New guy saying hi

[hethj7]

I've been lurking here for a little while and figured it was time to say hi. My wife and I planned to have a boat this summer, but welcomed our new daughter instead So, I've got my eyes set on picking up something for next season.

Let me first say, this board is awesome. The pride of ownership you all have in your boats is head and shoulders above what I've seen on other forums, with the exception of the Yamaha Jet Boaters. They also have a tremendous online presence on par with this site.

I'd love to be cruising in a new 247 or VLX next year, but the budget probably won't allow that. My buddy has a 247RX and while I know it isn't the preferred layout for most, I love the two cabin design.

We'll probably be looking at a budget around $25K. I still have a lot of researching and learning to do, but in that range I'm considering the Yamaha or an inboard like the Malibu. I realize they are quite different boats. If price wasn't an option, I'd have a Bu. But, for the money I want to spend, I can't help but notice the Yamaha. I like the layout, the idea of no prop with my new daughter, like the swim deck layout, the room in the cabin, etc. The advantages of the Bu are obvious, as they are going to be way better for boarding and surfing. But, at my price, I'm looking at older Malibu's, Moomba, etc. Not that they are bad, but I can't help but notice that for the same price, I can get a slightly used Yamaha.

I think the jet boat would support my novice to intermediate wakeboarding skills. The only real draw back I see to them is I don't think they'd support a wakesurfing hobby too well, which I'd like to try out. In reality though, most of my time would be spent with other entry level wakeboarders, tubing , and just floating.

I'll quit rambling now and go back to lurking around the boards

[JeffS]

Welcome!

I do like those SX jet boats. Have experienced them on many occasions. They are very popular tenders as they can beach very easily with no running gear under the boat.

Only thing I'd ask you to consider is - what is a Yamaha SX jet boat built for?

The Malibu is a very specialized boat, built for a specific purpose - does one thing extremely well. Does some other things so-so. The Yamaha won't do anything extremely well. It's not a purpose-built boat. That's not to say it's not a good boat. It is. It's just not built for any specific purpose - it will be a complete collection of sacrifices.

That's my sales pitch to focus on a used Malibu. It's a boat that's great at something. You'll be very happy if you choose to go that route. Not that you won't be happy going the other direction... Tough decision coming up.

[WakingMeHappy]

Welcome to the Crew. I’ve learned so much here that anytime I tell my wife something she says, “where did you hear that…on that BuCrew thingy on the Internet?” Of course, I have to say yes.

[Tyger]

Welcome! Hopefully you can into a boat and your daughter can grow up with the lake life!

Jeff is dead on: jet boats are really fun, but you will quickly wear out what you can do. Wakeboarding is iffy and as you state surfing is impossible on a jet boat. Surfing is super fun. There is no way to describe how enjoyable it is to ride an endless wave.

$25K is tight, but there are v-drives available at that price. I would definitely recommend shopping in winter and early spring to find the best boat you can afford. I bought my boat in Feb from someone who was hard up to sell and I traded it in two years later for more than I paid for it. Figure out the features you really want, give it some time and patience and you will find something great.

As for safety, v-drives and DDs have the prop way under the boat. Getting under the boat and getting hit by a jet spray is going to mess up your daughter, too. I wouldn't make safety a deciding factor between a jet boat and wake boat.

Keep asking questions, researching and figuring out what you want. The more you know when you make a purchase, the happier you will be down the road.

[68Slalom]

Welcome to the crew, the best thing to do is get as many rides in different boats to really see the difference. It's all what you want it to do and how it fits your family. As you get more familiar with the site you'll see that it's not just a forum, some people consider this a family of great friends, especially when in need of help.

Good Luck with your search

[Chia]

welcome!

i would say that buying a new bayliner or in your case a jet boat because it is new and in your price range is questionable logic, in my mind.

I have no doubt that a used BU will give you more enjoyment than a new non tournament style boat.

this might not be a good analogy depending on your view of these cars but would you rather buy a slightly used and in great condition Cadillac or a new Dodge Neon?

