This weekend is it ... 216/211 or 206?

[TN_SN_Convert]

I have finnally decided to cross over from MC and buy a CC. I am test driving and skiing behind the 216/211 and 206 this weekend. I have a wife, 3 kids and myself and we need a bigger boat than the '94 MC 205 we are currently in. We pimarily ski and wakeboard for after we are all tired and lake is rougher, however, we wanted to try to surf next year as it looks fun.

I am leaning right now towards the 216 as it is still a DD and is bigger. Any advise on what else I should be looking for in terms of the boat? Should we look at the 210? I have to live with this boat for the next 10 years and do not want to make a mistake. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

[SGY]

RE: This weekend is it ... 216/211 or 206?

If you want to mix in some wakeboarding and you need more room than the 205, the 216 is your boat. The 206 is more hardcore slalom and does not have as much room as the 216. The 216 is a great public lake boat with gobs of storage and it will hold an adult sized ski in the rear locker. The 206 will not.

See the below link for a nice comparison.

http://www.planetnautique.com/index....ewtopic&t=4126

[AbunDiga909]

RE: This weekend is it ... 216/211 or 206?

The 216 is a great boat and I would buy it again, but you mentioned surfing and trying to get the 216 to make a nice surf wake is like asking a librarian to yell-its just not gonna happen... The 211 will produce a nice surf wake where on the 216 you'd need to add a lot of aftermarket and cumbersome ballast.

The 216 is also nice it does have more storage than the 216 and I can fit my 67" ski in the back with much room to spare, but the 211 has about 5x more storage space than the 216.

But if you primarly ski and not so much wakeboard than I think the 216 is the boat to get. It has a great slalom wake, only the pros will complain. And the boarding wake w/ those whopping 400 lb. tanks filled will suit any beginner to intermediate, especially if they are kids. Only guy that's ever complained about the size of my wake was doing rolls off of an X30 and another guy from a 210, but that's understandable.

The 216 also holds 10, both the 206 and 211 only hold 9. I also think that the 216 has the most seating, for about 8-9. Where the 206 I figure seating about 7-8 and the 211 only about 6-8.

Good luck, the 216 is a great boat and I still think is the nicest looking boat CC makes!

[TN_SN_Convert]

RE: This weekend is it ... 216/211 or 206?

This is great information and thanks. The whole trailer thing is a new experience for me. MC makes there own and am I to understand that you have a choice with CC but only one is CC approved? Also - what is up with whole "crash pad" thing on the trailer? What is this for? Once again ... I am a CC newbe so I appoligize if these are dumb questions

[Mikeski]

RE: This weekend is it ... 216/211 or 206?

Convert,

I crossed over from a direct drive to a 211 this year. I also joined a ski club that puts different people on my boat every other weekend. Most everybody has been extremely impressed with my boat. I would say that the 211 might be the most versatile boat out there. I tend to slalom more than I wakeboard and love the wake at 34mph/28off. At slower speeds and different line lengths the wake is not so great so you may need to try a few different combinations. My wife likes the skiing wake better than my 1995 Ski Nautique's with the 400lbs of lead I was running. She skis at 28mph, she also says the boat drives better? I disagree, the 95 drove better and skied better in my opinion.

So, I would recommend that you pile the family into the boats and use them as you would normally do. Make a decision that makes the entire family happy.

Trailers tend to be a dealer item, at least here on the west coast. My dealer did a great job picking a good trailer for my boat. It self centers, it's easy to load, and it tows great. It's a Zieman but I don't think you will get them in the South. I think Dorsey is the favored trailer in your area.

[bkhallpass]

Just be sure you ski the 211. I know good skiers who are satisfied with the ski wake. But, it's not for everyone. If you are ok with the ski wake, I bet you will prefer the 211 in every other regard (room, storage, layout, wakeboarding, surfing). Also, your kids will grow fast. If they're like
most, they'll prefer wakeboarding, they'll bring friends, they all have
a bunch of stuff . . .

If you are not satisfied with the 211 ski wake, then the 216 will be your boat. I really like the 216 and if buying again that is what I would buy. I have a 210 which offers more social layout, more storage, and better wakeboarding. But, wife likes to ski, and the 210 isn't great for that.

