206 -vs- 216 Comparison hints

[BigBald]

I am going to be helping a friend of mine demo a new 206 and a 216 tomorrow. I was curious if anyone has any items to consider when evaluating these two boats. Besides the obvious comparisons like wakeboard wake, slalom wake, room, storage....are there any other "hidden" comparisons that we need to watch out for?

[redelf75]

RE: 206 -vs- 216 Comparison hints

Well you mentioned room, but...

Try laying down in the bow facing forwards and backwards. The 216 has a longer bow and may prove to be more comfortable if you like to stretch out. Also, have someone do this while you're driving; your vision may be impared if people are sitting too upright.

[jpattigr]

You will need to purchase the jump seat in the 216 to be able to carry three people well skiing, the new seat in the 206 is included.
216 is much better in open water, big lakes, 206 more like a sports car!!
Have fun!
:grin:

[BigBald]

thanks for the input.....going to be a weird hot day here in Indy....looking forward to an afternoon of testing.

[AbunDiga909]

The 216 may handle rough water a bit better than the 206, but don't get your hopes up. Its a great boat, but by no means a rough water boat...

[Daytomann]

216 onwer here.. 8-)

216 is much better in open water, big lakes, 206 more like a sports car!!

Well the 206 would be like a sports coupe, the 216 is like a sports sedan.

The 216 may handle rough water a bit better than the 206, but don't get your hopes up. Its a great boat, but by no means a rough water boat...

True that...



I would think that the 206 would be a little better slalom boat but the 216 is pretty good for its size and extra weight, it just has a bit of a bump in the wake. But I still think the 216 is one of the most versatile boats you can get.

[BigBald]

Sorry for not getting this posted sooner...but I've been a bit busy the last couple of days.

Test drove both boats back to back. Both of these boats were fantastic. They were 2005 models and the 216 was being put in the water for the first time since the factory. Anybody that has the opportunity to water test boats back to back....I highly suggest it. I got to give up some props to MD Boats and the folks up at Angola....they took good care of us.

Power - The 216 had a bit more punch of of the hole than the 206...but the 206 had a smidge more top end.

Handling - The comparison of a sports care to a luxury car was percise. The 206 handled much like a 196, but we found that the 216 tracked a bit better while towing. Of course that makes sense.

Space - 216 won...but it was an Air Team edition and the trunk was full of ballast. So, my friend will most likely go with no ballast.....he'll need the room more than the ballast for 75% of his usage.

Slalom at 34 or 35 mph - The 206 compared very closely to my buddy's 1998 Ski Nautique closed bow. Was very difficult to tell the difference. It was very very nice. However, the 216 was also very nice. The small bump was very soft and was not significant enough to push either of us to want the 206 over the 216.

Slalom at 30 - This is what the wives ski at.....it was very similar to my 1999 Sport Nautique....again...not bad at all.

Wakeboard wake - By the time we got to this point...we were already really liking the 216. My buddy didn't even wakeboard at all. So I tested the boat with no ballast and only two dudes in the boat. It was not that great and very soft. We then filled the ballast (only trunk ballast). It was very nice. I would like to see it with 7 or 8 folks in the boat also. I really like the wake and made the decision that I really need to get some weight in my 99 Sport. Sorry side note there.

Overall impression - Either of these boats would be awesome. However, with my buddy's needs for more space and switching between slalom and wakeboarding....the 216 won hands down. For my buddy and myself...we both would avoid the Team version of the 216. The loss of trunk space with ballast and the "under the passenger" space with a speaker box would cause us problems. The need for stowage of junk is critical for the way we utilize our boats. Along that line....the only minor complaint that I had for the 216 was the loss of the floor ski storage between the driver and the passenger seats. My 99 Sport has that space, and we use is all the time.

I am probably only repeating what 99% of you guys know already. But, I thought I would share.

Thanks for your input above.