Edited July 21, 2010 by Cervelo

[windy1]

I found my sunsetter in January for well under 20K. we ski, board and wakeskate, no surfing yet. I would have loved to have a V drive but it was not in my budget (my boat in a V-drive would be 8-10K more). The guy I bought it from was doing wakeboard inverts with no ballast other than the wedge. That told me that a DD was fine for me. If we ski - wedge up, board - wedge down, newbe on the wakeskate - wedge up. My boat has 350 hours and I dont plan on getting anything else ever.

[skier_88]

I would say you can find a DD in your price range..... I would buy DD over jet any day. You will have more ways to utilize the boat with a DD.

[srab]

Forgive my ignorance, but, with respect to Yamaha's jet boats, is there any problem

with sucking debris into the jet drive impellers?

The reason I ask is that I own a Waverunner, and I've found myself dead on the water

at least twice a season after sucking something into the drive. The first time, it

was a ski rope (my fault) that took me a good hour or more to slice out with a razor

blade after removing the intake grate. Since then, it's happened several times with

small chips of driftwood that get impaled on the edge of the impeller, causing it to be

horribly off-balanced with a horrendous vibration at anything over idle speed.

Once, it was some mud and gravel that did me in (too shallow in unmarked area). Last

weekend, it was a plastic bag.

Each time, I end up having to tow the boat to the ramp, or proceed in that direction

at idle or barely-over idle speed, trailer it, crawl under it with my ratchet wrench

set, remove the grate, and reach in to clear the impeller with my hands. It typically

takes only 15 minutes or so once the boat is trailered, but lying on asphalt/gravel on

a hot summer day to dig junk out of my jet drive is not my idea of a fun afternoon!

I realize that the big boats have twin engines, but are they different with respect to

the water intake? Can you not still suck ski ropes and other junk into the drive? If

so, can you selectively run the boat with just one of the engines?

Just curious.

Edit: To be fair, I once caught a small piece of driftwood

on the edge of my Malibu's propeller. I was pulling a wake-

boarder when I suddenly felt an ominous vibration. I shut

her down, convinced that I'd somehow, in deep water in

the middle of the lake, damaged the prop. I jumped in

with a swim mask and quickly realized that there was about

a one inch long, maybe half-inch wide, piece of wood

impaled on the edge of one of the blades. I pulled it

off, and we were up and running again within a couple of minutes.

Edited July 21, 2010 by srab

[hethj7]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm not just looking at the Yamaha because it is in my price range. Like I said, there are several appealing features I like about them. And no, the idea of no prop doesn't really sway me one way or another.

As far as as the Cadillac vs. Neon comparison, I hope/think the Yamaha is a few steps up from a Neon. There are lots of happy owners on their forum. Then again, that is why I'm still researching. They might well turn out to be a Neon .

Yes, I have heard of people sucking up debris in the jet boats. Yamaha does provide a clean out plug over each intake accessible from the swim deck though. So, not every piece of debris you suck up actually means a trip back to the dock, although that does happen.

As far as direct drives go, the wife isn't a fan of the seating arrangment at all. In the 247RX, it wasn't huge deal becuase of the boat's size. But, the few other direct drives we've been in, she doesn't like. Are there 23' direct drives out there? That could be an option. We've mainly been on smaller DDs. They were also older CC boats, so the beam wasn't as wide either, making the boat feel that much smaller.

I've got some time to keep researching and asking questions, so we'll see what ends up happening. I know ths forum will certainly be a great resource. And I know most responses will be pro-Malibu. But, another thing that drew me to this board is that when I have seen posts about other boats, people here rarely attack other makes. Quite different than say a Ford vs. Chevy forum. I appreciate the adult responses here, and while everyone would recommmend a Bu here, most people also seem to appreciate what other boats may offer and are willing to give objective pros/cons for all makes.

Edited July 22, 2010 by hethj7

[Pistol Pete]

I started my wakeboarding and boat driving life on a Sea Doo twin engine jet boat. This was about 10 yrs. ago.

For a small group of people that were just starting to wakeboard, it did ok. Lacked power when trying to pull up a heavy (me) person or when we had more than about 4 people in the boat. I realize the Yamamhas of today probably have a lot more power.

