Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

[sickwilly]

Re: Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

Yes an I/O is significantly more maintenance. The plus side to that, though, is you get to trim the sucker up.

But, if you like to turn a wrench, maintaining an IO is part of the fun (at least it is part of the fun of boating for me).

However, my Stingray is about to turn 10 and I have pulled the outdrive twice, and replaced the impeller twice, and it was overkill. I could have just hit the zerks and been fine. Again, it is part of the fun of boat ownership for me.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

Yes an I/O is significantly more maintenance. The plus side to that, though, is you get to trim the sucker up.

But, if you like to turn a wrench, maintaining an IO is part of the fun (at least it is part of the fun of boating for me).

However, my Stingray is about to turn 10 and I have pulled the outdrive twice, and replaced the impeller twice, and it was overkill. I could have just hit the zerks and been fine. Again, it is part of the fun of boat ownership for me.

Same for me. We probably pulled the outdrive once every 5 years or so.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

How about drivetrain maintenance? Are the overall requirements similar is scale between the two types of boats? With an I/O, aren't you supposed to pull the outdrive every so often to do maintenance on gimbals, check motor alignment, etc.? Obviously there's no lower unit on a V-Drive, but what about what's inside the hull?

V-drives have a transmission which needs to have periodic maintenance just like an outdrive does, but it's more of a fluid change and doesn't generally require removal. The main thing that will cost a lot of money with a V-drive/inboard is when you start hitting things with the exposed prop/propshaft. It's $100 for an aluminum prop on an I/O, it's a minimum of $400 for a brass prop on an inboard and even more $$ if you damage the prop shaft. Unless you are good at holding your breath, changing the prop on an inboard must be done out of water since it's underneath the boat. Again, just little nuances of each driveline style. Treat either style of boat with care they will both end up as a wash in the end in terms of maintenance costs.

 

[jbach]

Re: Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

i've never known somebody go from a dedicated inboard/vdrive to an I/O. I/Os can NOT compete with an inboard for any type of watersports. for that kind of money, i'd go find a nice 1999-2006 Nautique Super Air 210.

 

[jkust]

Re: Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

I'm seeing a slow move over from I/O's to v drive and dedicated tow sports boats. I'm seeing old, retired couples with seemingly no business with this type of boat and families with little kids too young to start to wake board and not actually using their capabilities. I can't figure it out. They are some of the nicest looking and flashiest boats on the lakes. Another benefit I suppose is the ability to wake skate with the prop under the boat.

 

[moosehead]

Re: Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

^No doubt, the new Vdrives are sharp, and look to be way more versatile than an inboard ski craft. The engine compartment and ski towpoint moving aft opens up a ton more useable cabin capacity, the ballast systems are slick, and freeboards are generous. It's a wakeboarder and surfing machine. That said, they still throw big wakes for slalom, even after ballast is dumped. They aren't nearly as comfortable cruisers and speed runners, and lastly are outrageously priced.

Yes, any craft is a compromise, but as stated the OP is clearly looking for well rounded family use, capacity, crusing, and recreational towing, at circa $25K. IO bowriders still prevail for inland lakes for good reason.

 

[IQRaceworks]

Re: Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

^No doubt, the new Vdrives are sharp, and look to be way more versatile than an inboard ski craft. The engine compartment and ski towpoint moving aft opens up a ton more useable cabin capacity, the ballast systems are slick, and freeboards are generous. It's a wakeboarder and surfing machine. That said, they still throw big wakes for slalom, even after ballast is dumped. They aren't nearly as comfortable cruisers and speed runners, and lastly are outrageously priced.

Yes, any craft is a compromise, but as stated the OP is clearly looking for well rounded family use, capacity, crusing, and recreational towing, at circa $25K. IO bowriders still prevail for inland lakes for good reason.

This is what I've noticed too. Compare your average 21' Bowrider like a Crownline or Four Winns to a 21' Mastercraft wakeboarding boat the same size.....the price difference will take your breath away. I've seen some of those 21'-22' boarding boards going for $65,000+...USED!

Even ones that are close to 15 years old are still going for $19,000+. You can get a heck of a nicer and newer bowrider of the same size for a much better price. The more I look at the used boats that are out there and what they are going for, the more I'm leaning towards a bowrider.

 

[salty87]

Re: Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

$19k for a 15 yr old boat is great if you're the owner. granted, you paid a decent more than that depending on how long you've owned it. if you paid $60k and get $20k back then was it really 'over-priced'? the $35-40k i/o will be worth how much in 19-20 years?

for someone who wants a dedicated watersport boat, the decision is pretty easy. the ride in rough water means little and fuel economy is an after-thought. if that's not you, go for the i/o.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

This is what I've noticed too. Compare your average 21' Bowrider like a Crownline or Four Winns to a 21' Mastercraft wakeboarding boat the same size.....the price difference will take your breath away. I've seen some of those 21'-22' boarding boards going for $65,000+...USED!

That's because you are comparing two different levels of boats. Compare a Mastercraft 21' boat to a new Cobalt/Formula/Chris Craft and your numbers will be much closer to each other. Mastercraft is basically one of the premier watersports tow boats, so you have to compare it to the premier runabout mfgs. In any case, for the way you describe your needs, I think the I/O is a better solution. If you were looking at getting serious about wakeboarding/surfing (i.e. competitions), there is no question the V-drive would be the best option. However, people have been wakeboarding behind I/O's just the same as they have for the V-drvies, so go out and have some fun.

 

[jsturvey]

Re: Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

I have to say that I have owned both types of boats and there are great arguments both ways as to which boat would be good for any particular situation. It all come down to personal taste and overall need. The one big difference between the 2 boats that I have yet to see on this string is available horsepower. This is the one area where I always encourage people boat shopping to buy more than they "think" they need. Standard horsepower in a 20-21' V-drive / inboard boat is well over 300hp from a 350ci V8 engine. An I/O of comparable size will maybe have standard hp of around 220 powered by a V6 with optional upgrades to a V8. You know the old cliche..better to have and not need, then to need and not have; definitely applies to horsepower in a boat, especially if you are going to load it with ballast for wakeboarding.

 

[haulnazz15]

Re: Do I want a bowrider, or wakeboard boat?

I have to say that I have owned both types of boats and there are great arguments both ways as to which boat would be good for any particular situation. It all come down to personal taste and overall need. The one big difference between the 2 boats that I have yet to see on this string is available horsepower. This is the one area where I always encourage people boat shopping to buy more than they "think" they need. Standard horsepower in a 20-21' V-drive / inboard boat is well over 300hp from a 350ci V8 engine. An I/O of comparable size will maybe have standard hp of around 220 powered by a V6 with optional upgrades to a V8. You know the old cliche..better to have and not need, then to need and not have; definitely applies to horsepower in a boat, especially if you are going to load it with ballast for wakeboarding.

Yes, but the available/std HP question will vary from boat to boat, and I/O's require less HP to achieve the same speed as the v-drive due to hull differences and the ability to trim the drive angle. Like you said, different boats with different purposes. A 300HP 21' v-drive will typically top out (depending on prop) around 50mph, put that same 300HP in a 21' I/O and you'll likely see 55mph+. It's all in how you use it.