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Help a new owner.


Badgerski51

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Im looking to buy my first boat and i thought id come to the people with the experience in using them. Always been partial to Malibu and am about 99% sure thats what ill get but i need some direction. I dont know the differences in models and hulls. Im looking in the $15-20k range. I do know i want an open bow as i have 2 kids and will most likely have several people out each time and want the room. I dont care if its a vdrive or direct drive. Im mostly a slolom skier but wakeboard sometimes. Some of my friends board too. My cousin is also big into barefooting so i need some decent speed and hopefully a smaller wake at speed. I guess im kind of looking for an all around boat. I realize that i can add ballast or a wedge or a barefoot plate to tweat things, but the hull i wont be able to change so i want to make sure i get into the right boat. Also, would you guys recommend trying to get one thats fuel injected? We will be using it for fun, no competitions here. But want to get the right boat. Thanks guys

Edited by Badgerski51
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YES fuel injection, you will really appreciate the reliability.

I have an 04 DD wakesetter, it is a good all around boat. It is on the sv23 wake hull but will smooth out around 28mph for skiing and footin. WIth factory ballast and wedge is through a good wake I added a 300# bag under the back seat; that really shaped the wake up nicely. I usually go out with a near full boat so extra ballast is usually in the form of people. Don't be afraid of a response or anything on the dimond hull, it wont start to creat lift until you are going faster than you want to be on a board anyway. \

Good luck, priortise your toys and go from there.

:welcome:

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I live in Wisconsin. Outside of the Milwaukee area. Thanks for the input. Is there a website that lists all the boat models and what hulls they are on for specific years for easy comparison? Also, what models came available with factory ballast?

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Read any two of my posts and you will see that I am totally biased. However, you have to try wakesurfing. When we bought our first inboard my primary use was wakeboarding, but I bought a damaged board for cheap on ebay and tried surfing. We have surfed 99% of the time for the last 4 years and I'm lining up to try the new Surf Gate.

A few people actually get great surf wakes out of their DD, but it's easier generally with a v-drive. I would suggest thinking about everything you do or may want to do when considering a DD vs a v-drive.

Welcome to a wonderful community. I've gotten so much support for shopping tips just like you, upgrades, ballast info and troubleshooting info I can't even begin to tell you. I wish you best in your buying decision and hope you have a great time on the water with your 'bu whatever water sport you pursue!

  • Like 1
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def look for fuel injection. I'd suggest a 21 foot sv23 "wake" hull is which is found under the sunsetter LX, iride, DD wakesetter, sunkicker...just different years for the model names. Great all around hull.

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What's wrong with carbureted? I have had carbureted boats for years with no issues on reliability.

I have a 2000 Sunsetter LXI that is a perfect boat for any occasion, it has the diamond hull that REW was talking about. If you go to the recourses tab on the main page you will find out allot under the spec section.

.

Edited by BFrank
  • Like 2
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nothing "wrong" with carbureted but would you not agree they are more finicky, especially for a new boat owner? EFI starts perfectly each time, especially cold weather starts and is generally less requiring of upkeep/rebuilds etc.

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Im not afraid of a carb. Do all my own auto work. Just looking for simplicity and reliability. And yes, sometimes here in WI we do ski in some pretty crappy weather. I have another question, lets jjuust sau i get a boat with the diamond hull, how much does the wake differ from a mid boat engine to the vdrive?

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I don't follow you on the hull as diamond options are unrelated to it being a VD or DD (you cna find all combinations) but generally vdrives will have larger wake than dd counterpart and diamond hulls create a softer wake.

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85 Barefoot got it right when he said sv23 wake hull, don't be scared by the wake in the name of the hull! It's still a great ski wake which is rounded off and doesn't have an aggressive lip to get ya! But if you want to weigh it down and slow down you can throw a nice wake for wakeboarding too!

  • Like 2
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Thanks guys. You answered my question which was that the vdrives have bigger wakes because the motor weight is in the back. How do i tell which hull a boat has? Is it easy to see and distinguish? Or do i need to look at a vin number?

And also thanks for clarifying that the wake hulss arent ONLY good for throwing a good wake

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Thanks guys. You answered my question which was that the vdrives have bigger wakes because the motor weight is in the back. How do i tell which hull a boat has? Is it easy to see and distinguish? Or do i need to look at a vin number?

And also thanks for clarifying that the wake hulss arent ONLY good for throwing a good wake

Just look it up on the spec page.

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Go to the top of the page and hit the resources tab and you will find anything you should need to know about hulls and year.

Edited by Bradley Thornton
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What's wrong with carbureted? I have had carbureted boats for years with no issues on reliability.

I have a 2000 Sunsetter LXI that is a perfect boat for any occasion, it has the diamond hull that REW was talking about. If you go to the recourses tab on the main page you will find out allot under the spec section.

.

You'll find we all love our particular boat and are therefore biased, but I have a 2000 SSLXI, too. It's a perfect all-around boat, IMHO. I have three kids, a niece, and a dog. We all fit comfortably. Open bow is a must on a DD b/c you need somewhere to put people when pulling a skier. For tubing (yes, you will tube with kids), you can just tie off to the transom and not have to shuffle. I don't have a tower so I use a Skylon to pull wakeboarders.

FWIW my SSLXI is fuel injected.

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jkendallmsce

nothing "wrong" with carbureted but would you not agree they are more finicky, especially for a new boat owner? EFI starts perfectly each time, especially cold weather starts and is generally less requiring of upkeep/rebuilds etc.

The first few year of going to EFI were not the best years for boats...lots of probelms converting to the marine environment.....I have almost 1000 hours on my 1990 skier with original carb....bullet proof, reliable and sucks a lots less gas that the newer boats.

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A few more questions....it semms like for every answer i get, i hsve 2 more questions.

First, whats the wake difference like from the sunsetter 21xti to the 23xti?

Second, what are your opinions on the interior layout of the sunsetter lxi vs the 21xti, seats the same number.

And third, does the sunscape lsv have a decent wake to ski on or does it put off a much bigger wake being a vdrive even though its on the diamond hull?

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23 xti will have a bigger wake, I personally don't like the xti layout, lxi would be better IMO.

Sunscape lsv has a great ski wake for a v drive, at least the 02-04's.

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