After spending a week at my family's place at Lake Travis, Texas, I come to the realization that it is time for a new ski boat. The old and WELL used Mastercraft 240 has become way too out of date for our needs and it would cost more than the boat is worth to update it with a new tower and stereo upgrades.

Currently I'm looking at a Super Air Nautique 220 as the best size. I need a boat that is more than 20-21'long, but no more than 24' and 102 inches wide in order to fit into the current dock (I would rather not redo the current boat hoist b/c its a huge pain in the ass and a slippery slope of spending). I'm open to a wide variety of boat makes such as Correct Craft, Mastercraft, Malibu, Moomba, and Tige. However, a fold down tower is a must to fit into the boat dock.

I'm a shopping used at the moment b/c I think there are probably some pretty good deals out there. If any body has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, JC

 

OK, we've been through a bunch (and got off the water 5 minutes ago). Our current MasterCraft X-35 is our hands-down favorite. Great space, 16-person capacity, 23.5 feet, incredible wake, flip around passenger / spotter bench, and a fridge to boot. We're in love. We have the 6-liter, 400hp injected engine, and it's perfect too. We also loved our past two boats, which were Mastercraft X-Stars. But this one has as good or better of a wake, is roomier, and is much better for crossing open water or traveling any distance.

We also spent some time on Shaun Murray's Correct Craft Air Nautique 230 last summer, and loved it. The seating arrangement on that boat was great too. And Shaun took us up and gave us the tour of the new Correct Craft factory (just 10 minutes from his house), and we were very impressed. Likewise on the Malibu Wakesetter, which is a great boat, and a better value.

Your requirement for a fold-down tower is much harder to find these days. Don't know if MC even offers one. But we are die hard MasterCraft fans. You gotta check out the new X-35. I think it's the best boat on the water right now.

And as far as used, there are some incredible deals on used current-generation (pickle fork front) MasterCraft X-Stars. It's what almost all the pro tours are held behind, and it's a pretty unbeatable boat. LOVE the X-STARS! They're all great boats, but we're definitely a MasterCraft family. They have become much more expensive than the other brands, but their resale values have followed them up as well, which lessens the pain when it comes time to trade or sell.

 

My cousin sells Mastercrafts and Malibus for a living and I have never seen anything other than a Malibu at his dock. IMO the big threes (Malibu, Mastercraft and Nautique) are like buying an Audi/BMW/Benz. Try each out on the water.

That being said the Malibu's com in 20' (VTX), 21' (VLX), and 23' (LSV).

good luck on the hunt. I love wakeboarding!

 

My (limited) understanding if that Correct Craft/Natique, Malibu, and Mastercraft are all going to provide first rate offerings - can't really go wrong with any of them. What are you most comfortable with and what can you get the best deal on?

I'm BSing all summer, so I can help you break it in by doing a West coast road trip, and slight detour to Lake Travis; I've always wanted to see Texas. LOL.

 

SANGER! SANGER! SANGER!

Sanger Boats V237 V-drive Wakeboard Boat

 

I've had my best experiences on Malibu's.

 

I had a Mastercraft and my Brother inlaw had a Ski Natique and both were amazing boats. If we got into skiing again those are the only two boats that I would ever consider.

 

I'm used to the Mastercraft, but I demo'd a Super Air yesterday and they're absolutely insane. That said, I'm used to a '92 Mastercraft 240 with cinder blocks shoved into the back storage for rear ballast, so I'm basically a blank canvas when it comes to modern ski boats.

The deals between Masters and Nautiques are pretty similar. The boat we were looking at this weekend was around $72k and in my mind that is a sh!t ton of money for a ski boat (especially since I have been valuing stuff in terms of 997.1 GT3s recently and that's only 20k more).

It would be a hell of a detour for a West Coast road trip. I've spent this week looking for a new job so that I can be permanently in Austin, and if that goes through, then any time. If you're serious about Austin, you've got to check it out sometime.

 

JC: I'll shoot you a PM. Don't want to derail what should be an interesting thread.

 

Mastercraft.