In need of 200V reviews

[MikeC]

My youngest is getting ready to head off to college so I'm seriously thinking of changing boats. I was wondering if anyone with some experience with the 200V could share their thoughts. I have access to a DD200 on a ski lake but I would like to have something that I can free ski on the lake by my house as well as surf.

My concerns:
Does the 200V have enough storage space?
I've had snap in carpet and I love it, is the carpet in the 200V difficult to keep clean and dry?
Is the ski wake everything they say it is?
Is the surf wake adequate?
Is the wakeboard wake suitable for intermediate riders?
Can you actually fit four or five people on the boat without feeling like you are sitting on each other?
Is there anything you would change on the boat?

I'm sure there are a number of other concerns that I haven't thought of but this is a good place to begin.
Thanks in advance.

[81nautique]

2012 200 sport here with about 40 hours on it.

To your questions..

Storage to me, especially with a Z5 is amazing. We typically have 2 slalom skis, 2 boards, 1 surf board, 1 single trick and a pair of doubles and between the Z5 and the racks NOTHING is on the floor. truly amazing. We also tie all our vests and ropes up on the Z5 as well. Couldn't ask for more in a 20' boat.

I've never had snap in carpet so hard to comment but we're able to leave the boat in covered in storage so if it does get wet it dries fairly quickly. The permanent carpet doesn't bother me.

The ski wake is ok with a light load but it's no 200 DD. Unfortunaltely I'm the only one who skis it and I pay the price with all the gear and a load of fuel it's not great. When my wife and I go out alone with a half tank it's a pretty decent pull for me at 32/15off.

The surf wake is better on the starboard side, my wife can actually ride it with stock ballast and just myself in the boat. Port side needs either some extra ballast or 4 people in the boat, it's rideable stock but becomes pretty decent with a little weight.

I think the wakeboard wake is more than adequate for an intermediate rider and maybe even beyond that.

4-5 people is a snap, we had 6-7 over the weekend and with one behind the boat we got along just fine. Leave the pylon under the seat and it really opens the boat up quite a bit.

I would strongly suggest getting a team with the lincII, it makes everything so easy. Last weekend I surfed, then dumped ballast and tricked, then slalomed all in one set. The boat was ready before I could change ropes and skiis.

We would not change a thing with this boat except the color, it looks so darn good we waste too much time showing it to people at the ramp :-)

I can not honestly think of one thing I would change.

[MinnesotaNautique]

Hi Mike,
We just picke up a 200v coming from a 206. Here are some answers to your questions
There is lots of storage, esp compared to a DD. Shouldn't be a concern.
Carpet hasn't been an issue, however our boat is only a few months old
The ski wake is impressive for a V-Drive, however I feel it's over hyped. "They'll" tell you it's as good as a 206, or slightly larger than 200dd, but it's def not. At 28' off the wake is quite flat, albeit very hard. Line lengths past 28' are crap! Also the boat is very weight sensitive, a large driver will cause the boat to list/lean quite a bit.
The surf wake is plenty big/tall, however not very long (most nautique's seem to be this way though). This is one of my fav things about the boat, being able to surf it after a ski set.
Wakeboard wake is ideal for intermediate level, very clean, medium sized, and lippy.
4-5 people fit just fine in the boat, past that it gets crowded pretty quick. The bow is pretty small, best for kids.
The biggest gripe (not a huge one) we have is the OEM bimini doesn't function properly - - when you fold the tower down the bimini arm (which is fixed), hits the throttle and you can't drive it into a lift with a low canopy. The OEM cover will also not fit properly if you have the bimini arms attached.
Hope this helps, let me know if you have other questions...

[swc5150]

MinnesotaN,
What speed do you ski? Could you also ellaborate on the -28 and beyond wake? Is it hard, big, too much spray? Have you skied behind a 200DD for a comparison? I love the look and concept of the 200V, and was really hoping it lived up to the hype. I remember the talk of it having a superior wake to the 196, but that seems like a bold statement - still my second favorite boat of all time:-)

[MinnesotaNautique]

MinnesotaN,
What speed do you ski? Could you also ellaborate on the -28 and beyond wake? Is it hard, big, too much spray? Have you skied behind a 200DD for a comparison? I love the look and concept of the 200V, and was really hoping it lived up to the hype. I remember the talk of it having a superior wake to the 196, but that seems like a bold statement - still my second favorite boat of all time:-)

I ski @ 34mph. Line lengths longer than 28' off are "interesting" - - the wake is def. hard, and it's taller and obviously wider than a 206. There is also a bump/rooster near 22' off. Friends of ours who ski behind a 19' prostar (not a fair comparison) absolutely hated the 200v wake, then again they were skiing @ 15' off.

