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Move to V-drive or keep the Echelon?


Michigan boarder

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A good friend of mine is likely going to put his boat on the market and offered it to me first.  2004 23LSV, freshwater, 700 hours, 8.1, dual battery, manual wedge, Illusion tower w/ bimini, factory cover, stock ballast, Perfect Pass, new head unit, sub & amps & tower/cabin speakers sound good (I don't know the brand).  Trailer in good shape, but probably needs tires.  Interior shows some wear, but still has many years left.  Exterior is going to be buffed & polished.  Black hull with blue accents, tan interior with blue piping.  I've know the owner for 30 years and have been on the boat lots of times, usually I'm the driver.  He wants something with a more automated surf set up (touchscreen).  I can get it for $26k.  Should I do it?

Edit: boat year and model

2015_ww2.JPG

Edited by Michigan boarder
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Just now, asp13 said:

What kind of boat is he selling? What do you normally do on the water?

:Doh: Minor detail...2004 23LSV. 

I like to barefoot, wakeboard and occasionally surf, the rest of the family likes to wake board and surf.  My 12 year old daughter is learning to foot, she is pretty solid on the boom and wants to learn long line, and loves to tube with her friends.  So we do a little bit of everything. The biggest hurdle is how little space there is in the Echelon, unless they are ski people it's hard for anyone else to really feel comfortable heading out in the Echelon for a few hours.  But it's paid for, and it's fast and fun.

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ahopkins22LSV

I don’t regret going to a vdrive at all. I still miss my TXi but for 99% of the boating we do it is 100x better. Sounds like it will be for you too. The space and storage of 23 is sooooo nice too. I say go for it. 

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What do you guys think I can get for the Echelon?

'94 Echelon Lx, 388 stroker engine w/383 hp (documented dyno), 724 hours (79 hours on new engine/intake/carb/exhaust), insulated engine cover, STE's, ACME 425 prop and original prop for spare, custom interior in 2009 some nicks/dings, matching launch seat, matching vinyl bow cover, Grant steering wheel, Red sunbrella trailer/mooring cover, manual wedge, left and right Wicked Wake surf gates, swim platform with wedge door from '06 Vride, Boss tower, Wake Designs racks, ECI barefoot boom with carrying bag, Alpine HU, Basslink Sub, 4 Polk DB651 cabins, Boston Acoustics amp, Load Rite tandem axle aluminum trailer new in 2013.

Edited by Michigan boarder
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15 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

I don’t regret going to a vdrive at all. I still miss my TXi but for 99% of the boating we do it is 100x better. Sounds like it will be for you too. The space and storage of 23 is sooooo nice too. I say go for it. 

I know, it's huge inside, very comfortable.  But, that also means a new lift (not a real big deal) and the Jeep won't tow it (complicated).  I think my wife would love it, and that dutch chick that won't come off a 20 without a fight is OK with me making a change (ANY change) to "get rid of that stupid hump in the middle".

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I'm obviously biased towards the echelon.  Mine is paid for, cheap to work on, and all we do is slalom.  

 

I've had several offers on mine while I was just at the launch.  Yours sounds like a better all around package, especially with the new trailer.  I am partial to stock mechanicals, but most aren't.  

Offers on my boat ranged from $7500 to $13000.  I have seen several sell for around $10k with hours like yours but not quite as many things thrown in.  

For 15k I could be in an older sunsetter or late 90s CC nautique with a smoother slalom wake.  But until then my boats biggest costs are gas and insurance.  

  • Like 2
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ahopkins22LSV
43 minutes ago, Michigan boarder said:

I know, it's huge inside, very comfortable.  But, that also means a new lift (not a real big deal) and the Jeep won't tow it (complicated).  I think my wife would love it, and that dutch chick that won't come off a 20 without a fight is OK with me making a change (ANY change) to "get rid of that stupid hump in the middle".

Exactly what my wife said.. haha.

How often do you tow? Could you borrow a truck a few times or rent one?

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1 minute ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

Exactly what my wife said.. haha.

How often do you tow? Could you borrow a truck a few times or rent one?

I rarely tow.  Once to bring it from storage to the house (40 miles) where it will sit for a week or two while I tinker & clean, then again to launch it (2 miles).  Then the opposite at the end of the season.  That is assuming all goes well, of course.  I have at least 4 trucks and 4 guys that would love to help me with the boat and would be insulted if I rented one, and I would insist on taking them to a bar/restaurant on the water while we were at it.  So I've just convinced myself that towing is not even a remote problem, we can scratch that concern.  In fact, it would probably add to the social value the way more room and guests in the boat would.

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49 minutes ago, Sixball said:

For me I was so happy to sell my V drive and I thought it had a good ski wake at short line. But I am a ski guy! And we have a nice pontoon for just cruising.

I've thought about the pontoon option too, that actually would be the best thing in my opinion.  We have an easement over someone's property "for mooring and keeping of a boat or boats", so I could do it, but I feel like adding a boat would really destroy our relationship.  But I also thought, what if I simply give him a set of keys.  He currently has no boat, retired guy and his wife, 1 daughter and one grand daughter.  The neighbor on the other side would probably let me keep a pontoon there, we've talked about sharing a pier instead of having two separate ones.  And I think his wife would probably love the pontoon more than their I/O runabout.