The problem was, we quickly outgrew it's capabilities as our riding progressed fast. Then, I was the one to buy a used wakesetter VLX and my friend was like "that's practically a new boat". It was more money than I was planning on spending but, it had everything I wanted and has never, ever, let me down.

I know you could find a 2000-2003 Wakesetter VLX for your price.

[hethj7]

Yes, if I end up in a Yamaha, it would definitely need to be the HO versions, which are 320 HP I believe. A VLX would be pretty sweet.

[TrickyNicky]

I think one of the more important things here is the progression comment. I can honestly speak from my recent experiences that tehse boats will just blow your progression out of the...umm....water. I've been wakeboarding for 5 or 6 yrs behind an o/b and I could clear its minimal wake but generally I didn't care for wakeboarding, if anything I definitly preferred to ski. We ended up with our VTX at the beginning of the summer and I was exciting to learn to clear this new massive wake. I remember looking at wakeboards and the guy asking me what I'll be doing. I specifically said "well definitly not any flips or anything" 2 n a bit months later I'm learning my second invert and I'm skiing better than ever. Honestly owning an inboard is an addiction, forewarning though, its an expensive addiction.

So I'm telling you all this because although you may not think watersports is not that high on your priority list, it may be, and when the time comes you'll want to upgrade, You'll never get to the point where you'll need to upgrade from a malibu, or related inboards. If you do than your a pro and are liekly helping with the next years design. Obviously pro-malibu, I just think that, although a future upgrade may not happen, if it does I doubt you'll be wanting to upgrade from a malibu to a yamaha, much more likely you'll want to upgrade from a yamaha to a malibu.

As someone pointed out earlier, jet boats are great and they can do a lot of things, but nothing very great and they're very easy to outgrow.

[REW]

My first boat was an I/O we sold it after one season and upgraded to the Bu. The IO just wasn't enough boat for us, we are into water sports and having a tow boat is a much bette fit. As pointed out earlier you may be more willing to advance in your skills with a better boat. I bought an 04 DD Wakesetter for about 26 three seasons ago and have never looked back, there are some 23XTi's on the market That will let you get into a newer boat for the money you have to spend. Also keep in mind there are people on this site that have had the same boat for 20 years, that alone speaks volums of the quality you get with a malibu.

Welcome to the site and as others have pointed out buy in the winter or early spring. I bought in Feb.

REW

[jk13]

Are there 23' direct drives out there?

Yes.

http://madison.craigslist.org/boa/1795734649.html

[TrickyNicky]

Yes.

http://madison.craig...1795734649.html

Wowo featues include a Windsheild. I would take that one, I bet teh windsheild is a rare feature on DD's .

That boat had NO options. I would certainly look for a tower. You'll probably have to go back a couple years though.

Someone on this site knows this boat:

http://burlington.craigslist.org/boa/1833132686.html

Or this:

http://farmington.craigslist.org/boa/1782066698.html

Edited July 22, 2010 by TrickyNicky

[jk13]

Wowo featues include a Windsheild. I would take that one, I bet teh windsheild is a rare feature on DD's .

That boat had NO options. I would certainly look for a tower. You'll probably have to go back a couple years though.

Someone on this site knows this boat:

http://burlington.craigslist.org/boa/1833132686.html

Or this:

http://farmington.craigslist.org/boa/1782066698.html

Just a random ad with pics. Wasn't trying to promote that boat or anything, just showing the model.

[TrickyNicky]

Just a random ad with pics. Wasn't trying to promote that boat or anything, just showing the model.

Gotcha, wasn't making fun of you just the ad.

Edited July 22, 2010 by TrickyNicky

[Chia]

we see them on the lake and wonder, what was he thinking, he could have had an inboard for that price. BTW, have you priced a new AR230 HO yet ?

my first impression is that it doesn't look all that roomy on the interior (pic 1) and the swim deck uses up too much real estate, no sun deck.