[jaybird]

Had 200 V for 100 hours

1. Storage room much more than adequate.
2. No issues with carpet and I have had both, I had a problem with 230 snap in becoming sour, the 200 V carpet dries quicker and has never had that issue.
3. Ski wake for a cross over is great, awesome wakeboarding and trick skiing wake, good not great slalom compared to the 200 DD a friend of mine has thus we have a good comparison.
4. Good not great surf wake if you add extra ballast. Nothing like the 230 surf wake but not bad with a 5’ board.
5. Wakeboarding is great! It’s suitable for beginners, intermediate and advanced if you add after market ballast. If this boat shines it’s probably its wakeboarding wake.
6. Seating is great if you are using the tower, room for 6-8 without being cramped. When center pylon is used for slalom course seating for 3-4.
7. I’m sure I could think of something to change but for a 3-4 event boat Nautique hit a home run. It will never compare to the 200 DD wake for slalom but I run 34 MPH 22 off without issue. The real problem I have with the 200 V is the 28 off and shorter a hard center prop wash. When we have a choice we slalom behind my friends 200 DD, nothing like it, I feel like the slalom wake adds 6-8 extras balls to run, just a awesome slalom wake!

FYI, mine is posted for sale. 2011 200 V

[swc5150]

I ski @ 34mph. Line lengths longer than 28' off are "interesting" - - the wake is def. hard, and it's taller and obviously wider than a 206. There is also a bump/rooster near 22' off. Friends of ours who ski behind a 19' prostar (not a fair comparison) absolutely hated the 200v wake, then again they were skiing @ 15' off.

Thanks... I'm a 34mph skier as well, so I'm thinking a 200V wouldn't serve me too well. Still a really cool boat though! To be honest, the 200DD doesn't blow away our old 190 in the wake department - although it does in every other category of course.

[bigrich]

I purchased my sport 200 in october, I ski at 32 and prefer it to my old prostar, the rooster gets in the head of a couple of malibu guys at my club when we its my turn to tow on club night, i dont notice it, idon't think i'm supposed to be looking at the back of the boat though.
the wake of my insructors dd200 is far smaller and softer although watching better shiers at higher speeds the sport seemes to get better at higher speeds.
Compared to a dd200 it is weight senstive but not unlike an older 196.
I dont wake board at all but had a mate popping flips behind it with stock ballast no problems.
I love surfing behind it, i'm goofy so get a good ride on starboard with driver and one or twp passengers, we must have a driver and adult observer by law here in new zealand, but I will put in additional ballast for the upcoming summer.
really enjoying the boat, all the direct drive owners that come for a ski in it enjoy the layout of a v drive, especially the wives, it is easier to get permission to spend this kind of money if the missus falls in love with it first.

[sodbuster88]

My youngest is getting ready to head off to college so I'm seriously thinking of changing boats. I was wondering if anyone with some experience with the 200V could share their thoughts. I have access to a DD200 on a ski lake but I would like to have something that I can free ski on the lake by my house as well as surf.

My concerns:
Does the 200V have enough storage space?
I've had snap in carpet and I love it, is the carpet in the 200V difficult to keep clean and dry?
Is the ski wake everything they say it is?
Is the surf wake adequate?
Is the wakeboard wake suitable for intermediate riders?
Can you actually fit four or five people on the boat without feeling like you are sitting on each other?
Is there anything you would change on the boat?

I'm sure there are a number of other concerns that I haven't thought of but this is a good place to begin.
Thanks in advance.

Congrats on your youngest...! I made the jump to the 200V in anticipation of the perfect crossover with heavy emphasis towards slalom skiing. My overall assessment is very good on all acounts. However, I too was a bit disappointed in the slalom wake...didn't quite feel the wakes were all that it was hyped to be. I've got some pictures of the wake at 34 mph compared to the 200DD at 34 mph and will try to post later. It is still a v-drive, but I would compare the ski wake on this boat to the 216 DD which is pretty good. Also, storing skis are not as convenient. There is storage enough for one ski under the observer's seat and one on starboard side rear trunk....but both storeage areas are not designed for the ski in mind in my opinion. Yes...there's ton's of storage for everything else, including on top of the Z5, but just not that impressed in general for a good protective storage area for two good slalom skis. The other thing I've noticed (and I think has a common characteristics with the 200DD) is the mph / rpm at various speeds. I have the team edition with LINC, 343 & ACME 381. My top speed is 39.5 @ 4850. I'm watching the posts hoping that someone might find a better prop....open to suggestions for sure.. Regarding people...we have had 7 (four adults and 3 kids) and didn't even bother with the open bow....no problem. Hope this helps.