In reality, 99% of the people I take out aren't that good on the wakeboard. The 216 is more than enough wake for most. The few
experts I take out could do rolls and flips off a bassboat if they wanted to.
They just won't get the huge height that they can get off a "wakeboard
boat." Not one has ever complained about the occasional tows even when I owned a Ski Nautique.

I am not aware that CC only recommends 1 trailer. To the contrary,
when CC got out of making its own trailers the dealer told me 1) not economically feasible when others specialize in trailers and 2) there are too many regional preferences. West coasters like the tandems, not so common in other parts of the country. Some areas want galvanized. Lot's of people want custom colors, etc. Ultimately, saves consumer money and
gives them more choice of the trailer they want. I think Ramlin is common
around Florida, and used by CC when they toured the 220, but I've never
seen one in CA.

You will love the crash pads. Pretty simple. Pull the boat up till the nose
touches the pads, hook on the winch strap and go. No trailer buddy
or lock bar to mess with. It's also much easier if you have a less experienced driver putting the boat on the trailer.

Have fun with the test drives. BKH.

[noti_dad]

I was in the same predicament as you 2 weeks ago. Test drove all of the same ones and came out ordering a new 211TE. Comparing ski wakes to my current 216 is even. WB wake and surf wake are WAY better. Storage is 5Xs more in the 211. I found it drove better/differant in the fact that it was a tighter wheel (less movement for the same turn). I'll ehco everyone's input on all the other things.

[NautiqueJeff]

I think Ramlin is common around Florida, and used by CC when they toured the 220, but I've never seen one in CA.You will love the crash pads. Pretty simple. Pull the boat up till the nose touches the pads, hook on the winch strap and go. No trailer buddy or lock bar to mess with. It's also much easier if you have a less experienced driver putting the boat on the trailer.

That's pretty much right on about the Ram-Lin trailers, with the exception of the winch strap. Ram-Lin trailers come standard with a turnbuckle, but I believe a winch is an option.

Some people love the Ram-Lins and some people hate them. I have owned two, and I tow all over the east coast, Florida to New Hampshire to Ohio to anywhere in between. I have never had any major problems with either of my Ram-Lins. My '94 did have a rusted out brake line that I had to replace, but the trailer was ten years old at the time. I'll continue to order Ram-Lin trailers in the future as they have been very good to me.

Maybe Luke will chime in about his, uh, wonderful experiences with his trailer (different brand).

www.ram-lin.com

[TN_SN_Convert]

Thanks for all the input ... this is great. I Never knew that about the crash pads. Thanks. I am hoping the 211 is acceptable in terms of wake as it will provide much more room and as everyone is telling me the kids will probably want to get into boarding as they get older. But I keep pushing skiing ... but the whole it is cooler to ski is getting tougher to sell everyday. Maybe it is me that needs to convert over to boarding

[AbunDiga909]

I also like the Ram-Lins a lot. When we got ours we spoke to Dave there and he helped us customize our trailer. He put reverse lights on our trailer, and since they would take up the space where the prop guard rollers would go, he made special prop guard for us w/ as much clearence as possible. I think Ram-Lin is more of an East Coast thing than a Florida thing. All I see is Ram-Lins up here...

[SGY]

Hey Convert. My kids were into the boarding thing too. But now it seems as though they are much more interested in slalom skiing--especially in the course. Don't count out slalom skiing. It has much to offer kids these days.

[TN_SN_Convert]

Dad's #1 rule - everyone skies before we do anything else. My 11 years old daughter is into skiing, however, she is starting to get some pressure from friends on the boarding thing. At the end of the day I do not care as long as they still get in the water and do something. Just as long as I do not have to ski behind a tug when I am old and gray

[bkhallpass]

Sounding more and more to me like you are a 216 kind of guy, but definitely try the 211.

BKH

[Mikeski]

Ironically my final decision to buy a V-drive was based solely on a water skiing issue. The value of not having relocate a boat full of passengers in front of the tow bar is huge. I will suffer the bigger wake for the sake of convenience. Based on units sold the 211 is much more popular than any direct drive which means resale value should be higher with the 211.

It's really an individual decision.

Surely there must be somebody reading this thread willing to trade BKH a 216 for his 210, after all it is the featured boat... ;-)

[bkhallpass]

Surely there must be somebody reading this thread willing to trade BKH a 216 for his 210, after all it is the featured boat... ;-)

Hey now. Keep it down. I've told the wife she needs to wait a
couple of years while I continue to enjoy the 210 :>)

BKH