Three kids, and the AR240 just does not cut it anymore

[Guest]

My eldest (8 years old) just participated in the Carolina Show Team ski lessons. He's always been one to have to be pushed into any sport and we've tried for several years to get him into skiing behind my Father in Laws Body Glove Nautique. He'll do it, but would prefer kneeboarding. This weekend the team got him to go from two skis, to slalom on the barefoot pole. I'm sure it was with a picnic table of a ski but he got up and had the biggest damn smile ever. The entire week he keeps talking about going again. (i did have a good chuckle to myself as they have three "bubble butt" boats. )

 

On an aside, I bought our current 2015 AR240 4 years ago as a "beginner" boat to appease my wife who wanted nothing to do with being on a dedicated ski boat without a bimini and at the time only 2 kids. (4 and 2). We now have nearly 9, nearly 7, and almost 3 yo boys who all love the lake. But they HATE tubing behind the yamaha, it's a chore to get them interested because of how much spray it throws. I'm a nuisance in coves because I have to do 22 mph to throw a small wake, else at 10 mph i'm pushing a huge wake on everyone. And the last absolute worst part is the low speed handling is just plain TERRIBLE.

 

However, it's GREAT for adults to hang out at a sandbar, drink the day away, party in a cove. The stereo (heavily modified) is amazing. And we can take 13 people on it without feeling cramped. Yeah it can do 45 mph. But we tend to cruise at 25 mph max. Maybe hit 30 when my wife ski's behind it. which she says it does ok at. (sprays her in the face constantly).

 

I grew up on a 1991 Supra Combrio (OB). our little family of 4 lived on that boat every weekend and I, as a kid, loved nothing more than to sit in the bow and watch the water spray. It was fantastic at all the sports we could want. It just drank gas like nobodies business (yay carb 351W).

 

The new wakeboats are obscene (in price) and it appears that they are so tailored to one wake style (surf or wakeboarding) that I fear my wife will hate her first cut across the table. Is there no intermediate boat? nothing that allows for cove skiing (non-course) that lets me encourage my kids to ski, or wakeboard (ugh) or tube. My wife wants nothing to do with a closed bow. It's just too damn useful to put the kids up there where you can see them as a driver and have someone being towed.

 

EDIT: I also like a tower just for the shear ability to take stuff off the floor and put it somewhere else. (kneeboard, ski's, etc)

 

Boats I've looked at:

DD Air Nautique (~2000-2005?)

Sport Nautique

Prostar (various generations)

Malibu (to be honest had never heard of them until perusing this board.)

Nautique 200. (2014/2015. occasional glances at a 2020 just to see how expensive a girl she is).

[Horton]

There are a lot of folks here who will tell you there are good intermediate boats. I will disagree in advance and tell you that one boat can not make small slalom wakes and big wake board wakes. If your wife wants small wakes you need a slalom boat. If your kids want a wake boat then you need a wake boat.

[foxriverat]

@Bionaraq Its not a LXI but still nice ski wake and you can wakeboard on it and room for the family https://charlotte.craigslist.org/boa/d/middleburg-1999-malibu-sunsetter-lx/7518067398.html

[75Tique]

Nautique 200, 206, 211. 211 is a pretty highly regarded crossover, but I bet wifey wouldnt be happy with wake. I would lean toward a better ski wake vs a bigger wakeboard wake. You have to be a very good wakeboarder to need or benefit from a big wake. For years and years, the kids will just swerve back and forth, maybe jumping the wake a little bit. My nephew is crazy wakeboarder guy and get get huge air off a DD wake, more than most can get off a wakeboard boat wake.

 

[Vernon Reeve]

Lots of people get a wakeboard boat for wakeboarding, only to find out that the big wakes intimidate beginning wakeboarders and they quit. Much better to get a good slalom boat (like 2003-2006 Malibu Response LXI) and use the wedge if you want the wake bigger. With just the wedge I've had friends jumping beyond the 2nd wake, and doing flips. So it's perfectly fine for most wakeboarders. And the slalom wake is amazing at 30mph+ (haven't tried anything slower). The tower on mine is only about 40lbs, and in front of the engine box, so can't tell any effect on the wake size.

[Ski_Dad]

My Sunsetter LXI has a great slalom wake - 90% as good as the best of them, but if it has the wedge it will throw a decent wakeboard wake. Will not surf (not that I care) My friend has a Response LXI with a wedge it's great too - just a little easier to take a wake over the bow.

[LoopSki]

I would definitely look at the Mastercraft X9 Malibu Response LXI equipped with a wedge and tower or Ski Nautique 206 with Tower. If you can find them.

[LoopSki]

Ive been in an AR240. Beautiful boat and fit and finish seemed great. But once we left the dock, the love for the boat diminished quickly!!

[Bionaraq]

@LoopSki this one was the "show boat" for Atlanta, a ton of upgrades were done by the vendor and someone else paid the original mark up. Part of those upgrades were a ton of things done to quieten it.

 

@Horton I honestly thought you'd tell me Prostar. :disappointed: Joking. The kids are not showing interest in wakeboarding and I have little interest in it myself. I'm just looking for a decent ski wake (not pro level). We are not champions by any means. I just find it hard to believe that there are so few open water boaters looking for a good ride and ski wake. I guess it's not "in". We obviously are a nautique family thanks to my FIL. The local ski crew all own Mastercrafts and spare no opportunity to joke about the Body Glove. That was until a month ago when one of them bought a 216 AN DD.

 

@Vernon Reeve Great points.

