Nautique 211 vs MasterCraft 205V/ X-2 for slalom?

[jangjou]

skinautique says: "The hull shape on the 211 allows you to need nearly no ballast in the front locker."

What is it about the hull shape on the 211 that reduces the need for the center ballast? Does the argument not hold true on the 210?

Thx,
--JJ

[surfsup]

Not sure about the hull differences between the 210 and 211, but the 211 starts out nearly 800 lbs heavier without ballast.....

[ag4ever]

- The boat sits high up on the water. The dealer said it has a lot of extra foam, which helps it sit up even when loaded down with drivers.

From a purly physics standpoint, there can be no truth to that statement, unless the foam weighs less than air.

How high the boat floats in the water is purly dependent upon how much the boat wieghs, determining how much water must be displaced to equal that same amount of weight, and what shape the hull is.

A box that is 10'X10'X2' will sink down in the water less than a box that is 5'X5'X5' assuming both boxes wight the same. The reason is that the larger foot print displaces more watter for every inch it is below the water surface.

Adding foam will do a few things, but mostly it will:

Add weight to the boat.
Prevent water from occuping the same space (resulting in positive bouyancy).
Reduce sound and vibration trasmission.

[skinautique]

The hull shape doesn't eliminate the need for the ballast but you can get by without the ballast in the center. The foam really won't do much. The boat overall is a lot heavier than the 210 and it is based more off of the hull from the 196 so it has less bow rise with it. I have been in 210's without the center ballast filled and it is really weird to drive. In that boat, it is almost a must to have the center tank or a bag in there.

Hope that helps a little bit. It is harder to explain than it is to take someone for a ride and show them the difference.

[lcap]

"I'm looking for that boat that does it all... a great ski wake, some room for the family, dog, and coolers, and at the same time I'm looking for a wake that wll give newbie wakebaorders a thrill. And I'm on a budget."

When someone finds that boat, let me know. I gave up on a "crossover," (aka: one size fits all concept) boat, and picked the boat that is the "best" for what "I" do the majority of the time.

I'll hook up with my Closed Bow buddies for the course.