's massively better than any other crossover. Downsides might be center and not as deep walk-thru so people getting on/off will step on upholstery with whatever they have on their feet, center pylon for skiing improves skiing but also means nobody sitting in rear half of boat (though for a good ski wake you wouldn't want that anyway) which might be a minor inconvenience. Doesn't hold as many people as a 216 (non issue for us since I don't like more than 7 or 8 out at a time anyway, but I know others like a crowd).

[dredly]

thanks for the input, I appreciate it - more chow for thought! So many choices....

[qstufflebeam]

Here is a copy from another thread that I wrote about of my experience with a 200. Hope it helps.


I just had an opportunity to ski and drive the Nautique Sport 200. I have a 2008 196 and jumped back and forth between both boats. First off the boat has a great layout, as said before plenty of room for everyone. It definitely seems to have a slower hole shot than the 196. Considering that the 196 is much lighter I am not surprised. I was not impressed with the tracking at all. It was very difficult to hold a straight line when pulling a skier through the course. I played with the tunable rudder to see if I could get it to track better but only saw marginal improvement. I does feel stern heavy and even has a tendency to roll. Overall, the handling was no where near a 196. I would compare it by saying it was like driving a sedan vs a sports car. I also noticed that it is sensitive to weight distribution between port and starboard. If not properly balanced there seemed to be much more spray on the driver side at short line lengths.

When I had a chance to ski behind this boat I was really excited because of all the hype I had heard that the wake was as good as the 196. Well I would disagree with that statement. At 22 off 34 mph there is a pretty good bump, much more pronounced vs. the 196, still very ski-able and with some time you could get use to it. At 28 the bump goes away but you can feel your ski hit the prop-wash. It is a sharp pop and can bounce the ski if your not on edge, again absolutely ski-able but not the same caliber as the 196. 32 off still had the same sharp pop at the prop-wash although I don't think it was as hard. 35 off still had the noticeable hard pop but not as pronounced as the longer line lengths.

I did notice the rope hit the tower in my pull out at 35. I couldn't 'feel' it but I saw it happen. I didn't feel it as I skied the pass. I did notice that there seemed to be more spray at that line length vs the 196.

Overall, I think this boat is amazing for what it is, a V-drive. I didn't wakeboard or surf behind it but I would imagine it would have big enough wakes to keep everyone happy. For a hardcore slalom junkie, I recommend you keep your slalom boat. For everyone else, you should absolutely buy this boat!

[AirTool]

INT Texas stops 3 and 4 had a 200 sport and I was not impressed with wake at all. The boat quality was awesome but the wake was terrible. Everyone complained but my kids who were used to the 206 wake.

I might be able to put up some video from in the boat but it won't be until next week.

Sorry...but the solution is still two boats.

[briany]

I cannot speak for the 200, but have now logged over 50 hours on our 216v (same as the sport nautique 216) this summer and I absolutely love the boat! We, ourselves, are still fairly novice wakeboarders, but we had a very experienced friend come out and ride last week and he was popping! It was awesome to truly see what is capable with our boat, and with only stock ballast! Unless you have aspirations of doing competitions or going pro, this boat can probably get you all the air you need. The minimum speed for a fairly clean wake without ballast is 17-17.5. The minimum speed for a clean wake with full stock ballast is about 19-19.5. I think it is important to know these numbers if you have a lot of beginner riders. My wife and I both slalom, but do not run courses. I would say the wake has a decent bump, but is much softer than the I/O boats I've skied behind in the past. I am still working on optimizing our surf wake, but it is absolutely surfable with stock ballast and a crew of three adults, but the sweet spot is small. I've been riding with about 400# ballast in the rear corner, but need to add some more weight to the bow in order to lengthen the pocket.

It all depends on your priorities. We wanted a boat that would surf, ski and wakeboard. They both do that. We have two kids and often take another family of 4 with us. The space and storage in this boat is excellent. We can stow all our gear, plus drinks and lunch for the day and have absolutely nothing on the floor. This was a dramatic change from the 18' runabout we had last summer. Add the Z5 cargo rack and the shade is wonderful during peak sun hours. Plus we can strap a tube or our daughter's EZ Ski Trainer (one of the best things I've seen for the little ones!) to the top of the bimini. Heck, I've even taken one of those Big Mable's out and it rides nicely inverted on top of the engine compartment/swim deck. Mind you, the tubes are for rough water days when nothing else can be done (and the kids do love them...).

I doubt you can go wrong with either boat for the needs you describe. My best advice is to try and ride behind each if you can. For us, the space has been outstanding and the performance exactly as advertised. We made the right choice for our needs, but every family is different. If ski wake is you priority, then I imagine the 200 is the better choice from everything I have read, but it may lack a little in other areas. Good luck!

[dredly]

thanks for all the input, very helpful and gives me much better perspective. gonna try 'em both and go from there>>>