andjules

The Sunsetter (95 and newer) is a great crossover boat - it's hopefully my next boat, as my son is an avid wakeboarder. I think from 99 on, the Sunsetter LXi has the 'diamond hull' and apparently makes a difference for slalom wakes. However, if it's 'all slalom', the ps205 and echelon are better choices if you're looking for an older model. Personally, the biggest thing to think about is the speeds you're going to be slaloming at. If you're always at 32mph and faster, I don't think any of these choices are bad. If you're pulling kids at 28 or lower, the differences start to become more obvious (Echelon would be best). Lastly, when looking at a mid-90s boat or earlier, all-fiberglass construction is important too. But all the boats you mentioned are all-glass (the old, late 80s/early 90s sunsetters have wood stringers though).

It sure would be nice to see another engine platform than the venerable short block 5.7L. They put a marinized lexus 4.0L in the Toyota Epic boats almost 15 years ago - plenty of power, lower weight, way better efficiency. Can't help but think we could do much better today.

Interestingly, even wakeboarders don't like the tristar. One-size-fits-no-one.

I feel you. Ironically, the giant-family-friendly v-drive isn't even really wakeboarding friendly (the wider the beam, the more weight it takes to make a difference in the wake). Note that a Malibu Sportster (particularly 1998-2002) is a pretty nice boat that can fit on a single axle trailer and be towed by a typical v6 crossover with a 3500lb rating, and with the wedge and open bow it makes a great family multi-sport boat, with pretty good mileage. If you want to see a tiny, failed experiment, check out the 93 Centurion Wave: http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/65921/551137.jpg I think it was a 12' (14'?) hull, you could get a 302cc in it, the engine was in front of the driver, had tracking fins and a proper tow pylon if I recall. I think it came in under 1500lbs.

As noted by @baja, the Mastercraft 205 from '92-94 (95?) is much different than the 96 and newer 205. The older one is still a very nice slalom boat (the newer one is a great wakeboarding value). My guess is the wakes aren't quite as nice as an echelon (it's been a while since I skied an echelon, but I ski a '94 MC 205 a lot), although as a tradeoff, my sense is the 205 interior feels a touch larger.

LakeOfSpray.com

Hey @Joeprunc, I'm not adding anything new, but when you say: You're right to fear the wake if your arms up high like that on the offside. Practice that Stisher drill, get your arms low/hips up/body stacked and you'll not only improve your skiing but find the fear of the wake will disappear. I think you'll see a big jump in results once you get that one thing dialed in.

I lived in Williamsburg for a year in the 90s, and there was a pretty big ski community out on the chickahominy river up around Toano, about an hour from Norfolk. I literally called the local ski shop and they got me in touch with someone...

@ToddL, my issue is with the premise put forth here: It's my experience that 12-14 year olds are far from constant - it is perhaps the 3-year range where the variation may be the largest in our species, no?

yes, @Chef23, and I just missed a 67" Coefficient X-SL that was local :-(

Well, I hate to bring the average down, but someone's got to do it. A good summer (yes, summer) is about 15-20 sets on the ski - 5-10 of them in the course; and another 5-15 sets on the wakeboard. The great thing is that even at that pace, I'm slowly picking up buoys.

Sorry to threadjack, but I'm in a very similar boat. Stockier build (5'7", 175lbs), -22 to -32 @ 34, gunning to get into -35, and in my case, I've got RS-1 bindings (which I'll keep) on an old 66" KD7000 (which seems just a touch short for me, not to mention it doesn't seem super-peppy). Working on riding outbound and being patient in the turns. The 67" Radar Senate-C has my eye, both for performance and price (I'd like to stay shy of $1k, otherwise the S2 is pretty tempting). Thoughts?

Great article, Than. You hint at thinking about the ankles, but @ToddL took the words out of my mouth: We all know you can only think about so many things. When I used to teach trick skiers (a long, long time ago), I realized that thinking about bending the front ankle made so many other good things happen without having to work at it. The back ankle bends by default, the knees bend forward by default, the hips (mostly) stay up by default. It's mental efficiency that works for most people. My 2¢.