Purchase Decision

[Mtschelling]

Glad I stumbled across the forum, wealth of information on here to say the least! Within the year I am looking to move to a V-drive; and with an uncle who owns a 2008 SV-211 I cannot help to admire the Nautique's performance and quality and factor them into my decision. Previously my father owned a I/O Glastron for years, and I made the move into boating a few years ago purchasing a 21 FT Yamaha. Not one complaint, maintenance is a breeze, it's a great all purpose boat. The only downfall is performance in the wakeboarding and surfing realms. Typically my fiancé and I find ourselves on my uncle's boat when without friends on the weekends due to that fact.

After doing some research and looking into that great model comparison sheet here, I have leaned towards a SA 210 or 230. My budget will be in the 60-70K range.

For the veterans here; aside from the modern tech. And engine options Are there any generations more desirable than others when it comes to features, hull design, etc?

Seems like 2013 and up are not too difficult to find in that range.

Are there individuals out out there that do maintenance A to Z on these boats? My boat hasn't seen the dealer once since the day she left and maintenance is a breeze in my driveway for oil changes, winterization etc.

Typical day is about 4-5 people, skiing in the morning, switching over to wake boarding and surfing for the fiancé and then lounging with friends.

[xrichard]

I think skiing behind either of those will be a challenge unless your very recreation oriented and are ok with a hard and large wake. Before you buy, you should try out those hulls and see if they work for you in this regard.

Having said that, 23' boats are definitely more popular these days than 21'...probably because it's easier to take a larger group out surfing. Ten years ago, it seems like 21' boats were the most common.

I had a '08 210 for quite a while and liked the wakeboard wake...easy to build and not very finicky. On the other hand, by the time we loaded up bags and lead in the rear and side compartments, storage was a bit tight.

I do the regular maintenance myself and find it's very easy....mainly just a few inspections, changing the transmission fluid and motor oil (the vdrive is maintenance free), change the primary fuel filter and replace the impeller. Less frequently, you need to change the fuel control cell filter, the serpentine belt.and cap/rotor if applicable. Winterization is straight forward, though I don't now first hand because we don't winterize as we use our boats year round.

Good luck with your search!

[Mtschelling]

xrichard Thanks for the advice.

[beamons]

though I don't now first hand because we don't winterize as we use our boats year round.

And you suck.


No seriously, I have heard a few people say that skiing behind a 210 wasn't too bad. Any defenders? I was starting to think about upgrading to a 210 in the future.

[Infinity]

I would say around half of the people do their own maintainance...maybe more here on forum (I do all mine as well, peace of mind KNOWING it was done and done right)...just be sure to keep a LOG and receipts of everything you do, so if you have a warranty issue, you can prove the work was done and down road when you sell you can also prove the records. You can find just about any info you need on the forums to do your own work....and we help each other diagnosing issues if anyone runs into a problem. Once you go v-drive...you will never go back to anything else, such great boats! There is a small learning curve on boat handling/driving on v-drive, but that is minimal for anyone with common sense (that is majority of people here and minority of people boating on the lake, lol). You will want to change oil every 40-50hrs depending on how you run boat, if you do it yourself its about $30.
Winter is the BEST time to buy a boat cause its the rarer time of year that its more of a buyers market...also you have the boat shows in winter and once someone buys new, they will try harder to sell the used boat they have (if they didnt trade in on new one).
Good luck on whatever you decide

[dttheel]

And you suck.


No seriously, I have heard a few people say that skiing behind a 210 wasn't too bad. Any defenders? I was starting to think about upgrading to a 210 in the future.

The 210 is certainly not a slalom boat and you wouldn't want to try to run the course behind it. But, the wake does flatten fairly well as you approach 30 mph without ballast. Recreational skiers will probably like it unless they are used to a true ski boat.

[GMLIII]

Heel I didn't realize you were close by . Where is your mother lake ? We are on Smith Mt Lake

[tmb]

The 210 is certainly not a slalom boat and you wouldn't want to try to run the course behind it. But, the wake does flatten fairly well as you approach 30 mph without ballast. Recreational skiers will probably like it unless they are used to a true ski boat.

I would agree that it's not a slalom boat but we run '15 off st 34 mph and it's not too bad.

[Mtschelling]

Infinity thanks for the advice. The plan is to look this winter at the used market and see what transpires before May. If nothing peaks the interest keep the Yamaha for one more season.

[Master-Spud]

Infinity thanks for the advice. The plan is to look this winter at the used market and see what transpires before May. If nothing peaks the interest keep the Yamaha for one more season.

I was in the same boat as you, I moved from a 2014 Yamaha 212x to my G23... I definitely don't regret the purchase (besides the loan payment LOL) I can't help you much with the 210 or 230 but so far I'm definitely impressed with the fit and finish and the ease of operation for wakesports. But like others have said, first couple times out take some time and have some open area to practice moving the boat around. Whole different ball game than our jet boats that's for sure!

[dttheel]

Heel I didn't realize you were close by . Where is your mother lake ? We are on Smith Mt Lake

GMLIII, mother lake is Lake Anna for us. Makes it possible to go mid week. We occasionally get down to Smith Mountain. We bought our boat from Webster and they've done the only upgrades for us.

[GMLIII]

Yeah Webster has been good to work with for us

[scottb7]

The trick to ski with the 210 is to put weight in the bow...brings the rear end up even more....If my 75 year old neighbor can slalom behind my old 210, then you can too.

[vanhanbr]

Skiing is great behind the 210. 15 off @ 34 mph or faster. Might need more ski specific prop.

[G23 GonZaga]

I just sold my 230 San to upgrade for a G23. I like my new boat but i do miss my old one. Surfing, Wake boarding was great. Not as good as my G23 but it was hard to make the decision to let my 230 go and spent a lot of money for the G23. I never ski behind the 230 but the other stuff was great. My friend has a 210 and it was a big diference in everything. storage, power, people and wake size. My 2 cents.