Should You Choose a Ski Boat or a Wake Boat?
Those who love watersports like water skiing, wakeboarding and wakesurfing know how important it is to have a boat that offers the features they need to succeed. However, the type of boat used is critical to the sport, so it’s important to know the differences between the two primary styles of watersports towing boats: ski boats and wake boats. Each type of boat is designed to suit a different purpose and they are specialized to the point that using the wrong boat will likely result in a lot of frustration on your part.
Germaine Marine is your local wake boat dealer, serving Arizona and Utah, so we’ve drawn up this comparison guide to help you determine whether a ski boat or a wake boat will better suit your needs.
What Are Ski Boats?
Ski boats were designed to suit water skiing of different types, including trick, jump and slalom skiing. An engine on a ski boat sits in the middle of the boat with a direct-drive transmission to allow for rapid acceleration and a relatively flat wake behind the boat.
Some more recent models have V-drive transmissions instead, resulting in a flatter wake and a slower speed that lets water skiers perform lots of stunts. Ski boats are specifically designed for water skiing and they don’t have a lot of room for passengers or gear, so you’ll need to be mindful of this when choosing one.
What Are Wake Boats?
Sports like wakeboarding require large waves or “wakes” to be generated on the stern of the boat as it moves forward. Wakeboarders ride on these big wakes and perform tricks and jumps with them. Wake boats have their sterns weighed down with ballast to allow for the creation of larger wakes due to water displacement.
V-drive inboard engine wake boats have become especially popular with wakeboarders. Built-in ballast systems help to make wakes easier to create.
Is It Possible To Use Either Boat For a Watersport?
Technically, yes, you could use either a ski boat or a wake boat for either water skiing or wakeboarding. Due to the limited passenger capacity of ski boats, some skiers opt to buy a wake boat since it’s more spacious and they try to cope with the larger wakes. Wakeboarders are probably going to struggle more with the little wakes that ski boats can generate, but it is possible for a ski boat to pull a wakeboarder if necessary.
Which Boat is Best For Wakesurfing?
As a relatively new watersport, wakesurfing requires even more specialized boats to be successful. Wakesurfing requires curled wakes that you can easily surf and neither a wake nor a ski boat can provide that. A wake boat will be better in a pinch for wakesurfing, but a ski boat won’t really work at all.
Which One Do I Choose?
It all depends on the type of sport you and your passengers like the most. Those who are more invested in skiing will be better suited to a ski boat and those who like wakeboarding will get better results from a wake boat. V-drive wake boats are probably the most flexible type as they can permit water skiing in addition to wakeboarding, so if you know people who want to do both, this may be your best compromise.
Ready to check out some boats to find the perfect watersports craft for your needs? Browse our website to take a look at our great selection of new and used ski boats and wake boats for sale at our dealership locations. Germaine Marine proudly serves the states of Utah and Arizona.