Seneca

The kids will do fine with what ever. I see them skiing, boarding, surfing and having fun no mater what. If they by chance they start an addiction I can always purchase something different or complimentary. As kids we started behind a 21 Chris Craft Scorpion. We made it work. This has helped change my focus from new to used. I have favored the Malibu in the past. It sounds like I have to make a decision about DD vs. VD. I did look up the Diamond Hull concept and can totally see where you guys are coming from. I have seen some boats with out the towers. It seems these towers are pretty easy after market items? Is there any consideration in regards to what boats can not have a tower or do not do well with the addition of a tower?

Thank you for the response and I do appreciate the links. They do help a lot. I have not thought much about Direct Drive. Only b/c my exposure has been mostly V-drive. I do like the room provided by the V-drive c/t the DD. After this discussion I will certainly give more respect to this idea. At this point we do mostly slalom but with the kids in the picture I invision this boat will need to be much more versatile then a strict slalom boat which is ok in my mind. I feel there is a lot of money to spend so I dont want to be held to one sport. I have noticed a lot of discussion about malibu with the wedge and adding weight. I have noticed a few Tige around. I have a contact who is considering selling his and moving to the MC VTX. I don't think this boat will fit, evidently it pulled the Wakeboard championship in the past. Probably not a great slalom boat. Someone mentioned tubing?? Only if it has cup holders and my wife can float next to the dock catching some sun.

I in the hunt for a Crossover ski boat. I have done some research. I have been searching on www.onlyinboards and www.boattrader.com, and craigslist all over the North East for used boats. I have spoken to a few local dealers and down in N.C. where my brother lives. We live in upstate NY Finger Lake region. We get 4, maybe a tops of 6, months of descent water ski a summer. This does make it difficult when considering a new boat purchase. My criteria is a descent crossover boat. I would like it to be a V-drive. My budget is around 30K. My wife and I like to slalom ski. We are not ball course skiers, just recreation slalom skiing. I am into wakeboarding but never really had a good boat to board behind except when visiting my brother. I would like a versatile boat that can offer a descent wake for slalom but able to wake surf if wanted. I have been doing reviews on ballast, wake shapers, and other options to make this possible. My brother did have an Air Nautique 210 which was a nice boat but the wake was pretty crisp. He now has Mastercraft X 260. This seems to be more of a wakeboard boat. I have looked at several options. I have skied behind a 2008 Centurion Avalanche 23'. This is a nice boat but the wake is little rough. The ballast were not working at the time. The owner has since repaired but it was winterized and I am waiting for a second test run this spring unless I find a more suitable mate!! I did ski behind a Malibu wake setter. In hind site this would have been a nice purchase when it was for sale but I was not in the market at that time. I have spoken to different local dealers who have suggested Malibu VTX 20', Mastercraft NXT, Axis T22. These seem to fit my criteria except finding them used in my price range is difficult. I did find a 2003 Mastercraft Prostar 205 V which seems to be well in my budget. I have read some reviews of this boat which does seem to fit but I have not hear back from the owner in regards to this boat an its available options. I would like to ski behind the boat before a purchase. Obviously our current weather is a prohibiting but I am starting now b/c spring will be here and I would like a ski boat at my dock. I have considered biting the bullet and purchase a new boat b/c they seem to hold their value. Most of the boats that fall in my price range are around 10-14 years old depending on the make/model. I realize buying a used boat comes with headaches like repair and such.