What's the Difference Between a Wake Boat and a Ski Boat?
Deciding to buy a wake boat or ski boat for water sports in Arizona comes down to just a few things. Wake boats create big waves for wakeboarders and wake surfers because they have unique differences compared to ski boats. Ballast systems, V drive, hull design, and wake innovation produces better waves. Ski boats are designed to make a longer, flatter wave for water skiing. When you're buying a boat, consider which sport you'll be doing more of behind the boat, so you can choose the right ballast and hydrofoil systems for what you need.
What is the Difference Between a Wake Boat and a Ski Boat?
The biggest difference between a wake boat and a ski boat is the size, wakes, and inboard engine placement. A wake boat is designed to displace more water than a ski boat which creates bigger waves for wakeboarding and wake surfing. Waterskiing does not require big waves.
What Makes a Good Ski Boat?
Ski boats have been developed not to cause massive waves and wash. A water skier prefers a smooth landing surface to ride. The best ski boats have a narrow beam with relatively less depth. Cruising speed is around 30 to 30 MPH. And a good ski boat should have minimal spray.
Moderate Size
Ski boats sit higher on the water and have a shallower hull than wake boats. A ski boat is smaller than a wake boat. A 19 foot ski boat provides smooth soft ski wakes. Wake boats are best around 24 feet long. Nonetheless ski boats can still expect identical engine performance as on wake boat models, despite differences in dimensions.
Low Wakes
A ski boat is made for the most minimal wake and low spray. They do not displace as much water as a wake boat because water skiing does not require big waves.
Inboard Engine Placement
A ski boat has an inboard engine placed in the middle of the boat. This is a straight drive shaft design which helps the boat create a flatter wave. Wake boats use a V-shaped hull and the inboard engine is placed in the aft. This adds weight to the part of the boat that will create the biggest waves.
Can You Wakeboard Behind a Ski Boat?
Yes you can. But wake boats are specifically designed to displace water and create waves big enough for wakeboarders and wake surfers to have the most fun. Ski boat provides a low wake and are not designed to make waves as large (or fun!) as a wake boat.
What is a Wake Boat?
A wake boat is a boat focused on creating big powerful wakes by displacing water. These large wakes serve as a launching point for a rider to take flight. They are built lightweight with a deep V-shaped hull, 350+HP engine, good ballast system, and hydrofoil technology.
3 Tips When Buying a Wake Boat
If you're looking to buy a good wakeboard boat, it's essential that you learn the following important advice before committing to it.
Do your research. Boating is not for everybody and owning a boat comes with it's own set of hassles as much as it has benefits. There will be additional costs such as fuel, accessories, repairs and maintenance that go above and beyond the price of the boat.
Consider the size you need. The best size for a wakeboarding boat is 18-25 feet in length. This gives you enough room to socialize and bring quite a few passengers, while also being small enough to maneuver well and stay lightweight.
Buy from a reputable dealer. An Authorized dealer has the trusted service and warranties you'll want as a boat owner. Their service departments will be certified to maintain the boat, too. It should be in a convenient location so you can bring the boat in for scheduled maintenance easily.
What Size Wake Boat Do You Need?
The best size for a wakeboarding boat is 18-25 feet in length.
Boats 18-20 feet in length are small enough to be easy to drive and trailer, but you need to make sure the engine has enough horsepower to pull the wakeboarder safely.
Boats 21-22 feet in length are medium sized wakeboard boats and they are popular on Arizona lakes. They are large enough to bring a few passengers and small enough to be able to drive and handle easily.
Boats 23 -25 feet in length is considered a large wakeboard boat. These models typically include a large engine, higher capacity, ample storage, more ballast capacity, great performance, and have lots of features. But the engine needs to be powerful enough to be able to create big wakes.
Open Bow or Closed Bow Wake Boat
Open and closed bows refers to whether there is seating on the bow of the boat, or not. The main differences are weight distribution, socializing, and storage.
Boats with an open bow, like the Malibu MXZ line, gives you more room to add front weight. This helps the rider max out the wake. It's also comfortable to sit and socialize while cruising and leaves room for storage in the front. But they also take on more water when passengers are sitting up front and picking up a downed skier might mean taking on some water, too.
Boats with a closed bow, like the Ski Nautique 200 Closed Bow, carry less passengers and have storage in the back.
What Do Wake Plates Do?
Wake plates lower the stern into the water which creates pressure and dislodges more water, creating a bigger, broader wake.
Ballast
The wake behind the boats is largely attributed to water displacement. The heavier the boat the larger the water displacement, the greater the wake. But building a heavy wake boat won't get up on the plane well or be as easy to maneuver. So ballast systems are a temporary way to add weight to the boat and make big wakes.
The best wakeboard boats have a lot of internal ballast to weigh the down the hull making it go deeper into the water and having a lot of power to make huge waves as it pushes through. This creates a bigger or longer wave and wake. Hull design will determine the ride and fuel efficiency of the boat.
Wake boats fill their ballast tanks, either manually or automatically, to increase their weight and create more water displacement. According to the size of the tanks, the boat takes about 3,000 pound of water ballast. Many boats use hard ballast tanks, but some use soft bags, to carry the ballast. Many wake boats can fill their ballast tanks in under 3 minutes.
Hydrofoil Technology
Hydrofoil technology, or hydrofoils, help the boat gain speed so it can drive more on top of the water, which reduces drag.
On a wakeboard boat, the hydrofoil is a wing-like structure that is mounted to the struts below the hull. As the boat increases in speed, the hydrofoil features create enough lift to raise the hull out of the water, reducing drag. It also helps to improve fuel efficiency.
Hydrofoils are expensive to build which makes the price of wakeboarding boats somewhat higher than boats not made for watersports.
Heydaymakes some of the best wake boats on the market. Check our inventory here.
Hull Design
The shape of the boat's hull also affects its wake shape and all manufacturershave their own unique hull designs. Hulls generally have a deep V-shaped design with an extended front wheel which narrows to the aft edges. This shape creates powerful, long and tall waves.
What is the Best Hull Design for a Wake Boat?
Wakeboard boats get their size and power from the water displacement of the boat. Depending on the shape of it, the boat is either moving on top of the water or riding deeper in the water.
The hull is the part that helps keep the boat afloat. It provides stability and protects cargo and storage areas. It is essential to find the optimum hull design which provides high performance, efficiency, speed and efficiency. Boat hulls come in various shapes - the 'Deep V,' multi-hulled, rounded-hull, and flat bottom.
V-shaped Hulls
The 'Deep-V' hull is considered the best choice for a wakeboard boat. Unlike a ski boat or flat hull, it is designed to cut through water instead of bouncing over the top of them. The ride is fast and smooth, even in strong winds or rough wave conditions. You'll get better fuel efficiency because it goes through water instead of having to push against it. A boat with a Deep-V design typically has a larger engine than a flat-bottom or round hull.
Multi-Hulled Boats
Multi-hull boat is regarded as a more stable boat. These are the most stable on the water and are typically yachts, pontoons, and catamarans.
Rounded-Bottom Boats
Rounded-bottom hulls are designed to move smoothly and tend to be less stable than other boats. They are designed for smooth water flow. Canoe's have a rounded-bottom hull.
Flat Bottom Boats
Boats with a flat bottom hull are very stable, but don't make much of a wake. They are usually fishing boats.
Final Thoughts
Get the best wake boats and ski boats at Laken Water Sports located in Phoenix, Arizona. We have the best warranty, service, and prices in town.