I am not a jet ski fan and see this boat as a larger version of the jet ski (you can wakeboard, turn on a dime, go tubing and ?? (does it even have a ski pylon?), and i get bored on a jet ski before too long.

I thought the yamaha site comparison between this boat and a wakesetter was unfair as there is no way our boats burn 10.3 GPH.

Edited July 22, 2010 by Cervelo

[TrickyNicky]

we see them on the lake and wonder, what was he thinking, he could have had an inboard for that price. BTW, have you priced a new AR230 HO yet ?

my first impression is that it doesn't look all that roomy on the interior (pic 1) and the swim deck uses up too much real estate, no sun deck.

I am not a jet ski fan and see this boat as a larger version of the jet ski (you can wakeboard, turn on a dime, go tubing and ?? (does it even have a ski pylon?), and i get bored on a jet ski before too long.

I thought the yamaha site comparison between this boat and a wakesetter was unfair as there is no way our boats burn 10.3 GPH.

Actually now that it's mentioned. I have a buddy on my lake that has a sea-doo wake-boat (different but similar to the yamaha), I've never been behing it but he'll take a pull behind my boat any day. The first tim I saw my exact thought was "it looks liek a toy" in comparison to the bu which looks like a tool, device with a purpose. It just looked more plasticy and chopped up. But the Major differenc we both noticed was his boat looked and felt WAAAAAAY smaller than our VTX, It just seemd very cramped inside. He asked how big our boat was and when I told him 20ft his jaw dropped. Aparantly his is 22ft. Woops! Hands down we have more room all around, more room on the platform in thje main lounge and in the bow. Plus we have a sunpad and he has a bench. Once again, nothing against a jet boat, but at leats in the comparison we had, the size was just not there. He did demolish me on the low speed manouverabilty though . Man those jet boats can shift any way they want.

[Chia]

To the OP, check onlyinboards for an idea of what a nice, used malibu would run you.

http://www.onlyinboards.com/Featured.aspx?ID=3

[Molarbu]

As far as direct drives go, the wife isn't a fan of the seating arrangment at all. In the 247RX, it wasn't huge deal becuase of the boat's size. But, the few other direct drives we've been in, she doesn't like. Are there 23' direct drives out there? That could be an option.

MMMM.....just my favorite boat ever! We love the 23 XTI, I feel it's the perfect boat, but that is not shared by all considering it isn't made any more! It's like the RX, but 18 inches shorter.

[hethj7]

Lots of great info. Keep it coming!

I've spent hours browsing around onlyinboards.com and some other sites, but not really zeroing in on anything.

The 23 XTI does look appealing. And come to find out, it isn't so much the layout of the direct drives that the wife doesn't like, it is the fact that most of them have only a ski plylon near the motor, so the rope would cross riders in the back. She's more open to a DD if there is a pylon on the back of the boat. I'm still partial to the v drives, but DD may be more in our price range.

And yes, I've priced the Yamaha's out. New ones are getting pricey, but they lose their value quicker and used ones you can pick up for a reasonable price. And yes, I know that may just be a reason to go with the Bu, being that they hold their value longer.

The point about progression is a good one. I was clearing the wake on my buddy's 247, so I suppose if I was out all the time, I'd be pushing my limits more.

[Umatilla Matt]

DO NOT buy a jetboat!!! You will be thankful later on down the road. You'd be better off buying an older inboard. In my experience, inboards are super reliable compared to the jetboats. Just ask someone who owns a jetski how often it's in the shop. Also, an inboard will grow with you as you get more experienced with wakeboarding/skiing or whatever. Oh, and another important thing: an inboard will hold its value MUCH better than a jetboat. I've seen some people who couldn't give a jetboat away.

[Eric LX]

To throw a few more thoughts into the discussion. You are in a great position to make sure you find the boat that is right for your needs before you own it. We ended up with a Response because we have kids that are into show skiing and 3-event so the older dd worked well for our needs and budget.

You might be focusing on the best boat for the price range but the wrong boat at any price is still the wrong boat. Determining what you want the boat to do and letting that lead your search will give you the best results in the long term.

Happy Hunting and welcome to the Crew!