Making the move to V-Drive

Well think I am going to bite the bullet this year and make the move to a V-Drive, the ease and quality of the surf wave on the V-Drive is calling my name. And after looking at boats this weekend I think I'm going to make the plunge! Have limited it down to either a Centurion Ri-237 or the Mastercraft X-23. The centurion really impressed me as I was originally looking at a SAN G23 but me being a taller guy the tower was just short and I'd be banging my head all the time lol... Going to miss the Yamaha and the great support of this forum for any issues that arise. If you're interested in a used boat check out

https://jetboaters.net/threads/2014-212x-for-sale.12167/

Have fun backing up to the right! Hehe. In all seriousness, good luck with your wake boat... don't be a stranger.

LOL, well the mastercraft for 2017 has dockstar which it actually supposed to fix that little problem... but I also boat on a wide open lake, no marina or tight areas for me

Dockstar.....pretty slick. I'm surprised it took them this long to address it.

Sad to hear this. Yamaha really should offer a wake focused boat.

Yes if they made a boat the could stand up to the big boys I'd be damn tempted to stay with the brand... sadly just isn't the case... Get with it Yamaha!!!

Best of luck with your transition @Master-Spud . You'll always be a jet boater even if you don't get invited to the parties anymore!

Highly recommend you surf before you buy if you have not already (but I am guessing you have). Centurion is pretty much the original wake surf boat manufacturer and the X23 I have always loved, but every boat surfs different. Sadly, sooooo few boat salespeople know how to set a surfboat up for max performance!

Yamaha makes one heck of an all purpose boat. Leatherman makes one heck of a multitool. If I am going camping then I want my leatherman and a good axe. If I want to dress out a deer I prefer something different than my leatherman or axe. If I want a really big rampy pushy wake than I want something other than a Yamaha. That said I don't want Yamaha or Leatherman to change their focus. Nor do I want the v-drive boat makers to change theirs.

Lots of great wake surf boats out there right now. Hope you find one that continues to call your name many years down the road.

I had a Moomba LSV and I enjoyed backing it into the slip. It was a challenge, but like anything else you get the hang of it and you perfect it... Good Luck with your decision!

Really can't stress what @007 stated above. Surf it before you buy. There are a ton of great inboard surf boats available now. However, all of them make big wakes with different shapes. One shape may be more to your liking than another and you can't tell looking at pictures, you have to surf it. Good luck with your hunt @Master-Spud and post pictures once you make the jump.

Yep not buying a 100000 boat without giving it a try first lol

If you like surfing, I think you are going to love a v drive! Here are a few gratuitous pics from one of our sessions last fall.

What do you have?

MB Sports F22. 2016z

@OrangeTJ Awesome pics!
What is the board and how do you like it? (if you don't mind me asking)

You designed this boat, right? I mean choosing options and so on, custom built.
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The board is a Ronix Koal something or other...it's my buddy's. I wish I could tell you more, but yes I like it a lot. I just got a Doomswell Drone for Christmas and can't wait to try it out. Regarding the boat - yes, built to order. I freaking love it.

OrangeTJ said:

View attachment 50077 The board is a Ronix Koal something or other...it's my buddy's. I wish I could tell you more, but yes I like it a lot. I just got a Doomswell Drone for Christmas and can't wait to try it out. Regarding the boat - yes, built to order. I freaking love it.

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The drone is a a pretty sweet board, I think you'll enjoy it. Demoed one last summer. Agile but forgiving for bigger guys like me!

Nice! If you want to surf Yamaha is not the boat you want. Sure there are way to make it work but it will never put out the kind of wave that v-drives will. When my kids get older I will likely making the change as well. Right now the Yammy is perfect for my young fam.

Only thing I've always had a concerned for the V drives are shallow waters. Shoot it's a concern for lots of wake boarding boats. Some can't even use some of our docks out here as the water levels are too low. With Yammis, never have to worry about such. Having to stay away from sand bars and all is just not all that fun to me just for wakeboarding. Too much things to have to worry about while trying to relax on the water. Becomes more stressful than intended.

I guess my age is catching up with me. I so used to love wake boarding too.

Truth is for a great surf wave you really need 10+ feet of water. 15-20 is better. You can watch a surf wave lose height and push as you go below 10 feet. Maybe I should have studied physics or fluid dynamics, but I am sure there is probably math involved in understanding why that is.

I know (hope!) you aren't surfing around the docks, but my surf addiction has kept me out of shallow lakes since I caught the bug! I'm spoiled, there is 30 something feet of water under my boat as we speak!

FloJet said:

Only thing I've always had a concerned for the V drives are shallow waters. Shoot it's a concern for lots of wake boarding boats. Some can't even use some of our docks out here as the water levels are too low. With Yammis, never have to worry about such. Having to stay away from sand bars and all is just not all that fun to me just for wakeboarding. Too much things to have to worry about while trying to relax on the water. Becomes more stressful than intended.

I guess my age is catching up with me. I so used to love wake boarding too.

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