211 or 216

[rickharp]

I'm a 50 yr old who boards, foots and ski's the course. the wake on my new 211 seems thick, and provides a challenge in the course (boat empty, gate in slalom mode). is there a noteably smaller wake in a 216. my old boat was a 94 196 sn.... sweet wake.

i know its not a popular topic, but the wedge on a malibu mid engine seems like a good idea, ...instantly create a v-drive like wake by deploying the wedge, yet get the small ski wake for the course. i can't see myself buying a malibu, but the concept seems like it makes some sense.

[AbunDiga909]

First off, coming from any 196, both the 216 and 211 (as you already know) wake will be "huge" and have a distinct bump. But, as far as the slalom wakes go, you will find that the 216 should have less of a "bump" than the 211. However, I'm a little hesitent to tell you this b/c in your opinion, coming from the 196, you may just say the bump is still huge.

I've been told by one source that the slalom wake is actually better on the 211 at "beginner" speeds due to the hydrogate, but from many owners opinions, this is simply not true. You will find that, especially at more advanced speeds at like 32+ MPH, the 216 really starts to flatten out and you will lose that "hump" that you will always have in a vdrive. Also, in the boat, the handling on the DD 216 just does not compare to the 211 when driving a slalomer.

It all comes down to what you find worth it. A key point is how good you are, how good your kids are, and what sport you spend most of your time doing... If you are a hardcore slalomer, want your kids to get good at slaloming, but at the same time dont want them to miss out on new wakeboarding, then I'd say the 216 is the boat for you. It will satisfy your slaloming needs b/c it does have a nice flat wake at high speeds. It will also satisfy any beginner to intermediate boarder--anyone can learn inverts off of the wake--it wont limit anyones progression by any means...

on the other hand, you already have a new 211, so for $$$ reasons it might just be worth sucking up the larger wake on the slalom ski and take advantage of the sick wakeboard wake you have. You just have to decide whats worth it. find someone in your area who has a 216 and go for a ski...

I've heard both really good and really bad things about the wedge, but i dont like the concept myself of putting 2K lbs of stress on four bolts into the back of your hull, doesn't seem right...

hope this helps...

Austin

P.s. this has been discussed in the past a lot, 216 vs 211 is a very popular comparision, do a search...

[Mikeski]

I'm 45, ski, board, foot and surf. The 211 is the best solution for my interests. I should add that I can ski behind almost anything since I grew up skiing the course behind 70's Nautiques. The 211 does have a nasty bump at 34/22off. I find my 211 skis a little flatter with 100-200lbs up in the bow, ask your observer to sit in the bow next time out. The 211 is really sensitive to weight placement.

I stayed with some friends that had a 216 last summer for a week on the lake. The 216 is a great ski boat but a pretty weak wakeboard boat. It would be quite difficult to surf behind, after spending a week with the 216 I was really happy that I chose the 211 over the 216.

Another buddy has a Malibu I-Ride direct-drive with a wedge. I don't like it for anything, the wake is smaller but harder for slalom and not as big for boarding.

[AbunDiga909]

Mike is right about the surfing the 216.. dont count on it... i tried

[bkhallpass]

So Mike, my theory is that by adding a bunch of blue lights to the 211, one doesn't even notice the bump at 34/22 Yellow_Flash_Colorz: . Hope you are well my friend. BKH

[ffmedic74]

I can't imagine footing behind a 211 and slalom would be okish. I also can't imagine a too many 35 yo and above being able to take advantage of the true capabilities that a 211 wake has to offer such as a scarecrow or some other flip combo. I know I toned down my tricks after chipping part of my t2 spine and I was only 25 yo.

[Quinner]

Rick,

I am a 43yr old who does all the same events as you, (Yes FF Medic some of us don't sell our boats at 35) You really do need to decide which event is most important to you and live with weaker performance in the other events. In my situation the 206 w/tower and ballast was the best choice, it has a really good slalom and foot wake and a decent enough wakeboard wake. If you make a change in the direction of smaller wake think about the 206, the slalom/foot wake is much better than my 93'SN which would be pretty much the same as your 94'.

My experience with the wedge is it does not create that great of a wake especially when on a Response, also try driving a Malibu and the difference will be very clear which boat performs better.