Sport 200V vs SV211 vs GS20

[FMSKI]

The SV211 project has been great for this summer. Surf 'n ski. Excellent performance, and we're loving the space, big platform, the walkway and freeboard w/ability to hold ballast safely. I found a skiable zone at 35off or 32 off with the tower. Tricking off my newly installed tower is great too.

What bothers me about it is the forward keel isn't deep like a 200, so the ride is trashy, even though it's Vee. Bilge vapors are piped directly into the helm space - which I think I can solve, for now I run the vent fan but that is noisy. And it's a mid 2000 build so not quite a cool as the next decade.

A few docks over a guy has a 200V i looked at. Gorgeous boat. I'm wondering does the bow take on water like the 200OB? Will it surf as well as the SV211?

Another guy stopped by with a GS20 on a dock over to us. He said they don't ski behind it, so I 'm thinking that is not the way to go for me.

[bturner]

I can't speak for a comparison between the 211 and the 200V but I can tell you about my 200V.

I bought mine primarily because I was looking for a crossover boat and something a bit smaller that I could handle myself unloading/loading, moving around the garage and taking care of in general. For this this ended up being about perfect if you can live with a crossover. A crossover in this context means it surf, trick, slalom and board well which this boat does a great job doing. The problem for a lot of people with this type of boat is that it doesn't do anything really great.

I enjoy surfing behind my boat and can do so with with just 3 people including the rider. To make it surf I added integrated bags and use a Mission V2 shaper. The boat is great for open water slalom but it certainly wouldn't be my first choice for the course. I'm told the Trick wake is great. Wakeboarding pretty much falls into the surfing quality but is a great for me as I'm older and still ride with a short line at 18 MPH. Those young boarders with good knees and ankles that are long lining at 25+ are not going to be happy with this boat. Nor will surfers looking for a Paragon GS waked running more ballast than my boat weighs dry.

Handling wise, it's a very solid boat and being an inboard (vDrive) will go thought about anything reasonable if you have some skill and experience in bigger water. The picture below is from Saturday in the south bound Livingston channel in the Detroit River about a half mile from Lake Erie. That freighter was at speed when I crossed his 3 sets of wake after he passed, I had no water in the boat. That was followed by about a quarter mile of 3' swells which required your attention but again no water in the boat. Could I have stuffed it multiple times? Absolutely but again, if you have some talent/experience neither were an issue of a concern for me. That and the build quality really give you confidence. My boat is a 2016 with the 2 post tower and newer driver's seat. During this and a 2' chop later in the day back to the marina, the boat was rattle free and solid.

If you're looking for a crossover, this is probably one of the best made. It's smaller, lighter and more agile than my previous 07 MC X2. I get none of the flexing and rattles that I had with that boat and it's 4 post tower. That said it is a noticeably smaller boat and with that comes less space for both storage and passengers.

[FMSKI]

Your 200V is a sweet boat, 2016 is a good year too. I'll paddle over to my neighbors dock and ask for a test ride
I love the looks, the beam of it. And as you said, it's a manageable size and weight.

We aren't course skiing these days, I free ski in the morning. I can simulate a course open water, done it so much can simulate gates and pick spots to turn.
My wife, and our older kids and friends are having fun surfing and they are die-hard pro-tubers (HO Mavericks) so the boat performance, acceleration, and turns have to be there for that.