Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

[QC]

Tige' Test

This test indicates that this 340 bhp, 24 footer (LOA, really a 22' hull) will reach a whopping 39.8 MPH. My 23 footer with a 320 I/O runs 57 MPH with more weight than they typically run during a test. It also shows that the best fuel economy is achieved at 3.2 MPH and she delivers 3.33 MPG. I am guessing my boat will meet that at the Tige's top speed . . .

Why, you ask, do I care? Because I believe 99.9999% of these tow boats are primarily used as day cruisers, and this is despite the fact that they are hard to use in shallow water, expensive to buy, ride rougher and are less flexible. And despite the fact that a good IO, day cruiser/bowrider, thing will dig a bigger wake without pumping water in And despite the fact that they are less efficient and a lot slower, people continue to buy them

 

[dcg9381]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Do you ski or wakeboard? If not, it's going to be hard to the the point of these boats across.

Yes, they're less efficient at cruse and WOT.

In terms of pulling a skier, because the prop pushes up and forward, they're more efficient getting and staying out of the hole. If you're pulling skiers or wakeboarders all day and doing lots of starting/stopping, I'd be tempted to tell you that they're a more efficient boat for that sort of thing.

What I do know is that they plain instantly, they'll tug anything, they're easier to maintain than an I/O boat, and they serve their purpose...

A heavy I/O might throw a bigger wake at 20mph, but it can't slow down to 12 mph without going bow high.. And you can't "surf" behind an I/O boat at all.


That being said, I don't see why people spend $70k+ on modern wakeboats... I've owned both deep-V I/Os and a few comp ski boats - they both serve very different purposes.

 

[tommays]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Well Temp: 68 deg., humid: 37%, wind: 20-40 mph, seas: moderate chop that was sure perfect board conditions 6 pers, 7/8 fuel

With a friend that owns a SKI lake and all the other people i know the wake boat is the only way to go if that is your primary use


In the areas we go (even saltwater) you would be suprised at how many people can get inverted


And the still made classic boats like the 20v OR 20i range do NOT suck up near as much fuel

3000 RPM 27.1 MPH 4.51 MPG

 

[QC]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Wow I missed that Tom . . . Good point on the weight and conditions. Doesn't account for 1.88 MPG at cruise, but does account for some of the speed drop. I was figuring before I opened the test that she'd run 45, when I saw 39 I lost it.

BTW, I love tournament boats, but I think Wakers are a scam . . . How in the heck can you take a boat designed for a flat wake and turn around and say it is now for a big wake?

I TOTALLY agree on hole shot, but it takes nuttin' to get a wakerboarder up compared to a slalom deepwater start . . . nuttin'. Barefoot boats make sense to me as well, at least they had the sense to use an OB designed for high-speed. Call me stupid, but I don't get it. I have a friend down the street, three girls, wife and they cruise Lake Mead in a new v-Drive Wakeboard boat. Even my family thinks it's hot because it is orange One ride in my boat and his family would force him to hang a for sale sign on it. This is not a big "my boat's better than his boat" deal, it's about common sense. Pretending a specialty boat can double as a family boat is stupid, so is pretending a boat designed fro minimum wakes can be optimum for maximum wakes. One of those two designs has to be wrong, and I am betting on the Waker.

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Well, I have to agree with ya' on most levels of this point QC. I think of these boats mostly as very specific work boats in a way. I too see them being used mostly for cruising around for the better part and I have to wonder what the draw of that type of boat was. At cruising speed they are just over $1/minute around here to run....yikes. That means if you get out on Saturday for a 2-3 hr jaunt around here its going to send you back about $150+ in fuel....one partial day out. If you do the math on that for the boating season in 'after tax dollars'....its going to hurt.
I drove a ski-nautique when I was younger and it just about rattled my teeth out after a couple of hours of towing. Rough, noisy, hard on fuel but capable. I definitely preferred the i/o bowrider boat (18'/188hp v-8) over the ski-nautique. The bowrider would haul anybody out of the water as well and at one point I had (9) skiers behind it...3 of them on slalom. We did this for a bit of local fun.
Back on point about the wakeboard boats tho'. If you are a professional skier/wakeboarder....fine, that may very well be the best equipment. However for a slightly more all around boat...never. The fuel alone...wow, I'd hate to think.
My two bits.
BP

 

[stevewolverton]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Because I believe 99.9999% of these tow boats are primarily used as day cruisers

I would disagree. I would say the majority of the tow boats in this part of the world are used for towing.

Your boat sounds like it's much faster than the standard wakeboard boat - but wakeboard/towboats are geared for pulling. They spend a good majority of their life at 18-22 mph in their sweet spot. I had a friend once describe them as nothing more than "glorified water tractors." I think that's a good analogy.

