maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

[rmb3kgt]

Hi all! I have wanted a boat for a very long time, and I finally have an opportunity to buy one, that I think is a good boat for me, at a great price. Need some advice though.

My Needs:
To take a boat wakeboarding on the river, on lakes, and in the bay in San Diego. Wanted an open bow where i can get friends together, and pull a wakeboarder, but others in the boat are still having fun and comfortable.

The boat I found:
The boat is a 1989 Sea Sprite SS, open Bow, 4 cylinder 4 stroke 140 HP 3.0 Mercruiser inboard motor with Mercruiser outdrive

My question:
with the boat filled with about 8 people and cargo, will I still have the power to pull a wakeboarder? Meaning, is 140hp too low with a full boat of people? Is the prop dangerous for wakeboarding (all my wakeboarding time has been on impeller setups)? Also, is a boat like this suitable for river, lake, and ocean wakeboarding?


I've read many good posts on this site, so i thought i would share my quesiton. If you have insight, please let me know. Thank you in advance for all your help!

 

[Augoose]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

My thoughts are that I think you would find it underpowered when full of people even though you didn't say how long it was. I went through the same logic last April and got a '89 Caravelle 20' open bow with the 4.3 and trailer for only $2,500. I had almost got a 4 cylinder until someone mentioned that I would probably regret it. Glad I went with the 4.3.

I wakeboard often (this morning in fact) behind mine and I'm tickled pink with how quickly it gets me up. The biggest thing for friends who are beginners too is not wasting energy trying to get up and then they have nothing left for a good run - so even if you don't have a problem getting up behind a weaker boat, others might.

Also if you slalom, with a boat full of people, I don't know how easy it would be to get up on 1 with a 4 cylinder.

A prop is safe as long as you follow safety guidelines - kill the engine before entry/exit, don't let the ski rope go slack behind the boat where it can get sucked into the prop, etc. As for rivers, you'll probably have a 2.5 ' draft, so be weary of that but a open bow is great with lots of people.

Although prop pitch will make a world of difference, I think you'd regret a 4 cylinder.

My 2 cents.

 

[WildH2Oskier]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

Thats too small of a boat to handle that kind of load. Based on the scenario's you have described your going to need an 8 or at least a big 6 cylinder. If your looking inboard/outboard you ought to go ahead and look into a deck boat with an inboard/outboard engine. That way the friends have plenty of room and your not giving up any performance.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

My question is,
Why post an exact copy of this in another thread???
2 minutes apart no less??????

 

[rmb3kgt]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

Thank you all for the great replies!

bifflefan - i'm sorry, i have an appointment to see this boat tomorrow early morning, and thus i dont have much time. i was a little confused on where to post my questions, as both forums seems applicable. i figured i would post in both places as I might get different great answers from different people. plus i figured if i misstep with my post location, moderator would move it. i would be happy to delete my thread, i dont want to start off my posting on the wrong foot, and i respect everyone here greatly, so let me know if i should take immediate action. again, very sorry.

Augoose - great input! the boat is 18', so on the shorter side. ya, looks like the 4cyl is a little on the low end. i may need to also adjust my goals, maybe 8 people in the boat is far too much. i havent seen the boat in person yet, so I wasnt sure how many would fit, i assumed 2 in the captains chais, 3 in the back seat, and 3 in the bow ... that may be too many people. I didnt not understand "As for rivers, you'll probably have a 2.5 ' draft", i will google draft but any input on what you meant, would be appreciated. we take a lot of trips to the colorado river, so it would need to operate in a river environment, and with water the way it is, I assume water levels will continue to decrease in that river.

WildH2Oskier - ya, i really waned a pontoon boat, with an agressive hull design (or whatever you call the bottom of a pontoon style boat). i saw some videos of some pro wakeboarders wakeboarding off the back of a sweet pontoon style boat, it was my dream. relaxed deck atmosphere, plenty of room for people, and yet towing a boarder. But alas the price is far out of my reach. i wont be able to get that for 5-10 years. but i agree, that would be the ideal solution to my problem.

 

[Bifflefan]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

"As for rivers, you'll probably have a 2.5 ' draft",

Draft is the minimum depth of water needed to operate the boat.

