Re: Wake Board vs Ski boat
I'll chime in here:
1. I've been told by some that the competition ski boats - Mastercraft, Centurian, Sanger - don't make good "family" boats...that they're a bit too specialized, with the engine in the middle, center pull for the rope, etc. Opinions, please?
Whether or not those make good family boats are
someone else's conclusion. At some point you need to come to your own, and you may not really be able to until you've tried one out or owned one. I happen to own a tournament ski boat and we all absolutely love it (I have three young boys). It boggles me how people think the engine in the middle is such a problem. Yes you have to walk around it, but it doesn't interfere with your upper body at all and in my opinion doesn't feel any more constrained than my 19' bow rider did. The center ski pole can in fact be in the way - if you ski a lot and needs passenger room. We happen to wakeboard, and use the tower mount for knee boarding as well, so not a concern. We tube lots too, and use the transom pull point for that.
2. Here in California these boats command about 50% more for a 10 year old boat than an equivilent Crownline, Reinell, Seaswirl, etc.. Worth it? Convince me, please!
They should cost more. Generally speaking they are high quality boats, especially Nautiques, Mastercraft (though they have low end stuff too), Supra, and MB. They also typically have larger engines, though there's plenty of V8s in the makes you mentioned as well. They also hold their value better (again in my opinion) and I think they are worth the premium. I bought mine used, the previous owner took great care of it, and I have a great boat. At the end of the day you have to consider the shape it's in and only pay what you are comfortable. But tournament boats do command a premium. They are also typically more expensive for servicing and seasonal layup. I think part of that is because of the type of boat though - there's not really any more work involved on one of those than there is a V8 runabout.
Regarding wake, Skibrain is right (and definitely knows). At low speeds most ski boats throw a relatively large wake and it only flattens out at high speeds. I know lots of slalom skiiers (like my dad and uncles) that actually prefer many outboard fishing boats for slalom over a tournament ski boat. I think that comes down to preference as well and skill level.
No-one can tell you what you should by, but I hope some of what I put helps you make your own decision.
