Decided on a 220, seating/capacity questions

[General Lee]

Hey gang,

Let me preface this by stating I haven't driven/owned a wakeboard boat yet. There is entirely too much water and summer where I live to not own one, however. I've done tons of research on late 2000's MB's and was about to pull the trigger on one, but decided against it because of the resale. These CC's just seem to keep better resale which is good in case i have to jump ship and sell the boat in a hurry.

I have bad knees and the wife has a bad hip. Wakeboarding is not our priority. We are in our mid-30's with 2 mid-teenage kids, so our watersports will primarily consist of wakesurfing, cruising, tubing, and wakeboarding (in that order). Really the only people who will wakeboard will be my kids or buddies and their kids. None of us are pro's so whatever the boat throws out for wakeboarding is fine with all of us.

I read on this forum that one guy loved the 210 because any more than 5-6 people and it got too crowded and nobody chipped in for gas/beer anyhow.. On the flip, one guy on here loved his 220/230 (can't remember which) because it had so much more room for more people which led to more chip in cash for gas/beer. Which have you found to be more of a true statement? Does a bigger boat always equal more people wanting to go with you (If you needed people to come along to help chip in for gas)? I understand the captain has the say in who comes/stays. Do acquaintances come out of the woodwork once you buy a boat and want to ride with you? Or do you generally keep the same band of friends in the boat each time?

How much of a PITA is the 220 for seating? I read a comment that the seat against the engine housing can be used as a bench, but then the bench becomes "something to step over". Not a huge deal in my book, but wanted some opinions.

The reason i'm leaning towards a 220 is because my garage is 23' from wall to door; which leads to my next question. How tall is the 220 with tower folded down? My garage opening is 7 feet exactly and I have a feeling I'll have to modify it a wee bit before shoe-horning the boat in there.

One last thing....are there NO Nautique owners in Tri-Cities, WA? I've searched the place high and low and nobody from this board seems to live here. Boat launches are a mile from my house.

Thanks guys.

[Naatv]

I may be able to help out on a few of your questions..... I have a 220, its also in the for sale part of this site also.

I love having all the room that way when you have 6-7 people on there it doesnt feel crowded. Just because i can fit 12 doesnt mean i like to have that many. I am in my mid 20's and i usually bring the same group of people. They all know that fun=$$$$ so they are all good about pitching in. There has been times when i have had 8-10 people on my boat and it didnt end up costing me anything to go out.... If people dont pitch in they didnt get invited with me. I already had to supply the boat, truck, maintnance, insurance ect. the least my friends can do is pitch in.

I dont think seating in the 220 is a pain at all that is the reason i bought it i loved the seating. The seat can be moved to the middle of the boat, but doesnt have to be. Its nice to use when people are boarding cuz than everyone gets to watch backwards and have a back rest. It also has an awesome trash receptical built in that is so convenient to have.

Ive never folded my tower so i dont have that measurment.

Any other questions feel free to ask
Branden

[Nordicron]

well couple things. Understand that the 220 is kinda a weird boat for Nautique. It's not exactly the most sought after model. If it all possible I'd make sure you get a demo to make sure you like the wakes and cabin layouts. Also I wouldn't be scared of a newer model 210. They have plenty of room and the rear facing seating also like a 220 but they are much easier to get a nice clean wake for new wake boarders and surfers alike. And they probably have the best resale of the models. As for cruising I think the 220 might have a leg up in that dept but I've never been into just cruising.
But the big thing is you say your garage is only 23', that is gonna be a problem. I think even the 210 is just over 23' counting the swim platform and right at 7' with tower folding. Taking the swimplat off each time is possible but it aint something i'd want to do over and over again. Height is dependent on what trailer and tire combo you have it on.

[General Lee]

Thanks for the replies.

Also, I should mention that I initially wanted the 230 till I measured my garage. Anyone got a single door on a 2 car garage? How much more room will I get if I angle the boat in there?

[OKWAKEBDR]

If you have a single wide garage door (versus a double wide), then it won't matter - the boat won't fit width wise. Most single door garages are 8 feet wide. 7 feet tall is going to be close also - it will depend on the trailer, tires, and slope of your driveway. From what I'm hearing, a 210 or 211 is probably a better boat for you (not suggesting the 220 isn't a great boat) - assuming you can fit it in the garage width wise. Sounds like you may want to look for nearby boat storage.

[General Lee]

My garage is a 2-car with one door. The boat will fit in width wise. I'm fine with regular, non-flashy wheels and tires which is good for clearing the door height. But, back to a 23' foot garage; looks like I'll have to add on to the garage.

[ViSoR]

Yeah 23' is not enough lenght even for a 210.

The only thing I can comment on is friends on board as I have no experience with a 220. I always split the gas cost between people on board and friends are happy to help out. I don't have people that I haven't spoken too in forever calling me up to go boating but I know that if I need a few people to complete the riding crew I can call a few anytime. People rarely decline a boat invite on a nice day!

I bought a 2005 210 as my first boat ever and sometimes wish it was a bit bigger because I have a big group of friends that all love to wakesurf and wakeboard. Riders who are used to or prefer smaller groups love the 210 for sure. I would say in average there is 6 people on my boat. Sometimes 8-9 (crowded) and rarely only 3. I love the boat tough!

If it's your first one I would probably go for a 210 because it's the smaller one and most of the time less expensive so if you end up not boating as much as you thought or you have to sell it will go quicker.

Good luck with the search!

[High altitude]

There will be very little correlation between the boat size and who pays for gas IMHO. It's more about the people you invite. I'm in my forties and have done fairly well for myself. When people come to hang out on the water, gas money never even gets discussed. We all have a great time and I get more gas. Not a problem. When I was in my 20's, it was totally different. Most people I hung out with were all making the same amount of money and we all chipped in for gas, beer, etc.
The best boat is the one that is right for you and your family. If you are a person that tends to invite a lot of friends, then a bigger boat is nice. Another factor is where you live. I live about 300 ft from my boat lift and it is a private lake. I have a pretty nice dock setup so my friends can hang out listen to tunes and drink a libation while we switch out people on the boat. If you have access to a beach or private lake or other type of setup that allows you to have more people than spots on your boat, you don't need as big a craft. I have a '99 SN closed bow and we surf, ski, tube, and wakeboard (hardly ever). 23 ft would be tight for even that boat but if you get a swing tongue on the trailer it would fit. Good luck. -Marc

[krt]

Yeah 23' is not enough lenght even for a 210.

My '08 210 fits in 23', really only takes up ~22', swim step off and tongue folded.
Also, with the Titan tower it fits in with 7' high door

[DJH]

There will be very little correlation between the boat size and who pays for gas IMHO. It's more about the people you invite. I'm in my forties and have done fairly well for myself. When people come to hang out on the water, gas money never even gets discussed. We all have a great time and I get more gas. Not a problem. When I was in my 20's, it was totally different. Most people I hung out with were all making the same amount of money and we all chipped in for gas, beer, etc.
The best boat is the one that is right for you and your family. If you are a person that tends to invite a lot of friends, then a bigger boat is nice. Another factor is where you live. I live about 300 ft from my boat lift and it is a private lake. I have a pretty nice dock setup so my friends can hang out listen to tunes and drink a libation while we switch out people on the boat. If you have access to a beach or private lake or other type of setup that allows you to have more people than spots on your boat, you don't need as big a craft. I have a '99 SN closed bow and we surf, ski, tube, and wakeboard (hardly ever). 23 ft would be tight for even that boat but if you get a swing tongue on the trailer it would fit. Good luck. -Marc

I agree. I think early on it was nice when friends shared the expense, now it's just nice to share the experience. I think the key thing is to buy the boat that fits how you'll use it. I loved my 196 but purchasing it was a mistake... I bought it thinking about how I used to ski... typically just me and a few friends and if we ever had a bigger group we could rotate folks out like Marc described. I should have thought about how I'll use the boat now... typically inviting families with kids and loading up the boat for a full day on the water. I moved to a 230 and love it.