Affordable ski boat??

[ben1284]

i know nothing about boats/cost...but my wife and i have been talking about maybe getting a new or used ski boat...whats some reasonably priced brands/models out there so i can start doing some research...at this point i dont even know where to start:dontknow2: i just know i definately want a ski/wakeboard rack on it..thanks in advance

[TAMPAJEEPER]

Try craigslist:thumbsup:

[jkdeuce]

If it aint to far away, Im in TN. Ive got a nice older Ski Tique for sale. No time to post pics now but if you are interested e-mail me at sgroves2163@charter.net and ill send you some pics and details.

[racinfast002]

ok lets figure out exactly what your defineation of a "ski boat" is. Are you looking for a boat in which one could ski behind, but would also lend itself to running around on the river?

Or are you looking for a ski boat (IE inboard). Because they are two totally different boats. I have both, and trust me a powerboat (IE inboard/outboard) is the way to go unless your serious about skiing. I would never take my ski boat for long runs up and down the river, why? Because it isn't exactly the smoothest riding boat. Ski boats have one purpose. Skiing. They do it well. Now for some pictures to help this out

Ski boats:

http://www.boatboss.com/adpics/491f1fea5a5669a6bc71c1c3e.jpg

http://www.onlyinboards.com/Ski-boat-accessories/mastercraft.jpg




Powerboats which one could ski behind:

http://www.bottgersmarine.com/INVused/Glastron.jpg

http://www.queenslandmarinecentre.com.au/images/used-boats/651-bu.jpg




Now that we got that out of way, which are you looking for? I'm an "expert" per say in ski boats, and know a lot about all boats in general. I was a collegeiant skier for the University of Alabama (one of the top 5 ski schools in the nation in division 1) and have grew up with real ski boats my whole life

[racinfast002]

also I meant to add, I don't know what your idea of "affordable" is, but real ski boats (IE Inboards) cost a heck of a lot more than boats you can ski behind (I/O)

[ben1284]

i love the 1st boat u posted..the red and black...my wife and i would love to invest in one before we start having kids so we'll already have one in the family instead of worrying about purchasing one later down the road...i guess affordable would be somewhere around 200 to 250 a mnth alotted for a pymnt...less mnthly would be outstanding but that would be our peak...is that even possible?

[racinfast002]

good luck finding a "black and red" one. Those are a VERY limited production boat that are incredably hard to come by. You could pick up a good used ski boat (IE Inboard boat) for that payment. It would probably have to be mid 90's, but the technology on the boats between now and then haven't changed to terribly much. Keep in mind, with a ski boat, it will ride rough. It will straight beat you to death on a choppy day. However your I/O are much more suited to actually cruising up and down the river.

What it boils down to is this. How hardcore are you going to be about your skiing? If its purely recreational, I myself would get an I/O. They are a much better "all around" boat.

[ben1284]

i loooove wakeboarding and my wife likes tubing..not gonna be in comps. or anything it would really be for recreation only..wouldnt necessarily need an inboard

[Ctimrun]

i loooove wakeboarding and my wife likes tubing..not gonna be in comps. or anything it would really be for recreation only..wouldnt necessarily need an inboard

I was in the same position as you and your family a couple years ago. I looked at the new wakeboard boats, but couldn't justify buying a $60K plus boat for fun boarding and tubing and hanging out. I looked at a few used inboards, but again too much money. I knew I wanted to buy used so I could get more for my money. I started looking at I/O and found quite a few nice deals especially with the economy the way it was when I bought, and even more so now.

I found quite a few I/O's that were 2 to 3 years old that were selling at less than half of what they were originally bought for brand new. I paid less than $20K for a 3 year old boat that the original owner haggled the price down from the MSRP of $52K to $45K. It only had 40 or so hours on it and was in great shape, very lightly used. So instead of having a boat payment, we used the money I would have put down on a new boat, and paid for this one in cash, which means no financial burden except for the $200 per year I pay to insure it.

They say the best day a boat owner has is the day you buy it and the day you sell it, which may be true, however, when my teenage daughters beg mom and dad to go out with mom and dad on the boat, it makes it all worth it. Here is a pic of mine....

http://inlinethumb59.webshots.com/42682/2721430640084149825S600x600Q85.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2721430640084149825PzujbM)

[teamdher]

Try a Bayliner flight 175, great boat and very cheap or the flight 185 if you want a little more go...

[swoll50]

whatever you're planning on spending, plan more. even if you think it's enough already.

stuff will break and it's expensive to fix. you'll spend more on gas than you think. you'll probably hate your boat for 6 days a week, but that 1 day you're out on it will more than make up for all the work and money you put into it.

[bigbluejk]

My friend has a Yamaha boat. He loves it. The price is pretty low and the maintenance costs have been super low for him.

[eurojk]

Also got a Z drive (or outboard) way easier to use, Ski boats are very tricky to maneuver as they only have a small rudder and when backing up it will always go in the direction of the prop. And they are rubbish in heavy seas. Just my 2c.

[ncatlin]

I have a malibu response. I love the boat. I wakeboard and slalom at least once a week. It is a great lake boat, and good on the river on weekdays. If you are going to a lake that has alot of traffic, I/O is the way to go. Real ski boats aren't great with anything more then ripples! haha!

[JKDinker]

I have a malibu response. I love the boat. I wakeboard and slalom at least once a week. It is a great lake boat, and good on the river on weekdays. If you are going to a lake that has alot of traffic, I/O is the way to go. Real ski boats aren't great with anything more then ripples! haha!

He is right. Depends on the lakes you go to. http://i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss171/JKDinker/MiscPics007.jpg I just sold my boat. The lake we go to is windy and rough all the time. But its 7 mins from my driveway to ramp. This boat is a Sanger V210 and it only turns with prop wash. I/O and a deeper V is the only way to go for me. Just depends on the lakes. My 2 cents. :beer: