2012 Z3

[BrentRR]

I would appreciate any thoughts on possibly trading our 2005 24V with 150 hours for a 2012 Z3 with 40 hours. We are getting into wake surfing more and more. Our 24V doesn't have a ballast system so been thinking about adding one or trading for a newer boat.

We haven't had a chance to drive the boat yet so don't know how it compares in ride and interior space. The 24V is 23'10" and the Z3 is 23' - is there a big difference in seating and storage space? The Z3 we are considering has the factory ballast system, does that reduce the storage space considerably? We love all the room in the rear storage areas on the 24V.

We have had some issues with our boat, but maintain it well so it still looks and drives great. I have read on here about quality concerns with the later years. Have there been specific issues with the Z3? Is the PCM 5.7 330HP MPI a good engine - any issues to be concerned about with it? Is engine bay access any easier on the Z3? It is a pain to get full access in the 24V, i.e. the back seat and floor have to be removed to change the V-Drive oil, steering cable, etc.

Any thoughts on the ride quality of the Z3? How about handling rough water?

Thanks in advance for any comments.

[talltigeguy]

There were some 1st generation Z3's made that are not the same hull as the current Z3. And you can't tell the difference except by looking at the hull. If there is any question, just take a picture of the transom, and we can tell you.

I am just speaking off the cuff, but most boats are very difficult to work on. I would be surprised to hear about a full back seat removal for just Vdrive oil change, but for much more than that, it is pretty common.

The PCM seems to have been a strong engine and pretty durable, don't hear too many complaints here about it.

[boardman74]

Storage is going to be way less if you are currently running no ballast in your boat. On the Z3 there is NO storage at all in the front under the seats as that is all ballast area. The seats don't even lift up. In the back lockers your going to have 3/4 of the space gone with sacs when you have them filled.

Adding a ballast system is way more cost effective and easier than trading to get a boat with ballast. Most people would tell you the 24V has a great surf wave when weighted. But to get that you are going to have to fill the lockers with sacs also. When you step up to big surf waves it takes alot of ballast which is going to take up most of the storage in most boats.

[xpjim1]

Keep the V. Install ballast. I have the same boat. It suits our family needs. You just have to be smart on storage. We stll have plenty of room

[rwdavis1]

I also have a 2006 24v that Mike set up with ballast. We only surf the port side so there is no ballast on the other side leaving all the storage open. I have a 1450 sac in aft port side and a 650 V sac in the front. It throws a great wave and has a lot of push. Just my thoughts.

[rwdavis1]

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[BrentRR]

Thanks for the feedback. That is a great wave - much better than what we currently have. One of my daughters rides goofy, so sounds like if we go all out on ballast we will lose a lot of storage.

I was hoping I would get some perspective from those that have gone from the 24V to the Z3. While getting ballast is one of our reasons for considering a newer boat, getting all of the other goodies is tempting also, i.e. TigeTouch, swivel racks, just newer everything, etc.

[Bad05]

Keep the V. Install ballast. I have the same boat. It suits our family needs. You just have to be smart on storage. We stll have plenty of room

I have the same boat as xpjim1 and we love it! A new boat is very tempting each year but a nicely setup 24V is hard to beat!

[Stingreye]

BrentRR, You mention "adding a ballast system". That means different things sometimes to different people.

1) Are you talking about automating ballast filling by tying your fat sacs to a switch?
2) Or are you talking about adding ballast (water weight) to your boat for the first time?

If #2, you really haven't surfed a 24V yet It needs weight to be good! I would buy an enzo sac (1,400 lbs) and fill it up with a Tsunami pump (manual fill you throw the pump over the side) and see what kind of wave you get, put people in the surf corner. Most people would be very happy with that surf wave.

If you haven't tried your 24V with ballast, you won't have anything to compare it to when you demo the Z3.

Also, I think (and I could be wrong), that almost no boat has the size lockers the 24V has in the rear. I can fit a 1,800 lb custom enzo style sac completely filling my rear locker and under seat with no major modifications other that reinforcing the locker walls. The good news with sacs is that the side you are not surfing on, you can use for some storage. I usually keep soft things (life jackets) in my rear lockers and when we switch sides surfing, we have to move them to the other side.

I also remove my rear seat to to change V-Drive oil. I leave my floor in though.

I really like the surf waves on both the Z3 and the 24V.

Good luck with your decision!

[Stingreye]

Just saw your post about the other stuff you are interested in.

I like the Alpha Z tower, Swivel racks, surf bimini (surf board storage), and Poseidon flooring on the Z3! I don't know if the Z3 has it, but the Z1 that Kyle brought to wake9's polar bear had a path to enter the boat from swim platform without stepping on vinyl. The center rear cushion flipped to a step providing easy access and will likely keep the seats much nicer as people aren't stepping on the seats. The side benefit of the Convex VX is that at surf speeds the boat is very quiet. I would say its very similar to my boat with an FAE (fresh air exhaust) on. After having an FAE, its very noticeable when I am on boats without FAE.

Definitely check out the Poseidon flooring. I like it much better than carpet. When I went in the Wake9 Z3 with some crazy number of hours, 1000+?, it was the number 1 thing I was jealous of vs my 24V. At some point when my budget recovers, I will likely bite the bullet and add Decadence (its the normal name for Poseidon flooring I think) to my boat.

The flooring still looked amazing and is much better than carpet (including snap out carpet), in my opinion. Heck, unless Tige/Wake9 has done any major "refreshes" to interior or anything else, their Z3 has held up amazingly well. There was only one small tear in the vinyl and who knows where that came from.

Promo video for flooring. Ragboy (wake9) says its that good too!

[ragboy]

That tear happened at mywake in florida. It came from people coming in and out of the boat and stepping on that same spot and it tore that seam just a bit. Its a simple fix, but other than that, we have not had any issues with the interior, which is pretty darn amazing for as many hours, events, etc. I would say we have 10 years of wear on that thing and it needs a good detail, but has held up amazingly well. That flooring is basically like it was when we bought it, truly great stuff.

[Bogdog]

Thanks for the feedback. That is a great wave - much better than what we currently have. One of my daughters rides goofy, so sounds like if we go all out on ballast we will lose a lot of .

Sounds to me like a man that wants a new boat......

[BrentRR]

Well, I can't lie, it would be nice But, I think I will take the advice and try the Enzo sac with the Tsunami pump. I've actually been looking into it for awhile and already bought this pump (nice to have in an emergency any way).

[xpjim1]

Long live the 'V'