Considering 08 Outback....

[volfo]

silverski, what tower did you install? I installed a Monster Mt2 over Memorial Day Weekend. Did you get a bimini yet? My old one won't come close to working, but I'm not sure what to get.

[zabooda]

I ski at 36 mph behind the Outback and I would say the wake is half the size or less than at 30 mph. If you want a smaller wake than that you would have to go to a smaller boat (19') which then limits other activities and the space in the boat. With more time on the ski you will be up to 32 mph or more. Good luck in your hunt for the right boat.

[silverski]

Volfo,

I got the New Dimension tower. I tried to post a couple of times but for whatever reason, the posts never showed up. Install went pretty well, about 4 hours. The bimini does not fit great, but it is still possible to jam in there and use. I hope to stop by a canvas shop in the next few days and see what it would take/cost to modify the one I have. If it was 6 inches narrower it would be fine.

[aedavis]

To the original poster:

I currently own a 94 Four Winns Freedom I/O with a 4.3 V6 and am an avid slalom skiier. My ski partner owns an 05 Outback which I've spent a lot of time behind. The wakes are not dramatically different, but the Outback is better (as it should be). Here's a couple pics:


This is my I/O wake. It is reasonably flat but has a bit of curl that you have to cut through. This is at 22' off, 33 mph.


My friend's Outback wake. It is flatter, but it's not a giant difference. This is at 15' off, 33 mph.

I plan to purchase an Outback or other DD boat in the next couple years, but I know from skiing behind both that the difference isn't night and day. When I was a lot more timid crossing the wakes, his DD wake felt a lot better, but after getting more aggressive (on edge), I find the difference to be a lot less noticeable.

I don't think your observations were off on your test drive, but like other posters said, you should ski it before you commit to a purchase to make sure you get what you want.

Allan

[zabooda]

Actually the two pictures show a big difference in wakes. The rise of the wake is less (any rise is significant) with no curl on the Outback and the width of the wake is narrower. Personally, I don't ski on wakes like that anymore. I will pull others if they want but once you get a comp boat you tend to get a little picky. Excellent comparison of wakes.

[volfo]

Those are great pictures. I agree with Zabooda that the difference to me does look night and day. But the point remains that you can still ski behind the smaller i/o's. A lot of us like to think our boats are the only ones you can ski behind. They are excellent tools, but there are other boats that can work, too.

My Dad has a Triton fishing boat with a 150 horse mercury on the back that puts out a much flatter wake than my OB LS. It doesn't have much hole shot and it doesn't track worth a darn, but with a good driver you can experience some near wake-less crossings. Also, I skied behind a seadoo once and while it would nearly stop on a medium hard cut, it was neat to have a non-existent wake.

[Matt Glenn]

The faster you go and the shorter the rope the better the wake. We ski behind a 06 outback and love it. We had a mastercraft before and notice no big diff. I ski at 35mph at 28 off. What wake?

[mparker2997]

To the original poster:

I currently own a 94 Four Winns Freedom I/O with a 4.3 V6 and am an avid slalom skiier. My ski partner owns an 05 Outback which I've spent a lot of time behind. The wakes are not dramatically different, but the Outback is better (as it should be). Here's a couple pics:


This is my I/O wake. It is reasonably flat but has a bit of curl that you have to cut through. This is at 22' off, 33 mph.


My friend's Outback wake. It is flatter, but it's not a giant difference. This is at 15' off, 33 mph.

I plan to purchase an Outback or other DD boat in the next couple years, but I know from skiing behind both that the difference isn't night and day. When I was a lot more timid crossing the wakes, his DD wake felt a lot better, but after getting more aggressive (on edge), I find the difference to be a lot less noticeable.

I don't think your observations were off on your test drive, but like other posters said, you should ski it before you commit to a purchase to make sure you get what you want.

Allan

Allan,

Thanks for the comparison! That helps a lot. I really don't mind the wake that I am currently skiing across now & I don't see this as a night and day difference.... I know I would enjoy the bottom end power and consistent speed during the run but I just don't see the wake being a "huge" difference.

[mparker2997]

I was in a similar situation 3 years ago. Only cared about slalom skiiing. Had an outback picked out and went to the boat show to order it. The Mrs. sat in the V drive and said "how come we're not getting this?" I replied that it was $5,000 more and the Outback was a lot better for skiing. She reminded me that we had three kids and the room and freeboard of the V drive made more sense.

Hmm.... guess who won. We ordered the V drive and like it very much. I can say that the slalom wake in the V drive is better than the i/o that we had but it is not as good as the dd outback.

I now end up wakeboarding as much or more than I slalom ski. 1. Easier on my 35 year old has been body. 2. Easier to pull someone at 20 mph than 35 mph. 3. Most importantly, you don't have to have perfect water conditions to have a good run on the board compared to water conditions you need to have a good slalom run.

I have even gone as far as installing a tower last weekend. I still ski, but am glad we bought the boat that we did. Offers a lot of flexibility in space and function. You will notice the power difference when you ski behind it. I had a v-6 i/o that I would pull all over the place when I would ski. The inboards with 300hp do not even flinch when you cut.

Wow. You just described my exact situation. Mid 30's, three kids and my wife liked "the one without the pole in the center of the boat"! She also likes to slalom ski but she is willing to give up a little performance for comfort. Her biggest complaint is that she just wants the boat to pull her up and not have to hang on for so long before she gets up. The kids are not taking to slalom yet. They are more interested in trying to wakeboard and tubing. I think I better seriously consider the V. Thanks for your input.

[maxpower220]

15' off on a DD is shorter than 15' off at the stern of a boat.

Nice pics, and if you really look closely, there is a big difference in the wakes for skiing.