Mine is 3 feet (32 inches exactly) for safe operation.
With the boat in the water, mark a line at the water line. then measure from that to the lowest point on the out drive. Thats the draft.

P.S.
I was just wondering why you would post it in two spots.

 

[boltonranger]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

No it won't be underpowered - put the right prop on it and you'll be fine.
While it's true a prop can injure you when a jet impeller won't - there's nothing wrong with skiing, tubing or boarding behind a prop boat. The wake will be much better and more fun to slide in and out of.

Your only issue may be "room" in your boat but you didn't say how big it is.
We can fit 8 in my stingray (18ft) but it's a little more comfortable with 5 or 6.
I don't know what a 'toon costs - if this boat is your 1st and money is an issue, you have to weigh that as well.
Let us know what you wind up doing.
-br

 

[rmb3kgt]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

bifflefan - ah, that makes perfect sense. if i may, can we take the question a step further. With an impeller, shallow water is an issue, not really from a grounding perspective, but from a "sucking up rocks and destroying the impeller" perspective. The suck and blow (insert jokes here) of the impeller setup, makes it succeptible (sp?) to getting damaged in low water by sucking up rocks that nick and dull the impeller blades. Does that happen with a prop also? is the danger of shallow water physically hitting the prop on stuff (like accidentally running into a sand bar) or is there also danger in rocks from too shallow of water being "sucked" through the prop blades?


boltonranger - thanks for the input! from my limited research, sounds like you can fine tune your desired speed and application with prop size, efficiency, and pitch. And you confirmed that, so that makes me feel better. i figured prop boats have to be safe, because 90% of boats i see, have a prop. I'll do my homework on what to do, but I assume very similar no matter what boat you have (when picking up skiier from the water, turn off boat ... and never drive over the rope, and keep the rope taught at all times, etc).


i just realized another big question. Are boats able to handle both fresh water AND salt water? if the engine is water cooled, from the water source (i.e. river, lake, ocean), is it a problem if it differs between fresh and salt water? I assume there are different post operation services needed, like to make sure all salt water is flushed out so it's not sitting in the block. Or are boats really just tuned for either fresh or salt water?

 

[Hogger]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

What's your budget? That might be a better way to determine what to get.
It's a great time to buy, and you can find some good deals on nice inboards or v-drives. These are the next safest to jets because the prop is up underneath the hull. Safe to surf behind these types of drives.
Look around for older Mastercraft 205, Centurion sport, Sport Nautique, malibu Sunsetter(precursor to the wakesetter), Supra, or Moomba. Bluewater even made a nice inboard called a Pro-Am Skier that I've seen for pretty cheap, along with Bayliner's Wake Challenger, some people call it a Ski Challenger. These should all be open bow boats that you can safely load up with people.
You'll want to find one with lower hours of course, around 500. Most that push the 800 to 1000 hour mark are probably going to need a little work from what I've read.

 

[Augoose]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

... is the danger of shallow water physically hitting the prop on stuff...

Are boats able to handle both fresh water AND salt water? if the engine is water cooled, from the water source (i.e. river, lake, ocean), is it a problem if it differs between fresh and salt water? I assume there are different post operation services needed, like to make sure all salt water is flushed out so it's not sitting in the block. Or are boats really just tuned for either fresh or salt water?

Yes, that is the danger with the prop - is whacking it on something and/or breaking off the skeg - looks like a shark's dorsal fin that is upside down. With that boat you'll have a minimum "draft" or depth of water you need in order to safely operate the boat. Go with the 3 feet.

As for salt and fresh water, yes boats can go back and forth between both and yes, when running in salt water you will want to conduct some preventative maintenance afterwards to keep the salt from doing any long term damage- this also includes maintenance to the trailer as well.

I still don't think that a 18' boat with a 4 cylinder with 7-8 people (you probably will only be able to carry 7 anyway for weight reasons despite the number of seats) will be enough, no matter the prop pitch or size - I think you will be dissapointed in its performance. If you were on a deserted island and that was the ONLY boat available, then go for it. Since that is not the situation and you obviously have choices, I'd wait - there are always better options out there especially as we get closer and closer to the end of the season and folks who are considering selling are facing winterization and storage fees.

