Slalom wakes

[causewayskiier]

I presently own a '92 MC Prosport 205 and would like to replace it with a newer MC, Malibu or CC in the next year or so. I really like the 205 and may replace it with a newer one. I want an open bow slalom boat and very much like the CC 206 but am not sure my budget will allow. I want to spend between 20-30k for the boat (closer to 20K). My first question is how long has the CC 206 been around and what did it replace? I will probably be looking at late 90s models (or early 2000s). Do the Sport Nautiques and SNOB have a good slalom wake? Is it as good as the 206 wake. I primarily ski 22 off around 30 MPH. Thanks for any info you may have.

[slob02]

RE: Slalom wakes

Go with a SNOB. They have great wakes. Especially after 1996. I had a 93 and it was fine though. It took me to my personal best at the time. I think it was 28 off @36mph.

[todda]

RE: Slalom wakes

causewayskiier-
we own a '99 SNOB, and love the slalom wake, tracks way better than our club boat ('92 MC 190) in the course as well. only thing is that you may be looking for a bit more elbow room. i have skied only a few times behind the CC 206, and it was a great wake at 22 off, very non-existent bump.

Todd

[BigBald]

RE: Slalom wakes

I own a 99 Sport Nautique and I can tell you that the slalom wake is OK. Not awesome, but it's OK. Of course with the open bow, I normally have the boat full of people, so I couldn't tell you exactly what it is like with only two folks. But, I have been very happy with it's versatility.....don't know if your looked for versatility????

I did get to test drive a 2005 206 & 216 recently. The 206 compared very well with my friends 97 Ski Nautiqe (close bow). However the 216 also had a very nice wake. For me....it was almost too hard to tell the difference. My buddy is a much more experienced slalom skier and he could tell a bit more difference then me. We both ski at about 34 or 35 mph. With the 206, you loose the storage space that you get with the 216. FYI - My buddy went with the 216.

I also just recently skied behind a 2006 Malibu response open bow. I thought that the slalom wake "looked" very similar. However, I thought that the wake was fairly hard compared to the 206 & 216...and really even compared to my 99 Sport. The wake didn't give much....like hitting a curb. But that may just be my perception.....

With all that said, I don't know exactly how all that compares to the same boats that are 6 or 8 years old. But, I would guess it would be comparable???

[SGY]

RE: Slalom wakes

The 206 is a fantastic boat. Great slalom wake. Your problem will be your budget. You will be hard pressed to find a 2003 with Excalibur for less than $32 or $33K. You might find one with the smaller motor for under $30,000. To me the extra money is worth it over the 97-2002 SNOB. I had a 99 SNOB. Loved it, skied and tracked great. But it was too small--as indicated above. With the 206 you get a foot more room and a walk through bow. The playpen bow in the SNOB is just about worthless--IMHO. The 206 and the 97-2002 SNOB wakes are very comparable. The 206 replaced the SNOB in 2003.

I ski behind a Response on a regular basis. My perception is different from BigBald above. I find the Response 15 off wake to be a wee bit softer than the 206 but a tad bigger. Both are awesome. Take your pick. The differing percpetions regarding wakes indicate that really, wake quality is very subjective. Frankly, on these newer boats, its what you get used to. I would choose the 206 or the RLXi over the MC 197. The wake on the 197 is fine but the boat is smaller than both the Bu and CC. It also doesn't handle or track quite as well.

The RLXi tracks very well if set up correctly. The one I've driven has quite a bit of rudder load and feels quite glued or placed in the course. I pulled a skier last Saturday into 32off. He's a big guy and puts quite a load on the boat. I was impressed with the way the RLXi tracked--especially with me being such a rookie at driving the course.

The 206 tracks like a champ too. It has a lighter touch on the wheel--less rudder load. I've always loved driving my 206 and I've pulled skiers into 32 off. I've seen my 206 pull a skier into 39.5off and do a great job. The differences between the 206 and the RLXi that I've driven are quite startling in the way they handle and track. But both do the job very well.

Good luck.

[causewayskiier]

What is the bow seating like in the SNOB and Super Sport? Playpen or walkthrough style?

[SGY]

The bow seating in the SNOB is playpen. In the Sport, I'm not sure. My buddy has a 94 Sport and its playpen as well. I think the newer Sport's are walkthrough.

[bkhallpass]

Snob is playpen. You don't want a super sport. It is a v-drive and not very good for skiing.