As for their costs - they're hella expensive. I doubt most tow boat drivers are too concerned with gas money. If one can purchase an $80,000 tow boat, one can afford the fuel.**

*wishes I could afford an $80,000 tow boat
**wishes I could just afford the fuel for one of those boats

 

[fdmsiv]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

How in the heck can you take a boat designed for a flat wake and turn around and say it is now for a big wake?

Basically you take an efficient hull form and you make it inefficient. By altering the hull to a more inefficient form you are tranferring more energy(motor output) from the boat into the water to create larger waves. The "ideal" boat would produce no waves, all of the energy is used to push the boat fwd.

 

[AguaSki]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

I would disagree. I would say the majority of the tow boats in this part of the world are used for towing.

Usually when I see a wake boat being used for towing, it is pulling a tube, and not a wake boarder. Heck, I can pull tubes all day with my OB boat. On a rare occasion, I will see a true wake boarder being pulled by a wake boat, and the boarder actually has a clue what to do behind the boat. When you do see a skilled boarder, it is a lot of fun to see the tricks they can do. For the most part, most people will never be skilled enough to take advantage of what a wake boat is supposed to offer. I think an I/O is a good fit for what most people want to do. So I agree, I don't see the massive attraction to wake boats.

I will admit that most wake boats look cool. There is a "wow" factor. It must be the towers and the graphics that are being used on the boats that make them look so good. That said, I still can't justify the high cost of these boats. For a winter project I assisted my brother-in-law with the installation of a DIYwake tower to his 18 foot Sea Ray. I think we will have just as much fun with his I/O and tower as we would have on a wake boat.

 

[dcg9381]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Around here (central TX, Austin) we've got a ton of these boats.. Many of them are "cruiser" boats with huge stereos... And I agree with you - many are not used as designed and are a "pop" item.

However, we've got a ton of wakeboarders too - and a skilled wakeboarder and a nice wake can do amazing inverted things... I see a lot of these boats being used for what they were designed to do, especially on the narrow lakes where the water is calm.

Ever seen someone actually wakesurf? That's pretty amazing also - very low impact, but requires a huge wake and an inboard boat so you don't end up with your ankles in a prop. You *need* a comp ski boat to do wakesurf / wakeskate.

I've own a Supra TS6M and a Callebra (sp?) ShortLine comp. The Callebra put down 350-400hp on a small block and would accelerate like mad. Top speed, probably high 40s, maybe low 50. Didn't matter, as a flat bottomed boat would beat you at that speed. Neither boat was particularly useful in the larger lakes...

 

[QC]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Yeah, there is a section of the Colorado where we boat that they are used properly, and I love to watch a skilled wakeboarder or wake surfer. I have two fundamental issues:

1) As a family day cruiser they suck, especially on a big lake, and

2) I still gotta believe a properly set up V-hull would dig a bigger wake.

Doesn't a big swim platform take the I/O prop out of play?

 

[seven up]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Basically you take an efficient hull form and you make it inefficient. By altering the hull to a more inefficient form you are tranferring more energy(motor output) from the boat into the water to create larger waves. The "ideal" boat would produce no waves, all of the energy is used to push the boat fwd.

you move the inboard from amidships with a straight drive and flat wake to the stern with a vee-drive and huge wake

there's bladders too that are filled up for ballast


Enjoy...

 

[dcg9381]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

2) I still gotta believe a properly set up V-hull would dig a bigger wake.

Doesn't a big swim platform take the I/O prop out of play?

The newer boats are v-drive (motor in the rear) - they also have huge tanks to take on water (ballast) built in. The wakes are literally large enough to surf behind without a rope.

Swim platforms help, but you've still got that prop sitting behind the boat. For surfing, you're just a few feet directly behind the boat while on the board. If you stepped forward, it'd be really easy to hit the prop.

 

[jay.robinson15]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Tige' Test

This test indicates that this 340 bhp, 24 footer (LOA, really a 22' hull) will reach a whopping 39.8 MPH. My 23 footer with a 320 I/O runs 57 MPH with more weight than they typically run during a test. It also shows that the best fuel economy is achieved at 3.2 MPH and she delivers 3.33 MPG. I am guessing my boat will meet that at the Tige's top speed . . .

Why, you ask, do I care? Because I believe 99.9999% of these tow boats are primarily used as day cruisers, and this is despite the fact that they are hard to use in shallow water, expensive to buy, ride rougher and are less flexible. And despite the fact that a good IO, day cruiser/bowrider, thing will dig a bigger wake without pumping water in And despite the fact that they are less efficient and a lot slower, people continue to buy them

I don't get it either. They are obviously inferior boats, but their popularity keeps going strong.

