LS hull worth it over standard outback for wake?

[GuitsBoy]

My family has a cabin on a small lake upstate NY. My brothers and I have been wakeboarding behind an 18' I/O for some time now. We're all trying to scrounge enough cash to buy a new boat. Budget is by far the biggest concern for us.

I understand that The Mobius and outback LS and LSV models all share the same hull. Since we already own a universal tower and plenty of ballast bags, we dont likely need the features found on the mobius. Also, while I can appreciate the virtues of a V drive, the price increase might make the difference between being able to afford it or not.

Now my real question is how much of a difference there is between the standard outback and the outback LS. Like I said, the lake is fairly small and you almost never see boats in the 20's, so the standard outback would probably fit the location best. However will the wake suffer all that much?

If the standard outback has 90% of the wake volume as the outback LS has, it might make sense to save the cash. However, if the standard outback really throws out a weak and washed out wake, then Ill have to wait and pony up the cash for the bigger hull.

Opinions or comments on the matter?

Thanks,
-Tony

[JoeTechie]

The LS hull is larger and heavier and designed from the start to create a wake... you will need to find $ in your budget for a wakeplate for when you do not want to have the wake and run at speed without porpoising, and to shape the wake.

There are lots of people who wakeboard behind an outback, but I'd say save the $ for the better hull package.

Oh... "light bulb" ... Have you looked at the Outback "V" ??? - it is probably the exact boat for you. Smaller than the LS, larger than the OB, V-Drive and pretty much the exact same price as the LS! Also has a wake hull. It was the LSV from '05. V-Drive is TRUELY the way to go for boarding - you already have a weight displacement in the position of the engine, and HUGE space for bags and still tons of room to walk around. Having bags all over the floor on an OB is no fun... ask Ed... or anyone. Sounds like no big deal at first, but then you realize that you paid 30,000 and still do not have the boat you want/need.

Hope this helps,

-Joe

[Bluepilot]

Well i own a new 2007 outback it was the boat that fit our buget. I got all my info here and its been said a outback can put out a intermediate level wake, far better then i will be able to use i suspect. Plus half of my family skis and we are gonna try surfing too. IMO best bang for the low dollar buget.

[GuitsBoy]

Thanks for the reply guys... Very good points all around. The more I read, the outback V does sound like the best choice.

Is it true that the OBV will porpoise at speed without the wakeplate? Also, I just wanted to make sure that all the models come equipped with ezcruise, correct?

Thanks again!
-Tony

[GuitsBoy]

But again, every cent counts. I dont want to add another 1200 bucks for PP and another 800 for the plate unless absolutely necessary. As it is, its gonna take a lot just to pony up the extra cash for the vdrive.

[Dave A]

The plate is a must. It not only helps with the wake, but also the driveability of the boat.

[JoeTechie]

Agreed, plate=manditory, PP=very strongly suggested.

Plate being added later is a huge expence in labor, you can install PP yourself at a later time.

-J

[anabolicone]

It was highly reccomended that I get these two options as well when I ordered my boat - wakeplate and WB PP --- In the big pictue , it really shouldnt make your payments go that much higher and in future years it will help out alot with resell -- even in say 5 years - If one has to pick between your boat without and another that has the 2 options -- most people will pick the one with the options - so on a price point I would get those options now and not have the regret later or rather pay the extra expense later to get them installed - Make sense ?