What is your price range? Like I said, I picked up a '89 20' open bow with the 4.3 liter for $2500, so getting something with a little more power is possible.

Have you checked craigslist and the used boat forum here?

 

[rmb3kgt]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

Well, embarassing to say, but my budget is low, like $3000ish. I would be willing to go higher, like $5000, if I saw a boat that made me wet myself (i.e. it was just so incredible for the price).

This boat I'm looking at, is $3000 before negotiations.

I've been checking craigslist and i just looked at the "Boats for Sale" tab at the top of this page (iboats.com sale area). Been looking for about 4 months now, and this is the best boat I have run accross. I have seen other boats in the price range, but they will have another flaw (like not open bow, or extremely worn interior, or look like they were made 50 years ago). Need a boat in or around San Diego (San Diego, Orange County, Inland Empire, Riverside County), if you have any leads.

 

[bowler]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

a 3.0 with 8 people on board towing a wakeboarder would not be ideal whatsoever. i have a 18' with a 3.0 merc (135hp) and its ok with 4 or so on board but i stress the word ok.

I've had 6 on board while towing and while it managed the job it wouldn't be something i'd be happy to do all the time. that engine is just not powerful enough. i've been wakebording for several years but this is the first boat i've owned. you notice a big difference when being towed behind a more powerful boat, especially if you haven't got your technique for popping out of the water nailed. i bought my boat because my options were limited, if you have more choice keep looking.

go as big as possible and you will not regret it, especially if you plan to be carrying around big numbers on board.

good luck with the search.

 

[rmb3kgt]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

bowler - thanks, that is wonderful first hand experience.

everyone - i went and looked at the boat this morning, although it was decent, it was far more worn than the pictures had shown. i decided against the purchase, because the seller didnt have all his ducks in a row (had not converted the title into his name, still had signature and name of previous owner from 9 months ago). so the deal felt a little sketchy to me, and that combined with some of the comments you all gave me, I decided it wasnt a go. i mentioned to him that if he fixes the title issue (i.e. get it in his name) and meets my price (I offered a bit lower than asking), then we may have a deal. So it's unlikely this deal will go through. thus my search for a boat continues. I appreciate all your help, especially with my last minute questions. hopefully i will find the right boat, and I'll join you all as a boat owner. how does the saying go, "the greatest days of a boat owners life, is the day he buys his boat, and the day he sells it"

 

[bowler]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

bowler - thanks, that is wonderful first hand experience.

everyone - i went and looked at the boat this morning, although it was decent, it was far more worn than the pictures had shown. i decided against the purchase, because the seller didnt have all his ducks in a row (had not converted the title into his name, still had signature and name of previous owner from 9 months ago). so the deal felt a little sketchy to me, and that combined with some of the comments you all gave me, I decided it wasnt a go. i mentioned to him that if he fixes the title issue (i.e. get it in his name) and meets my price (I offered a bit lower than asking), then we may have a deal. So it's unlikely this deal will go through. thus my search for a boat continues. I appreciate all your help, especially with my last minute questions. hopefully i will find the right boat, and I'll join you all as a boat owner. how does the saying go, "the greatest days of a boat owners life, is the day he buys his boat, and the day he sells it"

my pleasure,

using someone elses boat is way less stressful than having your own. that i'm finding out for sure. on the plus side, and this is a big big plus, having your own boat that you can take anywhere and use anytime is awesome. it will cost you grief and money and you will stress about it a bit when you think a potential issue is on the horizon (i do anyway) so it's essential that you put that sort of commitment into the right boat for you and not one you regret buying.

useability and reliability are the only important things, also, once you get the bug for boarding you will be hooked for life! there is nothing like it and it will all seem worth it. keep us posted!

D.

 

[Hogger]

Re: maybe going to buy a boat, will it work for wakeboarding?

Wow, boats in that price range down there are few and far between.

I found this Bayliner. If your handy with some tools, it could be a smokin' deal, plus it's got a good engine for pulling.
We just sold a 1991 Bayliner that we did the upholstery ourselves. Was pretty easy.