 

[JB]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Some folks think that boating for any other purpose than getting from A to B or fishing is stupid.

Does that make it so?

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Some folks think that boating for any other purpose than getting from A to B or fishing is stupid.

Does that make it so?

Amen. Live and let live. If you don't see the purpose, then don't buy one. Sounds more like jealousy because your family is "ooohing and ahhhing" over the cool boat down the street. I don't own a jetski because I think they are a useless waste, but I don't get worked up when my family comments on a cool-looking one.

 

[QC]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Just a clarification. I definitely live and let live. I am talking mainly about boat design, and gotta-have-it syndrome. If this is now turning into social controversy then I flippin' give up . . .

Many people would think my boat is stupid, it is noisey, mega stereo, too fast for some, too slow for some, too small for some, too big for some. So what? I completely understand that the V-drive gets the arse end deeper for a bigger wake. I completely understand that the ballast tanks dig her even deeper. I think as a specialty boat that ski towboats are awesome. I love Center Consoles for specific purposes as well as trawlers, walkarounds, Cats, sailboats and on and on and on. To me Wakers are on the edge of stupid, and that's why I said "usually". Good discussion, but I don't need to be reminded that my opinion is just that . . .

Jealous my flippin' arse . . . I've even boated with the guy. He stops 5 miles out because his family is tired of getting beat to death, we continue to 30 miles out . . . See ya . . .

I am a little jealous of your boat, SuperNova-gone-BlackHole . . .

 

[fixb52s]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Man, this topic comes up at least once or twice a year. Here is my 2 cents.

I would love a new wake boat (in fact, I plan to get a newer Moomba in a few years), but for what I need right now, my little BR will be just fine. My son is getting into the wakeboard scene, but he needs A LOT of practice. I can give him that practice with the BR. Someday when he gets good, he will be able to handle the wakes of the newer boats.

As for it being stupid, this is the same argument given by tree huggers when refering to SUVs and trucks. If it were up to them, we would all ride bikes and drive little hybrids. OK then, what would we use to get our boats to the water? Oh yea, NOTHING, because they think boats are a stupid waste too.

I have a Chevy Avalanche. Do I haul wood and things all the time? No, but it comes in handy for the trips to the lumber yards. It also comes in very handy to trailer the boat to the water. Do I drive it everyday? Well, yes and no. The daily driver is a convertible that gets respectible mileage. But I do take long trips in the truck because it is nice on the road due to the size. The MPG is not the greatest, but I have to eat that.

If someone wants to play hockey, let them. If someone wants to watch Manatees, let them. If someone wants to wakeboard, let them. It really doesn't matter that someone pumps a ton of cash on a wake boat as long as it makes them happy. There is only one life, right? Let them have their fun.

Remember, for everything you think is stupid, there are 3 others looking at you think what you do is stupid too. Opinions are like buttholes, everyone has them.​

 

[SuperNova]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

I am a little jealous of your boat, SuperNova-gone-BlackHole . . .

OUCH, put the shotgun down...I was just teasin' ...jeeez. some people are touchy.....I shoulda known you were sensitive as soon as I saw you were jealous over some other guys boat.....

 

[Bigprairie1]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

Wow, great discussion. Not too much wiggle room in here for opinion tho'.
It's true...live and let live. If you can afford the boat you afford the fuel...maybe.
I guess these types of boats are sort of like aquatic hummers...bit of expensive overkill most of time for most of the population. For the specialists they are probably about perfect.
The lake I boat at is full of them. The ol' family 16 footer with an 85 merc seems to be a thing of the past. The people who seem to own these definitely are of the lakefront property owner group. So I guess they can afford it. Personally, without a lot of stretching....I can't, not that I would buy that type of boat.
A friend of mine is a family guy with kids, a tight budget and no waterfront property. He is aching for one of these wakeboard style boats. I helped him find a 17' Four winns with a 4.3 i/o and although he hasn't used it yet he is lamenting the purchase somewhat in lieu of a V-drive boat. This is why I have paid attention to the issue in trying to be a voice of reason for what 'I think' (big mistake there) he will probably use.
Theres a lot of bling in the optics of these boats that attracts some buyers and thus brings on strong opinions...just like the hummer crowd I guess.
....here's to opinions!!
BP

 

[45Auto]

Re: Wakeboard boats are usually stupid

My guess would be that the wakeboarding requirements of 95% of the "wakeboat" owners could be easily satisfied by any boat capable of towing them at 20 MPH or so. Only the top few percent can truly utilize the specialized capabilities.

Most people buy the wakeboats for the same reason that mediocre golfers buy expensive clubs and soccor moms buy 4WD SUV's that never go off road.