Test Driving 2006 22ve with no ballast, what to expect?

[duffymahoney]

Is the dealer going to stand behind and warranty a used boat?

I always buy out of state or area, then get a marine inspection done on it. I save thousands doing it that way. Savings thousands in the beginning offsets costs to repair. I have owned wakeboats for about 7 years and honestly I have never had a major issue. Knock on wood

[jmhatchett]

Agree with WA i think that is just a sales gimmic to get you to buy from them. And most of the work can be done with a general knowledge of these boats. Plus doing the service yourself may put a better feeling of security that it was done and done right. The guy that services stuff on my boat that i cannot or don not have to time or tools to do it is very good, He worked for a dealer and then opened his own shop when the dealer went under, but i never bought my boat from them and he rushes every time to get it done and is always super helpful.

[JLG]

If it were me at that dealer and they made a comment like that I would tell them to go fly a kite but not so nicely! They most likely will make more money off of your repair as it won't be a warranty issue so that is a non sense sales gimmick. I have heard some dealers do BS like that and in that case they aren't the dealer I would support. I'm sure in your area there are several just down the road that will welcome you with open arms. Certain "X" brand dealers think they have ownership of us as customers since we own the product they sell and are right down the road, but they forget we are the "customer" who pays their ways.
If TX is anything like KS it is cheaper to buy from an individual as we don't pay sales tax from person to person sales. Take our current KS rate of 8.55% on a 30k or more boat and buy that boat from a dealer its a huge hit.

[jmhatchett]

JLG brings up a good point about the quantity of dealers close... In austin you should have plenty of service departments that welcome any and all business with open arms. I would probably also tell that dealer to shove it.

When I was shopping for my current boat I was not going to buy the Tige first, It was my number 2 choice, but I went to the dealer and I was 19 years old and my Mom had to co-sign the loan for me so she went to shop with me and we went to our closest dealer that had my #1 choice of boat and they dismissed us as soon as they saw us because i was 19 with my Mom. I told them to shove it and I went to the Tige dealer that was out of my town and i was greeted much better there and that is the main reason Im in a Tige today. All of these boats are truely great machines, each boat will have problems it is inevitable. Find the dealer or service that is top notch and thats one of the biggest parts of buying from someone in my opinion.

Good people will always be helpful, whether you bought the boat from them or not a truely good person will help any way they can.

[IDBoating]

In case no one's mentioned it in this thread... don't forget "leftover" boats. That's the term for brand-new boats from previous model years that are still sitting on the dealer's showroom floor, while brand-new boats are streaming in from the factory. Once they're no longer the current model year, dealers get really aggressive about moving them out to make room for the new year models. You can save a LOT of money this way, and you get a brand-new boat with a full factory warranty. I've talked to folks that have saved 25-35% off list price. I bought my boat this way, clear across the country, and even with shipping charges literally coast to coast it was a bargain I'd repeat instantly.

It takes a bit of legwork, contacting dealers to find what they have left over, but it's definitely worth it. It might be a bit more than your $40K target, but you'll have a BRAND NEW BOAT with warranty and no worries about what the last owner(s) did to it.

[JohnnieMo]

I'm eager to hear how your test drive went. I remember when I test drove the boat I eventually bought. Best feeling in the world!

[TXBecca4]

Y'all were right, Speed Set didn't work!!! Well, actually the speedometer wasn't moving therefore Speed Set wasn't working properly. I could hear/feel the Speed Set kick on but then it wouldn't do anything after that. Another thing that happened was when I was going about 25-35mph (no clue cause speedo wasn't working) I was putting the wake plate from 8 -> 1 and the whole engine shut off and the alarm BEEEEEEP went off. Temp was fine, oil was fine, everything on the dash looked fine, we couldn't figure it out. So with those issues and it having no ballast at all..... I'll be looking for something else. What a bummer :-( Other than that I loved that boat! I did bring an Enzo sack with me and threw that in the locker, wave looked pretty decent.

[chpthril]

Bummer, id pass also, unless they can fix it quick and get you another demo. Yes, if the speedo isnt working, odds are its the paddle wheel, and the speed set wont work either. The other issues sounds like a bad battery if the boat has the dual battery EIDB option.

Just keep in mind though, 06 through 08 not having ballast is a good thing. Clean slate is much easier to work with then that factory configuration.

[WYTige?]

Hmmmm. My 06 has a similar bug. Get going, apply taps plate or any type of load at about 34-40 mph and the alarm sounds. The engine doesn't shut off but have the alarm, all gauges appear normal. No idea what it might be. Too bad as it is a great looking boat.

[IDBoating]

Feels electrical to me. If "any load" can cause it, then it will be some indirect thing. First thing that comes to mind is the (psuedo-)regulator in the alternator. I'm not familiar with how those are made today, but years ago they were essentially a step relay sort of affair where they hard switched between a number of options based on load. If one of those "steps" has a problem, then the right combination of loads could cause it to switch there, which could cause a low voltage condition, which could wreak havoc with the ECU.

Really reaching here, since we don't have access to the boat(s) in question, but that's a first guess.

[skippabcool]

Each dealership I go to says when you buy from them vs. a private owner you go to the front of the line when it comes to service work if you need to take the boat in. I like that, if they are telling the truth. I would hate to buy something from a private owner and then something break and my boat is in the shop 1/2 the summer waiting to be worked on. Have yall had this happen or hear of a situation like that? What are the benefits of purchasing from a private owner vs. a dealership?

