Ski wake on a 206 vs SV 211

[MTRBTR]

Alright I know some people wont think I am serious but I used to have a 97 Sport. Was never impressed with the ski wake. I now have an SV 211 that I think has just as good of wake as the 97 sport did with the hydrogate down at 34 MPH. I ski mostly at 15 off. But I really want a better wake. Thinking of getting rid of my SV 211 even though it is beautiful and does alot of things well. But I need a boat with an open bow due to family size. Would the 206 really have a better wake? I have heard that the Malibu LXi (Cringe) has a softer one than the 206. Would I really be happy with that 206 wake at 15 off?

[CincinnatiCC]

We had a 2008 206 and were pretty happy with the wake. Not too far off a 196. Certainly better than what you would have on a v drive of any kind. We now have a 2016 200 that is even better. Don't know if a 200 fits your budget, but you can get an OB and the ski wake is outstanding.

[MTRBTR]

Would love a 200 but not in the budget unfortunately.

[Neptune442]

Maybe you could sweet talk Jeff into selling you his unbelievably bad a** 216 that he just restored...

[SilentSeven]

I have 2004 206 and we ski 15' @ 32 most of the time. Wake is very good - I'm primarily a skier and I have no serious complaints. Now it's not as quite good at my 97 Ski bubblebutt but not sure too many boats will do better than that one. I guess if I have to pick at it...I'd say the prop rotation makes it a bit weird to ski with just the driver. Rotation sinks the drivers side of the boat and then you add the driver and boat's down a bit on that side. More visual than than skiing significant but its still a bit odd. Didn't notice this as much in my 97 Ski.

Like any ski boat, they'll do better if you keep them light. Pull the rear seat, half a tank of gas, keep a bunch of junk out of them...all that. I have the tower version and have skied with it both on and off...can't really tell much difference there.

As a family boat, we really like the 206. It's good for 4 people and with a tower to hang gear and the open bow - it really opens things up. I looked the the mid 2000's malibu's and they were pretty nice but they are just too low slung to the water for me. That and the styling really didn't do it. I do hear they ski very well.

If you can find a late model one - 2007 or 2008 you can get the Zero Off vs the Perfect Pass and .....IIR....according to Jeff's specs..they are supposed to be a little lighter. They seem harder to find...I saw a lot of 2003s to 2006's but the 2007+ got pretty scarce. Maybe it will be different in your area....

[MTRBTR]

Thanks for everyone's thoughts.

[SilentSeven]

ah...one thing to consider on the 206 - look for one with the 'tournament seat' option. This option gives you a traditional 2 person rear facing bench seat providing a flip down seat back allowing access to the bow. Not sure why anyone would have purchased a 206 without this option but they are out there.....the non optioned versions have a single person observer seat and a full open walkthrough to the bow - huge space waster IMO. When I was looking for my current boat, we saw a few of these versions and they are just odd.

[dski]

Yes, for me a pretty good difference between the slalom wake on the 211 and 206.

We have had a 2004 206 for 10 years now and love it. The ski wake is great and super manageable from 26mph on up and really improves about 28mph. Slower speeds were awful for me on the crossover v-drives. I also didn't like the soft pull from the tow point in the back. We looked at a Sport 200 and 211 but they just gave up way too much on the ski wake. I also really like the pull out power on the inboards. I ski mostly 30-34 mph on the course at 15 off but on a good year might grab a 22off.

One thing we liked about the 206 is that is handles rough water really well vs some others in the price range. Such a massive upgrade on my centurion that was more low-slung. We originally looked at the LXI. Great boat and wake but too low for our liking at Lake Powell.

For us, we ended up keeping the 206 and partnering on a 2007 236. While we could surf the 206, it was pretty slammed, the wave was short and the family has been growing. Now, we just alternate trips. One trip down to the course with the 206 and then the next is for surfing with the 236. Best of both worlds. I know that two boats aren't always in the cards for most people.

If skiing is what you care about, the ski wake on the 211 vs 206 is a pretty good difference and enough that we went the 206 route. Every year at Powell we create more slalom skiers when they get the chance to ski behind an inboard. No plowing, small wakes at slower and faster speeds changes peoples minds!

[MTRBTR]

So maybe a better question is how do the 206 wakes compare to say a late 90s sport nautique?

[SilentSeven]

Talk to the guys at ballofspray.com...they'll know all this in detail.

I think what you want to know is a 206 is a TSC based hull. It's basically a Ski Nautique with an extra foot of boat length and a bit more weight because of this. The TSC hulls are considered a significant improvement from prior generation nautiques.

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[DaveNH]

So maybe a better question is how do the 206 wakes compare to say a late 90s sport nautique?

I've skied on both, to me very similar. Keep the boat very light and they are very good slalom wakes. One problem, at 22 off and 32 the bump is significant. Might smooth out at 34, I haven't tried, but at 32 I really need to be ready and on edge to deal with it.

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