Need input please buying 252se or 255xe

[nosterka]

I've had 10 people on my 252sd and pulls wakeboarders and tubers no problem. Didn't have much of an interest in surfing so it was an easy choice for me. If you even think you may want to do surfing in the future get the X boat.

Is surfing too difficult behind the SD? I was considering trying it behind our SD but don’t want to waste the money on a board if it’s not worth it.

 

[lowd77]

Never tried surfing. Don't think you can on a se/sd boat. They don't have any ballast tanks.

 

[Slant555]

So I’m a first time boat owner and we just got our 255 XE and love it. We have had it out on the water roughly 10 times for mixed use purposes and for various durations and distances. We have maxed out capacity at 12 people but that was 6 adults and 6 young kids so there was probably room from a weight capacity rating perspective. The only thing I will say is we noticed that with 12 on the boat even with the pre set speed settings for surf and wake you have to bump up the speed to accommodate for the additional passengers. The boat never hits the set speed with the extra passengers. That’s what we found so far. It seems the speed settings work for around 3-4 people and you have to adjust speeds upwards to hit target after that. Highly recommend the 255XE. Having the integrated wake pointes make it so much easier.
I honestly wanted the XD model but with COVID supply delays and the demand for the ‘D’ put us more than 6 boats back on the wait list so we opted for the ‘E’. I’m sure it would be a little easier to dock with the Drive system but it is what it is. We are out on the water and loving it!

 

[Riviotta]

This is good info although it sounds like you are saying you have a 255 and you feel it’s lagging. The xe and sd 255 should have the same hp rating

 

[Slant555]

This is good info although it sounds like you are saying you have a 255 and you feel it’s lagging. The xe and sd 255 should have the same hp rating

No. That’s not what I’m saying. The XE and XD have the exact same horse power…. I am not sure what the SD model you are referring to has but i do not believe it is the dual 250hp SVHO engines. Also I’m not saying it’s lagging per se. I am just saying when you use the preset surf/wake speed settings ( ie. set it and hit the throttle and it accelerates and locks in at a speed) when you have a lot of people on the boat it does not seem to attain the correct set speed. That is all. The 255 XE engines can pull! I have not gone full throttle on it yet but there is certainly no lag. I also have a FX limited SVHO wave runner with the same engine and that thing scares the crap out of me with how much power it has!

 

[Wicked92]

This is good info although it sounds like you are saying you have a 255 and you feel it’s lagging. The xe and sd 255 should have the same hp rating

the cruise assist for wake sports is hot garbage. Its doesnt hit target with any real weight in the boat. Fill the ballasts and have 6 to 7 people onboard the boat struggles to hit 11mph for wakesurfing. Setting the profile to 15mph to get 11 and its still hunting every now and then to try and get to 15 is just dumb. This has plagued the connext integration all the way back to 2017.

 

[blamphere]

We love our 252SE, wet slipped on Lake Champlain which is a very large lake. We don't let the weather dictate our boating and have been out in some crazy stuff and feel completely in control the entire time, even in 5 footers. We usually cruise 32-35MPH as that is optimal fuel burn, opening it up to 45-48 burns a crazy amount of gas.

 

[Black Pearl II]

Dedicated wake is not necessary the D drive mode is also not necessary. I think on paper I see 360 and 500hp. I just don’t want to feel under powered if we have a full boat

We had a '20 242 XE last year and it felt very underpowered, and it was loud imo. 43 mph top speed. Very doggy. And the mid-speed steering was horrible, tons of understeer (turn the wheel and get very little response, no "turn in").

We now have a '21 252 XD and its like night and day with the power and response. 57 mph top speed. And it sounds more refined and quieter (I have no measurements to quantify). We just finished the CobraJet install and will drive this weekend and report back on the steering response.

 

[adrianp89]

We had a '20 242 XE last year and it felt very underpowered, and it was loud imo. 43 mph top speed. Very doggy. And the mid-speed steering was horrible, tons of understeer (turn the wheel and get very little response, no "turn in").

We now have a '21 252 XD and its like night and day with the power and response. 57 mph top speed. And it sounds more refined and quieter (I have no measurements to quantify). We just finished the CobraJet install and will drive this weekend and report back on the steering response.

252 and 57mph? You mean 255?

 

[jgrushack]

I love my XD - lots of fun, have gone from never wakesurfing to trying to perfect the perfect wake.

it absolutely eats gas. I can't get premium on the water so I add boostane to the fuel after gassing up. Still avg like 1.6mpg

 

[Wicked92]

I love my XD - lots of fun, have gone from never wakesurfing to trying to perfect the perfect wake.

it absolutely eats gas. I can't get premium on the water so I add boostane to the fuel after gassing up. Still avg like 1.6mpg

when i got a crew on the boat to surf ill go thru half tank in 4hrs lol.

 

[Riviotta]

Well update we ended up going with a scarab 255 open because it was available now

 

[Jim Davis]

Nice Lets see some pics

 

[Riviotta]

Still waiting on hard top and some upgrades but I’m we’re the water