If a dealer says that I would question anything they do and would not trust them. I bought my boat used and was able to get the service records from the dealership where it had been serviced. The previous owner paid for a lot of things that didn't happen. I am not an expert but with information from this site and help from others I have taken care of essentially everything myself. The plus side to doing things yourself is that you get to know your boat. That way if something happens you can more easily troubleshoot it and be on your way.

Couple things to keep in mind while searching for a boat that will suit your family. It is the little parts that will start to add up quickly cost wise that would make going with a different boat a better decision. Even on boats that are only a couple of years old the parts have changed and trying to get an exact replacement is tougher.

I was looking several years ago and was looking at all brands. I looked for several years and can't tell you how many times I would see a boat that I thought was perfect only to find out that it wasn't, have to keep the emotion out of it. I was hoping to get into a boat for about $10K. After looking and wondering if I got stuck with something that needed a new engine I quickly jumped to $20k. After continuing to look I had to unfortunate raise my budget number to find a boat that would meet my family and my needs without leaving us stranded. Buying used anything can happen. Even buying new, you can read stories on here were guys have bought a new boat and not been able to use it.

Best of luck in your search. Don't be afraid to go find the best deal, may not be the cheapest, for you and your family. Then enjoy it and look forward to maintaining it yourself with help from here.

[TXBecca4]

"Each dealership I go to says when you buy from them vs. a private owner you go to the front of the line when it comes to service work if you need to take the boat in. I like that, if they are telling the truth. I would hate to buy something from a private owner and then something break and my boat is in the shop 1/2 the summer waiting to be worked on. Have yall had this happen or hear of a situation like that? What are the benefits of purchasing from a private owner vs. a dealership?"

If a dealer says that I would question anything they do and would not trust them.

I have been to 4 different dealerships and talked to each one at the boat show as well. All 4 brought up the same thing when I mentioned I was just starting to shop around and look at boats and that I wasnt sure if I wanted to purchase from a dealer or a current owner. I just assumed it was the norm but also thought the idea was pretty crappy. I'm new to all this so I was hesitant when I first heard that and it also let me down in a way. I just want to make sure what I buy isnt a piece of crap and has to be taken into the shop all the time. Whether that is from a dealer or a current owner I cant figure out which one I should do.

[JLG]

The dealer that fed you that line also stated their boat was ready to go, and by your test run you saw different so who can you trust? I wouldn't put to much thought into those comments about being last in line as I can guarantee as long as you didn't waste a lot of time in that dealer shopping for a boat and they don't know you, you should be able to call and get into their service dept just like anyone else. There are some dealers that do hold grudges for not buying from them then don't go to them. Buy the boat that is right for you. I bought my last 2 from individuals site unseen and didn't test them either and had none to very little issues.

[WHammond]

Bummer on the test drive, I obviously wouldn't put any faith in that dealer going forward (at least from a sales perspective). I also wouldn't worry about the whole "buyers get to skip in the service line over the general public." At the end of the day, you want to start out with a boat with little to no problems and maintain it properly so that it stays that way as best as you can. I'd probably buy private owner over dealer in most cases, but there's always exceptions to both.

If I were you, this would be my approach:
1) Based on your price range/needs, figure out around what year and models you are going to be landing on. Looks like you're looking at a 22v/Ve (good news: both awesome surfing boats). Once you figure this out, scour these forums and the internet like crazy to learn everything you can about your future boat. You'll find good and bad things to look out for, and common issues with certain models, engines, etc. For example, if you could avoid an '06 Ve and get an '07, definitely do that for all the DBW issues above with the speedset/perfect pass deal. If you are looking at a Ve, you want a boat that does not have factory ballast. This is so you don't have to deal with existing hard tanks, and you can get Mike to hook you up with a clean slate for ballast. You want to be an informed buyer, especially when you're dealing with dealers. This will also greatly help your searching and narrowing down abilities.
2) Not necessary but could be very helpful - Try and find someone around you that has the same kind of boat so you can just go check it out have them show you stuff. I'm sure there's someone on here in Austin that has a Ve that'll allow you to check it out and tell them how awesome their boat is and how you can't wait to get one for yourself. This will help with #1 and will help get you ready for everything that goes with boat ownership.
3) If possible, I'd buy from someone on these forums. There are multiple reasons for this, but it's a good way to buy from a hopefully quality private owner that is knowledgeable about the boat in question and has taken good care of it up to that point. If you are able to go this route, you could probably skip #2 as hopefully they'll do it for you.
4) If the above isn't possible, I'd try and find someone on here that lives in your area (or the area that a potential boat is in) that could potentially go help you check a boat out. Give them lunch and some gas money and hopefully you can work something out. It doesn't have to be the ultimate boat guru, just the fact that they are an owner is going to give you a very good second opinion and set of eyes on the boat. If for some reason you end up coming to south carolina, i'll volunteer.

Show all of us things you're looking at, and you'll get solid feedback. You're a future first boat owner and dropping $40k, you want to be thorough. Be patient, keep searching, and you'll find the right one.

[whiteflash watersports]

I have purchased boats form three different dealers in Florida two in Jacksonville one in Orlando and they all always sent me to the front of the line when brought in for service. I never looked at that negatively but as a perk. There are so many boats here and a year round season it really helps.