Skiability of a SAN

[NautiqueJeff]

This thread was added to the old site after the database had been restored to the new site. It needed to be added manually.

I am new to this forum so forgive me ahead of time if this is a stupid question.
I am going to buy a boat soon and have already decided I want it to be a correct craft. My wife says whatever but would prefer that it be a V-drive so people can be in the rear of the boat when there is a skier or rider in tow. I have wanted to get a boat mostly for wakeboarding for my kids, but I am a skier (recreational only). I understand that the new Air 211 is a "jack of all trades", but from the few things I've been able to read about it, it sounds like "a master of none".

My question is; How skiable is a Super Air with empty tanks and few passengers? Is it any better than the typical I/O junk I have skied behind in the past? I would appreciate any comments from some one who has tried. Thanks

[NautiqueJeff]

Here is the intended market for a few of the boats here:
sport 216 good wakeboard/ski crossover (direct drive)
Air/Sport 210 master of wakeboarding. It is skiable to a degree. Depending on what I/O's you have been skiing, this could be night and day from that.
The 211 is also a crossover but done in a Vdrive configuration. Depending on how serious your kids are at wakeboarding, this could be the boat to best fit your needs.

Hope this helps and by the way, no question is a stupid one here! Welcome to the board.

[NautiqueJeff]

HAHA If you have a hundred foot line it wouldn't be too bad.

[NautiqueJeff]

Direct drives are for primary ski/secondary wakeboarding. V drives are for primary wakeboarding and if you can't find anything else to ski behind.

That may sound harsh, but once you have skied behind a 196, 206 or even a 216 you would never want to ski behind a V drive.

If I were going to trailer my boat, and wanted a crossover boat the air 206 would be the choice for me. All of the DD boats have a ring in the back to atach the rope to if you have to many passengers to use the pylon, if you dont want a tower.

My $.02
Jeff

[NautiqueJeff]

Guys the way I look at it (and I have skied behind a SAN) is that it is doable and it is better than an I/O. It may not be ideal but it will get the job done.

[NautiqueJeff]

I’ve pulled several skiers behind my SAN who had previously only ridden behind I/Os. Some liked it, some didn’t.

The strengths:
Much better hole shot and could get larger skiers out of the water with greater ease. The SAN also tracked better when they were cutting hard and obviously held speed better due to Perfect Pass. One of the slalom skiers I pulled can’t ride behind a I/O because he pulls the rear end of the boat around, this problem went away with the SAN.

The weaknesses:
The wake. Even at skiing speeds with 1-2 people in the boat the wake is still very noticeable. The skiers I pulled all had to ease up at the wake rather than cut straight through it. Although it is amusing to watch their faces the first time they take a full cut at the wake and remember at the last second they aren’t behind a I/O or ski boat. I don’t ski, but it appeared to me that the slalom skiers suffered the most from the abruptness of the wake.

[NautiqueJeff]

I wouldn't jump to any conclusions until you and your wife have looked at the boats. She may decide that the Air 216 or Air 206 are more than adequate. If that is the case, you will be very happy with how either boat skis and wakeboards. (The 216 is a little more towards the wakeboarding end of things but has a more than adequate ski wake--IMHO.)

Again, in my opinion, the SAN is very much like a 196--representing a hardcore dedication to a single purpose. If you are in to that one thing, then its a perfect fit. I believe, in many instances, a family boat has to be a jack of all trades of sorts--unless your name is Bonifay or Mapple. Myself and my kids cover the spectrum of watersports. Some like to ride, some like to ski. For us, the 206 was perfect.

I spoke with Jeff Warner at CC regarding the 211. He indicated that this boat has a very acceptable ski wake--similar to, and even better than, the 216 in some respects. If your wife really wants a V-drive, I would take a hard look at this boat.

Enjoy your buying experience. It's a very exciting time to buy a CC--mostly because of the new found crossover flexibility in their boats.

Steve

[NautiqueJeff]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your opinions. I am going to the Seattle boat show this weekend so we can get a good look at a 211.

[AbunDiga909]

Ben, I’ve dealt with the same EXACT scenario, but 3 months ago. My family has test drove both with many people, and my uncle, who skies very well and cuts very hard, slalomed behind both. With no tanks filled, he said that the 216 is much better, of course. The 210 had a much larger bump and harder rooster tail. You could even see the difference from the boat. And one thing that I found interesting was that even though the 210 seating lets people be more social in a way, I found that there is more actual seating in the 216...comfortably, not subway/bus style seating.

It also depends on how good a slalomer and how good your kids are at wakeboarding. From what I’m guessing, you’re a good enough slalomer to want a nice, clean, wake. When we test-drove both boats, we found that the 216 also handles a lot better. We filled up the tanks, and it was very large. Not as large as the 210 however. All in all, we found that the difference in the slalom wake btw the two boats was more worth it than the extra wake for wakeboarding, leading us to get the 216. From what we did, the slalom wake difference on the 216 was better then the wakeboarding wake difference on the 210. I hope that makes sense.

The 211 is supposed to be the best boat for our needs. According to CC, it has a better wakeboarding and slalom wake then the 216, until you get to about 30 mph. But you loose handling. I cant’ say much about it cuz I haven’t driven it.

Hope this helps. Good luck! (you’ll be happy with either boat, something people told me…lol)