Opinions on new boat

[LT206]

FL- I'm running 15 off 36 mph. With my boat is sort of a jekyll and hyde thing. Depending on what's in the boat - people, gear, fuel level, some days the 206 is like a dream, other days it's not so good. My performance is about the same on good days and bad in terms of buoy count so I'm pretty certain it's not me. However, use caution in listening to my opinions because I am not one to be rating these wakes. Frankly my frame of reference is "do I notice it" , or "do I not notice" the wake during a pass. I'm not a professional by any stretch. So with that in mind- most recently I've skiied behind:

1989 SN2001. (Big bump at 15 off - 206 is better)
Early 90's Ski Brendella (206 is better)
1992 MC PS190 (About the same as 206)
Moomba Outback can't remember what year (206 is waaay better - Moomba won't track worth a crap either)
1999 MC SportStar (this was my boat before I got the 206. I have to say this wake was better than the 206. It's really flat - the Sportstar hull is the same as the '95-97 Prostar hull which I've always liked. The sportstar was a great slalom boat, but not so great with the family for an afternoon on the lake - just not big enough)
Malibu Response LXi - not sure of the year probably around 2000 - 2002 - not sure if it was the wake or the site, but I skiied the best ever behind this boat, but the site was way better than where we normally ski. I had no problems with the wake though.

Also keep in mind my boat is an Air 206 so it has some added weight with hard ballast tanks in the trunk and the tower that a regular 206 won't have. Any little amount of weight in this boat makes a noticeable difference. I've just learned that I have to be careful what or who's in the boat when going out to have slalom sets.

[ckstephens]

Hey guys, how does the 211 wake at 30-32 mph and 15 off compare to a 2001 wake at the same speed and length?

I know there would be huge benefits with the 206 and even the 216, but I'm just curious how the 211 would be.

[Nates78Ski]

RE: Re: RE: Opinions on new boat

Lets see some pictures of that 88... for sale?....price?....

Nate

[ckstephens]

RE: Re: RE: Opinions on new boat

Nate -

I don't have any pictures handy today. I'll see if I can find or take some tomorrow. My son has hockey practice tonight so I won't be home until late.

I don't know if your ever saw it but there was one for sale in Ohio a while back that was the same colors as mine. Grey hull, top and bottom with the light blue stripe. If I remember right it had around 1000 hours or so. Everything is all original - upholstery, carpet. We added a clarion stereo early last year and I replaced the dash panel with one from Midwest CC. I did pull out the clock and replace it with a Faria depth sounder.

Price? Not sure yet.

[ckstephens]

Attached are the pcs of the '88 Nautique.

[krs0394]

Re: RE: Opinions on new boat

all of the above plus you can get a tournament extention on a 206, not available on the 216. Very handy for getting 3 adults in front of the pylon without using the bow.

You can also get the love seat for the 216. When not in use it fit right behind the drivers seat.

[surroundsound64]

RE: Re: RE: Opinions on new boat

My impeller always works better inside the engine. Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

Good lookin boat!

[KaNi]

RE: Re: RE: Opinions on new boat

I agree that having a V-Drive is nice with kids running around....When we take the boat out sometimes we'll have 3 kids and it makes it easier to watch them and less crowded for everybody. Good luck and Congrats on the newer additions!!!

[ckstephens]

RE: Re: RE: Opinions on new boat

ss64 - Yes, it sure does work better inside the engine. Kind of a moot point when its below freezing up here. Always been a fan of your boat. That tower is awesome. Looks good and serves its purpose well.

[surroundsound64]

Re: RE: Re: RE: Opinions on new boat

ss64 - Yes, it sure does work better inside the engine. Kind of a moot point when its below freezing up here. Always been a fan of your boat. That tower is awesome. Looks good and serves its purpose well.

Thanks a lot!

[fjroa]

Opinions on new boat

We owned an '89 SN (closed bow) since new and just last summer sold the '89 and bought a new 206 SN due to the addition of kids and now their friends. We had the tournament love seat added and it was worth every penny. We mainly slalom (in a course), trick, and barefoot although we throw in some wakeboarding on occasion. The handling is great being a inboard direct drive, the slalom wakes are small regardless of line length, and barefoot wakes are super for deep water starts. The only time we typically have more than 4 people in the boat is when we are teaching someone to ski or taking a slow ride around the lake. So, while I can not speak on the larger Nautiques or the V-drives, this boat does exactly what we wanted - great wakes for slalom and barefooting and big enough to carry nine people for teaching or sightseeing.

[FLlongball]

Re: Opinions on new boat

We owned an '89 SN (closed bow) since new and just last summer sold the '89 and bought a new 206 SN due to the addition of kids and now their friends. We had the tournament love seat added and it was worth every penny. We mainly slalom (in a course), trick, and barefoot although we throw in some wakeboarding on occasion. The handling is great being a inboard direct drive, the slalom wakes are small regardless of line length, and barefoot wakes are super for deep water starts. The only time we typically have more than 4 people in the boat is when we are teaching someone to ski or taking a slow ride around the lake. So, while I can not speak on the larger Nautiques or the V-drives, this boat does exactly what we wanted - great wakes for slalom and barefooting and big enough to carry nine people for teaching or sightseeing.

FJROA - How do you thinkt the 206 skis in the course compared to the 196 and the RLXI?

[ckstephens]

RE: Re: Opinions on new boat

I'd love to ski behind a 206 some time. We were really close to buying one a couple of weeks ago, but decided to wait until we could actually see one in person. Our thought was that we'd outgrow it within the next 4 years.

We're going to the boat show this Thursday to talk to a dealer. They're not going to have a 206 there, but they will have a 211 for us to look at. I just have a hard time justifying the price tag right now (brand new).

[MinnesotaNautique]

RE: Re: Opinions on new boat

CK
I have a 206, and I agree that you will probably outgrow it very quickly! It becomes crowded in a hurry. If I were in your "shoes" I would take a hard look at the 211. It is a much deeper boat than the 206, which some would argue safer...especially for the kids. Do it for the kids! Just kidding man, good luck with your decision/purchase!

[ckstephens]

RE: Re: Opinions on new boat

Yes, looking forward, I think maybe we might go with a 211. We're just left with the dilemma of trade/sell the 88.

I'd like to keep it, but we run into storage issues.

Anybody have any experience with Skiers Wharf Extreme? Also, any opinions on shopping boat shows?

If we did get a wild hair and order a new 211, what would be our expectations on the wait? I'm almost willing to just wait for a used one to come up, but given enough adult beverages we might be liable to pull the trigger on a new one.