We were in the same boat (figuratively) 4 years ago when we were looking for a boat after we bought our lake house up in Northern Wisconsin in August 2013. Since I grew up only slalom skiing out in California, I've raised my 3 boys as skiers as well as gotten my wife up and comfortable on a single ski over the years (I bought her an HO Women's Free Ride ski a few years ago which she loves!). But when we bought our lake home, I knew that we would eventually want to branch out from just skiing, and wakesurfig was the obvious choice for us (especially as the years take a toll on the body...).
So began my search for the perfect boat that would serve multiple roles between: 1) Fun waterski boat (no course on our lake, just a lot a great free skiing), 2) Flexible Wakesurfing boat for recreational surfing and an easy ballast system, and 3) A decently-sized cocktail cruiser. I also knew I wanted a V Drive as I wanted to seat more folks while getting the benefits of a Direct Drive placement of the prop under the boat. I looked at a bunch of skiing-only Malibus and Natiques, but at that price point I wasn't sold on ending up with a skiing-only boat that seated fewer people. I ended up buying a new LSV as I felt it had the best attributes of both a ski boat and a flexible surfing boat. Truth be told, if you're a ski purist you'll not LOVE the wake behind the LSV, but it works great for us and I think it's probably the best ski boat if you're looking to also surf. I spent a lot of time on this forum before I bought to gather opinions so this is probably the best place to get everyone's opinions, and I have found that the Moomba crowd is the most friendly and most helpful of the other forums that I've visited looking for advice.
I'm sure others will happily share their opinions on the newer models as my search was ~4 years ago, but for the money I would strongly urge you to take a look at a 2013+ LSV as it's a terrific boat for the money and it has served my family well in its multiple roles! Good luck on your search, and here's a pic of our 2014 LSV with surf and ski racks. Enjoy the hunt, and keep us posted on your progress!
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