SV 211 - Thinking about buying one

[boatbuddy]

We are looking for a decent Ski boat for Mom and Dad and something to satisfy a 10 yr old boy that wants to wakeboard.

We have looked at the Malibu and Mastercraft but keep coming back to the Nautique. Years ago I did a lot of slalom skiing and still remember that wonderful first ski behind a Nautique.

Is this the right boat that would satisfy my son's (and his wakeboarding friends) needs into their teenage years?

What are the advantages and disadcantages of the solid color hulls (ie. versus white hull). I was thinking about "Black Bottom" and "Black Hull" with a "White Top" color

Should the Bimini be over or under the tower?

How does the boat handle in rougher water?

Is the Team Package the way to go?

How does the noise level of the motor compare to other similar boats?

I have not test driven one yet but will be soon.

Any comments are appreciated.

[JEE453]

RE: SV 211 - Thinking about buying one

Oh are you in for a big surprise. The search for a new ride can be a very stressful. So many makes and models to choose from. I was just like you, looked at all the top brands and kept coming back to the nautique. I just recently purchased a new 210 TE and am very pleased.

I like the 211 as well its agreat boat with a nice layout for a family. Plenty of room with the walk through transom makes entry and exit easy. I have never seen the wake but its a nautique and you can make a nice wake for any level with some added weight. As for a bimini it will be personal preference as well as hull color.

The Team package is the way to go. I got every thing but a heater. Might as well get the full load you more than likely will add it over time otherwise.

You need to test drive one preferably before and after you test other makes. You will notice the difference immediately. It will handle like no other I promise.

Good luck in your search. Whatever you end up with enjoy it and have loads of fun.

[MikeC]

RE: SV 211 - Thinking about buying one

I have an '05 211 and absolutely love it. It fits my growing family wonderfully. When my kids reached their teens we started to get cramped in a 19' boat and of course my children wanted some big wakes. To be totally honest I wanted to stick with a direct drive, like the 216, but the center engine took up too much room when it came to hauling around family and friends.

I looked at 10 boats by 6 different manufacturers, all inboard. They were all great handling boats, but when I sat in the Nautique I fell in love. After driving boats for two months I was hooked the first time on the lake. The 211 can lay down a decent slalom wake for me, and then in just a few minutes I can fill the ballast tanks and give my kids a beautiful rampy wake. And when nobody wants to get pulled, the 211 runs across the lake smoothly and comfortably. The other day the wind kicked up while we were skiing in a protected cove, I pulled out only to find huge white caps, the boat had no problem handling the rough water. Besides the great handling and solid feel, the boat is easy to get around in and there is plenty of space to just lounge around.

I have two biminis, the under tower and the over tower. The boat came with the undertower mounted bimini and I got tired of ducking every time I moved around the boat. I bought an over the tower mount from TowerBimins and like it much better, it provides the same shade and I can move around with out stooping over.

Go with the team package, if for nothing else it will help the resale value. Plus if you option a bare boat it will end up costing about the same. I have the defcon III speakers, I know a lot of people install aftermarket amps and tower speakers, which are probably better. But the factory install sounds good enough for me.

The noise level...what noise? You would have to test boats side by side to tell any difference (quality boats at least, some of the lesser competitors are quite noticable) but going through no wake zones I have had people ask if the engine was still on.

Will it last your son through his teenage years? If he's going to turn pro you might want to save up for a SAN. But if he's like the other 99% of the population the 211 will be more than enough. Plus you can always add ballast.

One final note, if you are moving up from a sterndrive be sure to drive all of the inboards you are looking at. Even the cheapest inboard will make a good sterndrive look wimpy and you won't see the difference until you compare inboard to inboard.

Good luck in your shopping!

[Mikeski]

RE: SV 211 - Thinking about buying one

The 211 makes a great floating SUV... Does everything well, but nothing perfectly. I have over 250 hours on mine, I would not trade it for anything else available...

[CAN'TSKI]

I have pretty much the same situation as you do. My 13 year old loves the water, and we are getting bored just tubing, trying to ski behind it, etc. I ordered the 211 team with the 375hp about a month ago. This sight will help you tons. Check out the surfing threads. There are some good pics of wakes behind the 211.

[FLlongball]

I would look pretty hard at the new 210. The cost is about the same as the 211 and you get a much bigger boat. I have heard some say that they think the new 210 is going to be a better crossover boat than the 211. I drove the 210 the other day and would tell you that the slalom wake looks very good. The boat is too wide to run the course, but if you are thinking about a 211, you probably don't care about the course anyway. The surf wake is awesome.

[boatbuddy]

Any comments about the soild color hulls versus a white hull.

Do the solid color hulls fade over time?

How do you deal with the odd scratch in a solid colour hull?

[NautiqueJeff]

I'm on my second boat with a black hull. As long as you don't beach the boat, and are somewhat careful with it, it'll look great for a long time. I have never had to do any additional maintenance to mine that wasn't needed on the entire boat. I'd recommend getting the colored hull if that is something you're interested in.

[Ribit5]

We love our 211. We had a 05 211-TE that we put 200 hours on. Both my kids semi-competively ski and wakeboard. Great boat. We all have a blast surfing. We just got our 07-211 (just added a few pics in the show us forum).
The room, interior, wake, looks are all great. Couldn't find a better boat that fit our needs. (we test drove lots).

Best of luck .... try a 211, if you have a family that does it all, you won't be disappointed

[jonfo]

Go with the black, you will like it. Mine is black and has a canyon mist stripe on top because i didnt order it, but i wouldnt purposely get a stripe on top of any color, i would order all black if i had a choice. I think two colors on the hull of a boat is enough, with nautique you have to have white on the deck, so just choose one color for the rest of the hull.

[noti_dad]

Test drive anything you can. You will love the 211. As said before it does everything very well but is not the very best at anything. However with some extra weight in the right spots I would put it against any other boat's wake for boarding or surfing. Don't believe me? Try crossing Jonfo's wake with another boat. Thick meaty and bone jarring (jonfo look for us in cliff's boat Friday afternoon).

White doesn't look good at all, don't get it (HA! Yellow_Flash_Colorz: ). Seriously, all black was my second choice. Both look great on the water.

[noti_dad]

forgot the pic.......