2003 Air Nautique 216 Wake Suitable for Old Guy?

[OldBoarder]

I would like opinions please. The issue is whether or not a 2003 Air Nautique 216 wake, especially with the rear ballast filled, would be adequate for my needs. I am asking to try to determine whether I should drive to look at this boat, and its wake, or not.

My needs are probably no more than an intermediate-level wake. I am a new rider, but 65 years old...so I am not looking for BIG wakes. I ride now behind an old Mastercraft hull, at 60 feet. The wake is rampy, but smooth. I can get good pop by simply standing up as I go up the wake, so I don't need a lot of "help" from a steep wake. My skills are: 1) comfortable normal and switch toe and heel riding and wake crossing, and wake to wake normal heelside jumps. I want to learn a back roll by the end of next spring - can do it on the tramp now, but know that on the water is another story. Any "air" that I need won't exceed that needed to do anything but the most fundamental spins and rolls.

So, can some of you experienced guys give me a feel for whether this might be a boat worth looking at, with respect to the wake itself with full rear ballast, or possibly some additional ballast, as long as it would go in the locker (s). Thanks in advance.

[BKinSoCal]

My first Nautique was a 2004 216. I found the wake to be acceptable as I was just learning to ride, but I added 800 lbs of Pop bags throughout it for extra ballast. I had it for two seasons and then moved up to a 2005 210 for the bigger wake. I believe the primary issue with adding extra ballast/Fat Sacs is the limited trunk space in the 216. I would imagine you could plumb something in, but then your trunk would be useless for anything else and there is not a ton of storage in the 216 to start with. The picture I attached is of a buddy riding with the ballast full and three guys in the boat. It was before I bought my Pop Bags, which did make a difference. I used to have some other pictures that were better and with the Pop Bags, but the hard drive crashed on my old computer and they are forever lost. But this one can at least give you an idea of the wake.

Good luck with your decision.

[jonfo]

After reading your information, my advice is don't get it unless you are going to use it as a dual sport ski/wake boat, or unless it is so cheap that you can't pass it up. I don't believe "small wake==easy wake" or "small wake==no injuries". I find a really good, large wakeboard wake makes everything easier as you will have more hang time to prepare for landing. Of course there is a point of diminishing returns with wake size and drivability, time to fill/empty, safety, but generally speaking the larger the wake is the less work you have to do. You can still get a good wake out of a 216 as it is a similar hull to the 1995-2006 210, but you will have bags filled on each side of the engine and in the back so you wont even be able to walk around on the boat. And for surfing, even more bags on the floor. I think you will be able to get a 210 hull for a bit more and you will be happier in the end.

One thing i forgot to add is that the wake steepness can be controlled by your weight placement, if you put all your weight in the back of the boat the wake gets very steep, sometimes vertical, so you have to put equal weight in the front and back to make it less steep. My rule of thumb for wakeboarding is that the boat should ride at about the same angle when weighted as it does when unweighted at about 20-22mph.

[BKinSoCal]

To add to my post, when I bought my 216, I was still planning on skiing as well as wakeboarding. The skiing went out the window so when it was time for a new boat, I went with the 210. I was very happy I made that decision.

[OldBoarder]

Thanks to everyone...I went back to my original plan..which was to buy a 210. I appreciate the input.

[HS]

You might have seen this one; maybe it is nearby and worth a look?

http://www.planetnautique.com/vb3/sh...0-Sale-Georgia