 

Thanks to all for responding. Most of this was frustration after spending hours hoping to find a boat that can do what I want. i.e. a 22 or 23' open bow, tower, decent all around wake. I will say that the Malibu Response TXI Open boat has taken a lead for me. Something about it just looks nicer than the Prostar's or Nautique's I'm seeing. I"m also having a hard time with sticker shock at the price of 2010+ boats. Coming from a 2015 Yamaha, the pre 2010's tend to look pretty dated and appear to have tech that is rarely supported. Something I worry about for the 2010-2020 boats.

 

The last issue i have is that i'd really want to try go out for a Saturday in one of these boats before spending $70k on something. Only to find out it may not provide the water experience I'm looking for.

[Than_Bogan]

A while back, in a similar thread, someone pointed out that an older ski boat AND a pontoon boat costs less than a newer ski boat.

 

I thought that was a brilliant idea because "multifunction" usually means bad at everything. With the two boat plan, you have the ideal boat for each scenario.

[Mastercrafter]

I'll toss in my submission... Prostar 214 or X14 (tower, ballast). I think the biggest draw to these over some other newer open bow ski boat is the higher freeboard = safety for the kids. The open bow in the 197 and new Prostar is essentially useless and dangerous as its so close to the water. Response TXi is a bit better with less chance of taking water over the bow.

 

I've had my eye on a 214 for a "family ski boat" for a while but unfortunately they still fetch $50-65K these days even for a ~2012.

 

 

 

 

 

[Than_Bogan]

@Mastercrafter Guess I'm not the only one who is totally sketched out by the very shallow seats in some open bows! I would never have anyone, especially not kids, sitting in those type of seats with a boat at speed.

[Lars]

Here's a 214v for sale, Isn't this the only tournament approved V drive as of late?

 

https://www.boattrader.com/boat/2012-mastercraft-pro-star-214-8439507/?utm_source=search%20alerts&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BT_SearchAlerts&utm_content=8102022

 

 

[TomH]

The MC x14/214 would probably check most of your boxes, but the ski wake doesn't get half decent until you're above 32ish and get it planing on the lower running surface (it has a stepped hull). For lower speed slalom, I think you'd be happier with something else. Your budget will likely dictate what will be the best compromise.

[Vernon Reeve]

@Than_Bogan you're comment about a pontoon boat and ski boat has always been my wish for the future. It'd be so nice to have everyone out for a lake day, eating and socializing on the pontoon as a kind of floating dock, and taking turns getting ski rides. Perfect combination. Drives me crazy loading my boat with people, coolers, gear, etc making the slalom wake un-skiable. Not to mention food/drinks in the boat seems to always create a mess. I'm glad I didn't buy a brand new boat so I don't have to be that guy who gets upset about stuff like that. Still annoying, however:)

[BraceMaker]

@Than_Bogan I support that view. there was a whole argument on this forum in which I feel the presence of an open bow IMPLIES engineering intent for those seats to be safe. As you might recall there were folks getting washed out of the bows of some low bowed malibus from the 90s- if a boat can easily swamp such that a child gets washed out of the bow seating and chopped by the prop.... Is that seating?

[Bionaraq]

As to the two boat theory, I would rather keep the ar240 (it's huge and works great as a party cruiser) and add a cheaper ski boat. But I cannot imagine the headache of launching both boats or going out early to ski, then coming home to switch boats to go back out. We are not on the lake and have to use a public landing and it can be the worst part of the day just trying to launch and retrieve with all the lakeidiots who cannot observe courtesy or load their shit before tieing up a rmap.

 

MY FIL has a 1999 29' regal and his SN but only takes one out at a time. Essentially picking when he will ski and when he will party. He's been taking the SN out with us most of this summer, but i'm not someone that enjoy's asking all the time to use his boat to ski with.

[BraceMaker]

Which brings up - there are an awful lot of tritoons with enough motor to pull 2 or 3 kids skiing at a time, pull tubes etc. A tri-toon with enough motor will do everything your current boat does and handle.. maybe even better.

 

But the data point you brought up is that you are trailering daily correct?

[TomH]

@BraceMaker My next door neighbor frequently skis behind his tri-toon with a 250 Yamaha on it. There's no wake to speak of, so crossings are effortless, but you can't get closer in than 15-off for spray, and there's a bit of 'tail-wagging the dog' as well. It's certainly fine for aggressive open water skiing.

[BraceMaker]

@TomH right that's sort of the point. If I wanted to slalom ski but had kids, a bunch of people who needed to be schlepped around the lake, people who want to tube, hang, chill, party.

 

Well you can get a pretty good pull behind a pontoon boat ya its rough on the driver and such but I would rather have a pontoon boat that can pull a skier 30 than to have to slalom ski behind a V-Drive wake boat.

 

2-3 skiers on combos, chicken trick, buy HO hovercrafts ETC.

 

Or just deal with the spray and wear some glasses.

[Billbert]

34 MPH

 

 

11 MPH

 

 

Maybe not tournament quality but certainly recreational quality.......and certainly better than a "toon"

 

 

 

 

 

[Mastercrafter]

@Billbert -- what is it?

[Billbert]

@Mastercrafter Probably useful information. 1st generation Malibu VTX. This one is a 2008 but same hull from 2007 - 2015.

[Mastercrafter]

Nice, one of our club members has one and was telling me how great/versatile it is for skiing, surfing, etc.

[OREGON85]

I ski and surf behind my 2000 Air Nautique. Like said, a real ski boat has a better ski wake and a surf boat has a better wave. But for me where I mostly want to ski and surf occasionally I am happy. I also have three kids in that age range, and the space is nice. I’ll probably upgrade to a Ski Nautique 200 with a tower some day, but for now I’m good.

[Bionaraq]

@BraceMaker correct, i trailer for every time I am on the lake (Lake Wylie, SC). @Billbert Thanks for the post. I'll look them up.