[sodbuster88]

Attached are slalom wakes 34mph (200V vs. 200DD)

[81nautique]

Attached are slalom wakes 34mph (200V vs. 200DD)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]18036[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]18037[/ATTACH]

great shots comparing the wakes. The rooster tail to me is not an issue and although the wake itself is not that big it is hard as a rock. If you don't edge hard your getting airborn. My skiing has been crap all year and I was getting pretty frustrated at myself until I skied behind 2 other boats this weekend (both mastercrafts, a 197 and a 205 prostar) and I realized I haven't adjusted to this new boat yet because the pull behind the MC's was pretty nice and I instantly skied better. I've always pulled hard through the wake and thought this boat would be a little more forgiving but I'm finding if you let your guard down it will kick your butt. I was at a dealer Sunday and we talked about experimenting with props to try to get the rpm's down a tick to soften it a little bit but not sure I want to be a lab rat at $400 bucks a pop. Guess I'm like a few other 200V owners waiting for someone else to do some prop testing.

[sodbuster88]

[QUOTE=81nautique;183385]great shots comparing the wakes..... QUOTE]

I can't take credit for the pics. Mark at N3 BoatWorks (Indy) provided these shots to me while I was shopping around (Thanks, Mark..hope you don't mind me sharing).

[swc5150]

Looks like a pretty substantial difference in wakes (great pics BTW). It looks as though the early "skis like a 196" talk was a little exaggerated. Still seems like a sweet boat for what it is.

[Mikeski]

I just returned from a vacation in Canada in Mont Tremblant. They have a beautiful lake with a ski school run by Pierre Plouffe, I hired his 200V for an hour of skiing and riding for my wife and I. His 200V was outfitted with the fly-hi piggyback ballast system, bags in both rear lockers attached to the overflow lines. I water skied, wakeboarded, and surfed behind the boat.

Waterskiing - I purposely chose 22off and ran at 33mph since I had a few things going on including riding on a completely unfamiliar ski, less than ideal water conditions, no gloves, slippery hands from suntan lotion, (OK enough excuses)... With the crew (two 160 lbs guys, my 120 lb wife and two 30 lb children) the wake was not too bad, going from right to left (my good side) there was a noticable rooster tail right in my path, the other direction was not too bad. I suspect we had the boat a bit unlevel. The wake was better than it would have been behind my 211.

Wakeboarding - I rode at 22mph at 70' out, the wake was medium sized but fairly well shaped. Wide enough but not too wide. Slightly more ramp but not quite as tall as my 211 wake at 23mph/70'. I was able to get plenty of height and able to clear jumps out into the flats easily as I desired. The wake was be easier to negotiate and more forgiving than my 211 wake but it did not provide as much lift. Remember this 200V had an additional 250lbs of ballast in each rear corner over stock. I am comparing it to my stock 211 ballast so in my opinion the additional ballast would be a must and it would eat into the storage space of these compartments. With another 200-300lbs of human weight in the boat I would say the wakes would have been very good. The EX343 equipped boat took quite a bit of time to plane off for wakeboarding. I would re-prop it or preferably opt for the ZR6 powerplant.

Surfing - nice clean face easy to surf with no rope up to 8' away from the boat (with belly, stock port tank, and fly-hi port bag full). This was on a 4'4" board supporting my 195lb frame. It was surely an easier wake to surf than my 211 produces with stock ballast. My wife also surfed and did not like the wake as well as our 211's wake but she likes the small steep wake it produces right behind the boat. With her board and more time I am sure she would learn to appreciate the surf wake behind the 200V.

I also had a chance to drive the 200V with no skier/rider and empty ballast system. This is the first V-drive I have driven that went from idle to plane without me losing sight of the water behind the bow of the boat due to bow rise. The boat gave little handling up for being a V-drive. It seems like they may have pushed as much weight as far forward as they could with this boat. The biggest sacrifice when compared to other V-drives would be the smallish interior space. My 211 sometimes seems small when I get 6 adults in the boat, I am sure the 200V would seem pretty cramped for an all day lake outing. I would also be more concerned about dipping the bow if I had a couple adults up there. It seems they used a great deal of the 200V's real estate for the motor and rear storage areas. If they could have straightened up the transom and moved everything back 6" opening up the center area I think the boat would be much more comfortable. Unfortunately that would likely result in destruction of the wake qualities.

I would like to see something like a 206V, slightly longer, slightly taller in the bow, and possibly a bit wider. If they could build it with the same wake qualities they would win the crossover battle.

[TRBenj]

The EX343 equipped boat took quite a bit of time to plane off for wakeboarding. I would re-prop it or preferably opt for the ZR6 powerplant.

FYI, I would not expect the addition of the 6.0L to improve the holeshot all by itself. I would say that the 409 and 343 come out of the hole very comparably when propped the same. Jody hinted recently that the EX is stronger out of the hole, which would not be a huge surprise to me either.

The real advantage of the 6.0L is at the upper end of the powerband, as it pulls harder from 3500rpm and all the way up to 5600rpm. You would be able to prop the boat down a little bit to improve the holeshot, without killing your top end entirely- whereas the 5.7 runs out of breath (and hits the rev limiter) much closer to 5k.