As we begin to enter into the colder months, now is actually one of the best times to purchase a boat so you can ensure you have one for the upcoming summer. With new innovations and technologies that enter the industry every year, Boating Magazine’s editor and expert, Garrett Cortese created a video to help walk through “What to Look For in a Watersports Boat.” This unbiased video is a great resource for those who have an older model or are new to the watersports industry. It helps break down and highlight the key features of a watersports boat you should look for. When going to shop for your new watersports boat, use this checklist below.

What to Look For in a Watersport Boat:

1. V-Drive or Direct-Drive

The difference in a V-drive and a direct-drive is where the engine is placed in the boat. A direct-drive has the engine in the middle of the boat to help minimize the wake produced. A V-drive moves the engine to the back of the boat to increase storage and space for more passengers while also displacing more water and create a bigger wave and wake. For more information on the different between a direct-drive and a V-drive, read this article. 

2. Engine

In order to create the best wake or wave for performance, you need an engine that can properly power your activity and gets you on plane the fastest. For more information on the Malibu Monsoon engine and how it leads the industry, visit here.

3. Ballast System

The Ballast System is important in a watersports boat because it adds weight to the boat helping to create bigger wakes and waves. If you have a variety of rider levels on your boat, we recommend a ballast system that can be easily adjusted. The Malibu Ballast System allows you to customize the amount of water in four to six different ballast tanks to create the perfect scalable wake or wave for every rider. To learn more about the Malibu Ballast System, check it out here.

4. On-Board Wake Enhancement Technology

This is very important because it may be the reason you buy a watersports specific boat. The wake enhancement technology is what will create the wakesurf wave or the wakeboarding wake that you are looking for. In order to find the best boat for you, we recommend reaching out to your dealer for a free boat demo to see how the boat performs. Malibu’s patented technology all works together to create the Integrated Surf Platform (I.S.P.). For information about the patented Malibu technology, read these articles on Surf Gate and Power Wedge III.

5. Boat Dash

Controlling the boat is pretty essential, so you want to find the best control system for you. Malibu strives to make the best system that is ultra-intuitive and easy-to-use. Through many usability studies, we present you with the Malibu Operating System, mOS, where all information is ideally placed and presented for the driver. We also offer rider presets so you can touch one button and have your boat set up for wakesurfing or wakeboarding in minutes! To read more about the Malibu Command Center, see this article.

6. Tower

Your boat’s tower can be crucial because it houses a couple important items: the pylon,  the Bimini, the speakers, and the board racks. For those new to the industry, the pylon attaches the rope to pull your wakeboarders or wakesurfers, the Bimini provides shade for the boat, the speakers set the mood on the water, and the board racks help alleviate storage in the boat by storing your wakesurf boards or wakeboarding boards on the tower. Malibu offers a Gx Tower that is power assisted and raises and lowers in seconds. For 2021, we upgraded the standard tower to the G5 Tower that features a latching fold system with gas assisted shocks. Folding towers are important for stowing, getting under low clearance bridges, and garage storage.

For more information on what to look for in a watersports boat, talk to your local dealer.