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39 minutes ago, Michigan boarder said:

I've thought about the pontoon option too, that actually would be the best thing in my opinion.  We have an easement over someone's property "for mooring and keeping of a boat or boats", so I could do it, but I feel like adding a boat would really destroy our relationship.  But I also thought, what if I simply give him a set of keys.  He currently has no boat, retired guy and his wife, 1 daughter and one grand daughter.  The neighbor on the other side would probably let me keep a pontoon there, we've talked about sharing a pier instead of having two separate ones.  And I think his wife would probably love the pontoon more than their I/O runabout.

Yeah, you would end up as very good friends with him. 

 

Just make sure it's a tuner with a true outboard, and if he doesn't know boats...that you have an extra shear pin or two laying around.  It doesn't prevent damage but surely limits the mayhem.  

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1 hour ago, Pra4sno said:

Just make sure it's a tuner with a true outboard, and if he doesn't know boats...that you have an extra shear pin or two laying around.  It doesn't prevent damage but surely limits the mayhem.  

The fact that he doesn't appear to have teenagers or 20 something sons is good!

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1 hour ago, minnmarker said:

The fact that he doesn't appear to have teenagers or 20 something sons is good!

Well, he doesn’t, but mine are 12 (girl), 18 and 19 (boys).  Wonderful children.

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So I had my V drive because of my family. If you do a pontoon just go with something like 60-70 HP.  Fore stroke and you have a very nice cruiser and keep people somewhat out of trouble .  Nice and quiet so cursing and talking can be one.

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ahopkins22LSV

I too got our VTX for the family, but with Michigan Boarder enjoying wakeboridng and surfing, the 23 will be way better for that then his echelon. Plus the additional space. The toon won’t get him anything but addition space and one more thing stores, maintain, etc. I think in his case the 23 fits better then the echelon and a toon. 

Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love an echelon. It’s one of the best looking Malibu’s on the water. I could see myself owning one in the future to have on the other side of my dock for a ski tug. That’s a dream at this point though a so don’t have the house on a lake yet! :)

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2 hours ago, Michigan boarder said:

Well, he doesn’t, but mine are 12 (girl), 18 and 19 (boys).  Wonderful children.

Mine are too :)

Do you let them drive the boat by themselves? Without being an experienced boat kid?

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I think you get a semi professional photo of your 388 stroker matted and framed and on the wall, then sell her and buy the LSV.  (Also send me a copy of the 388 photo for my garage)

The 8.1 was the clincher, I know you yearn for the big block.

Edited by Bozboat
  • Like 3
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How do the footing wakes compare?  The Echelon is certainly right at the top of the heap as far as that goes, so where does footing fit on the priority list?

I suggest doing a comparison list to get the emotional element out of the decision making process & maybe assign numerical values to how important each aspect is.

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16 minutes ago, Woodski said:

How do the footing wakes compare?  The Echelon is certainly right at the top of the heap as far as that goes, so where does footing fit on the priority list?

I suggest doing a comparison list to get the emotional element out of the decision making process & maybe assign numerical values to how important each aspect is.

:plus1: I made my move for one reason, I was looking for A ski tug Nothing more. I also had sent my son off to school. So our need for a V drive was gone. The wife and dog could still go out with the R LXI if we wished. But the pontoon made the ski tug just that. It is quite rare we even drop it for a fun ride.  So I would give all your need a big thought before a move.  And your needs look much different. What does the rest of the family say. 

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Well, we are not making the move.  It was a pretty quick conversation.  If I sold the Echelon for $13k and bought my buddies boat for $26k, then I am making a $13k investment.  What else does $13k get us?  She said a trip to Hawaii pretty quickly.  Or Europe.  Really, an experience that we can't get in the Echelon.  We can still surf, board, motor around, etc. and have a good time but spending an additional $13k on a boat, in her mind, will not yield an additional $13k of fun - it will just be more $$ invested in the boat and less traveling for her.  She had actually been suggesting a nicer V-drive for a few years now, but now that we've run it thru the grinder with serious pros & cons, that argument is over.

I'm going to have a cheap t-shirt made up for her that says "I love my Echelon".

  • Like 3
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10 hours ago, Woodski said:

How do the footing wakes compare?  The Echelon is certainly right at the top of the heap as far as that goes, so where does footing fit on the priority list?

I suggest doing a comparison list to get the emotional element out of the decision making process & maybe assign numerical values to how important each aspect is.

 

7 hours ago, Sparky450 said:

It seems to me it depends on what his daughter says. He wants the v-drive. And she is the only one (besides him) that barefoots. The 23 will do all but barefoot. 

Actually, I've footed long line behind the LSV a few times, it's not bad at all.  I don't cross the wakes much, but I'm sure I could behind the LSV with some practice.  And that 8.1 gets you to 40mph in a hurry.  If I were to buy it a boom would be my first purchase.

Which is funny, no it doesn't do it well, but it does it.  Kinda like the surf wake on the Echelon - no it doesn't do it well either, but it does it.  Just trade offs.  If you really want to do stuff behind a boat, you find a way.  I picked up an old set of Cypress Gardens trick skis a few years ago, and plan to get new boots on them, and add that to my list of stuff.

Here's a vid of me (second post on the page to link) footing behind the LSV: https://www.themalibucrew.com/index.php?/forums/topic/45371-post-your-barefoot-videos-here/&page=27

Edited by Michigan boarder
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