How Do You Buy A Water-Ski Boat?
The changing nature of boat design reflects how the sport has evolved over time. Skiers prefer small, soft wakes. Wakeboarders, on the other hand, want big wakes from which to launch aerial maneuvers. But when mom and dad are die-hard skiers, and the kids want to wakeboard– and with $25,000 and more at stake–then what? Step 1 Review your basic options. An inboard engine is the most powerful and is located in the boat’s hull. Cheaper outboard engines clamp onto the transom. Inboard/outboard engines combine the power of an inboard with the maneuverability of an outboard. Step 2 Understand the trade-offs between inboard engine types: Step 3 A direct-drive engine is located mid-boat and sends power directly from the engine to the drive shaft to the propeller. Direct drives with their flat bottoms are preferred by skiers because they produce small wakes, and handle and track better. The flat hull, however, makes riding on choppy water a bouncy ride; and the engine, smack dab in the middle