Sport Nautique from 98 on is a walk through open bow. BKH

[causewayskiier]

Sounds like if I want to go with CC, I need to get Sport Nautique or cough up the money to get a '03 206. Often new model lines don't have all the bugs worked out. What about the '03 206s, are they well built. I know that when MC first started making open bows they made some mistakes which they corrected later. Opinions please.

[Labatt911]

I used to have a 98 sport it had the playpen style bow. I currently have a 99 pro air that has the walk through bow. In comparing the two, the walk through is nice, but with the playpen bow you get more storage in the bow area. Since we always leave the bow filler cushion in, it is basically a playpen style bow anyway, so in my opinion the walk through just eliminates some extra storage. My 98 had the TSC hull, a friend of mine slalomed behind it and like the wake. I mostly wakeboard, so loaded up a bit there was a nice wake for boarding. I liked it as and all around boat.

[SGY]

I have a 2003. No problems--other than a few cosmetic things which are driving me crazy. But these are not unique to the 2003 year. Mechanically, it's been perfect. There is nothing wrong with the 98 and above Sport. Great boat. Skis pretty well and has lots of room.

[skisix@38]

Re: RE: Slalom wakes

SGY- I was running 35off when you were driving my RLXi Saturday. By the time we get done tunning up your boat I'm betting it has a lot more rudder load than it does now. It's just what you need to have for shortline skiing.

The 206 is a fantastic boat. Great slalom wake. Your problem will be your budget. You will be hard pressed to find a 2003 with Excalibur for less than $32 or $33K. You might find one with the smaller motor for under $30,000. To me the extra money is worth it over the 97-2002 SNOB. I had a 99 SNOB. Loved it, skied and tracked great. But it was too small--as indicated above. With the 206 you get a foot more room and a walk through bow. The playpen bow in the SNOB is just about worthless--IMHO. The 206 and the 97-2002 SNOB wakes are very comparable. The 206 replaced the SNOB in 2003.

I ski behind a Response on a regular basis. My perception is different from BigBald above. I find the Response 15 off wake to be a wee bit softer than the 206 but a tad bigger. Both are awesome. Take your pick. The differing percpetions regarding wakes indicate that really, wake quality is very subjective. Frankly, on these newer boats, its what you get used to. I would choose the 206 or the RLXi over the MC 197. The wake on the 197 is fine but the boat is smaller than both the Bu and CC. It also doesn't handle or track quite as well.

The RLXi tracks very well if set up correctly. The one I've driven has quite a bit of rudder load and feels quite glued or placed in the course. I pulled a skier last Saturday into 32off. He's a big guy and puts quite a load on the boat. I was impressed with the way the RLXi tracked--especially with me being such a rookie at driving the course.

The 206 tracks like a champ too. It has a lighter touch on the wheel--less rudder load. I've always loved driving my 206 and I've pulled skiers into 32 off. I've seen my 206 pull a skier into 39.5off and do a great job. The differences between the 206 and the RLXi that I've driven are quite startling in the way they handle and track. But both do the job very well.

Good luck.

[bkhallpass]

RE: Re: RE: Slalom wakes

Labatt, you are right. My mistake. 98 Sport was playpen. 99 Sport went to the full
walk through. Sorry about that. BKH

[gatorgates]

I bought my 2003 sn206 limited new. The slalom wakes compare favorably with any and all competition inboards. I pull skiers through the course at everything from 15 off 28mph to 39 1/2 34 mph. The only set up that is not optimal is 22 off at 34mph where I get a fairly pronounced rooster tail bump. As far as bugs in a new model year, I have only had one problem and that is with the electronic dash that comes with the limited. The "bus box" has been replaced 3 times due to odd gremlins (once it was the depth guage, then the water temp guage, then just went dead for two days before it magically "healed") These problems never interfered with the use of the boat and the dealer has cheerfully replaced them all under warranty. The dealer advises that mine is the only boat that he has seen with this issue.

Overall a great boat for a skiing family. Everyone loves the walk-thru. But you will not find one for $20,000.

[SGY]

Re: RE: Slalom wakes

After driving my 206 last night and pulling skisix into 38 off, I noticed that the boat has much less rudder load than his RLXi. I would like to have a bit more load--up to what I've experienced in driving a 196. I'm curious what others have done on their 206 for rudder load. Moving the tab doesn't seem to increase the load, just the bias. We also had to add ++ on the KX. This is not uncommon on most 2002 and newer Ski Nautiques. I've heard that the TSC3 hull doesn't require ++, however. What do others experience with the KX issues with shortline skiers?