Best boat for our family

[jonasjmac]

Just about to wrap up ski camp with family and ready to buy a boat.Would like something preowned . 2014 or newer. We all love to slalom ski and wife and I really enjoyed surfing at the end of the day and know kids will to. Don't care about wake boarding but figure kids may want to. So our ideal boat would allow the four of us to ski a session in the am and then have some friends join us on the lake and surf and boat the rest of the day. Would probably have 8-9 at most, but typically the four of us, so not to worried about cramping in 8+. It needs to be tow friendly as will keep it at our house and bring it to lake 10 minutes from us and rv it to lake campgrounds in the area . . Also heard the nautique 200v, now gs20, an the master craft nxt 20, which we rode this weekend and enjoyed The slalom wake was plenty fine andthe surf wake was nice Plan on testin these three but any other boats we should consider?.

[sfjakey]

Consider 2 boats. You are sarching for what we all want and it doesnt exist. You can get a boat that slaloms well, or you can get a boat that surfs well and holds 8 plus people. Otherwise you get a boat that doesnt do anything you want particularly well. I bought a 211 in 2007 because it was the do all boat. I ended up slalom skiing behind friends dedicated slalom boats because nothing will compare. I have since sold the 211 and bought a 230 last year and couldnt be happier with my surf wake, room, and ability to carry as many people as I want. Yes, some boats will do a bit of everything, but each discipline will disappoint you so youll never be happy. I still slalom behind a friends Malibu which is an awesome ski wake.

[swatguy]

It exists now in the GS line of boats, it's exactly designed with this customer in mind.

A Mastercraft X2 or a Malibu VTX would also be the ideal boat for exactly what you're looking for. You have to be willing to sacrifice a little slalom wake if you want to surf. The Sport Nautique 200v is also respectable in this realm , but the interiors inside the X2 and VTX are noticeably roomier. If you're ok with little less space to stay nautique that wouldn't disappoint.

[charlesml3]

It exists now in the GS line of boats, but obviously not in your price , and year option.

That's exactly right. You're looking for a crossover boat and the GS line was built specifically for that. If you're not in a huge hurry, we should start seeing used GS20s soon.

-Charles

[jondavis08]

It depends on how picky you are on a slalom wake. I just got a 2014 210 and love it. Yesterday I slalomed in the AM, wakeboarded in the afternoon and surfed at the end of the day. I have been pleasantly surprised on how much I like the slalom wake. Add some belly weight and find the right rope length and you can cut pretty hard with minimal hops. Of course the surf and wakeboarding wake are excellent. I figured I might want a GS20 in a few years for skiing reasons but right now i wouldn't get rid of my 210 for anything


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[swatguy]

Just a quick edit to my post.


Don't know how I missed your last line with GS
20 , NXT 20 , and 200V.

The NXT 20 is MC's "budget" line. Lots of corners cut to keep the price down. It's performance wake wise is terrible , it has a pretty nice layout inside , but again once you sit in one , you'll immediately feel why it's priced where it is. Jump to the NXT 22 , that boat on the performance end is a great value for what you get. The NXT 20 however doesn't give you that performance.

Their new line the XT series (not be confused with the NXT line , a budget line) is MC's crossover series designed to compete with the GS line of boats.

[DaveNH]

I'm with Sfjakey, hard to find a truly good crossover with room for that many people. You said the slalom wake of the nxt20 was good enough for you, and if that's the case something in that category will work, but 8-9 people even in a roomy 20 ft. boat can be a bit of crawling over each other. I think you'll be happier with a bigger boat, but you may end up unhappy with the slalom wake. As much as "crossover" is what many people want, to me it's kind of like saying you can play ping pong on a tennis court.

[Dandy21]

One other thing that you left out, what is your budget? This will make a difference in year, make and model possibilities.

When reading your original post, I thought 210. I dont recall which year the current hull came out, I believe 2104 or 2015. This new hull is a bit nicer in my opinion with regards to comfort. The freeboard is a bit higher and they dumped the drivers foot well, so it is now flat.

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[swatguy]

One problem with the new 210 , NO SKI PYLON, and while I slalom my 210 regularly. The boats mentioned above all beat it in the wake category for slalom. But I am wakeboard guy who still slaloms , If I was a slalom guy who wanted to get into wakeboarding , I would pick a different boat.

[Dandy21]

One problem with the new 210 , NO SKI PYLON

Good catch, not being a skier, I gave it no consideration.

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[jondavis08]

Yeah no ski pylon was a negative for me with the 2014+ but it's not that bad to pull from the back. I mean if I'm going to ski the course it's not on a 210 but it's still fun to ski on. Agree with swat about the X2 and doing all 3 well. VTX I hear struggles with a good surf. I demoed a NXT20 and the ski was great, wakeboard seemed pathetic and surf ok... in all any of the boats will work and you'll make it your own


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[jmo]

My friend had a 2016 200v and while one can ski behind it, the wake is big at longer line lengths. I am a 30mph 15 off skier and frankly I found the bump on the 200v huge in comparison to my 196, to the point where I wouldn't choose to ski behind it.

If you run 34/36 mph at 28' off or shorter the wake behind the 200v flattens out.

IMHO - If your running the course, anything but a direct drive will leave you disappointed.

Most important thing to do is test ski it before you buy it. Since your buying used that should be easy to accommodate.

Good luck,

JMO




______________________________________
2006 SN 196 Limited Excalibur
2001 Super Sport Limited GT40

[Tallredrider]

Consider 2 boats. You are sarching for what we all want and it doesnt exist.

I think the response to this is 'know thyself'.

Many people can be happy with one boat trying to do it all. It just depends on the person. I have a G23 and don't even wakeboard anymore, and it is arguably the best wakeboard boat available. It does have a great surf wave, but the new Centurions may be better. We have been known to break out a tube now and again, and it because it is a big boat, it may not be the best tubing boat. So I even think my boat has some give and take despite spending top dollar.

I have great dealer support, which can be super important. I don't care if the MC boat seems like the perfect boat for you, if the dealer doesn't seem too interested in enhancing your experience.

I am OK with my boat not being the 'best' at X or Y. And I think my experience with my family is stellar. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. Just knowing what you want is important. There are a few guys, (like sfjakey) who may just feel empty inside trying to ski something that is less than stellar. If you are like that, you are searching for a Unicorn.

[swc5150]

If the NXT 20 slalom wake was good enough for you, you'd fall in love with the 200V wake.