No Ballast Needed Sales Pitch

[helmut]

I posted this in the ballast section did not get much of a reply. Curious I am very close to pulling the trigger on a 20v. Does the sales pitch of Tige not needing ballast on a 20v for beginner and intermediate wakeboarders really hold water. I have been in one for a demo but could not get pulled that day. Just want some real world opinions. My dealer dominates and is great just asking for a second opinion. Thanks guys!!!!!!!

[ragboy]

I got the same pitch. Wish I got it. I now use 2 vdrive sacs. I have a 24Ve, and it makes a great wake, but now that my kids have got competitive, we use the sacs. I think you would rather have it.

[maximus2003]

I just bought one myself, but have not actually been behind it yet. I threw around the same thing that you are. I went back and forth between buying a BU VTX and the 20V. I drove both and to tell you the truth that when you look at the wake created by the wedge & ballast in the BU, and compare it to the wake created by just using TAPS, they are pretty close to the same size. Now once again, I was not actually getting pulled behind either of them, so maybe i would have noticed a difference, had I actually rode behind the two. Most of the guys on here and other sites seem to say ballast is still needed, but i'm gonna hold back that judgement for the time being. I'm working on about concussion number six right now, so my days of inverts are behind me & I'm confident the TAPS wake without ballast will be fine for wakeboarding and everything I want to do. My only concern is will the wake be big enough for surfing as I become a better surfer? With that said I was very impressed with the size of the surf wake with only my dealer and mayself in the boat. I'm fairly confident that when I load up the boat with 6 buddies that we will have tons of ballast.

[tigeblue]

get the sacks. Otherwise its not that great. My rep had me drive at 19 mph on my demo and it put up a alright wake. I think it was a tactic to make the wake look big. I ride at 22-23 so at that speed its not that great. Now Im running 1200-1500 pounds of sacks plus the folks.

You need the sacks

[G-MONEY]

I hate to say it but an unballast 20v vs. a BU vlx or MC X1 with full ballast does not stand a chance. If you want the wake to compare those boats you need the ballast.

[Big Wave]

I have a 24VE and got the same pitch. The wake is OK without ballast and is excelent with 1500-2000lbs plus people. As far as surfing goes, ballast is mandatory and extra people make it all the better. It is really hard to tell how the wake is untill you ride it.
I think I would go with sacks rather than hard tanks so you keep the storage space when the sacks are empty.

[Original Wing Nut]

I've posted this info in the past, but for the newbies. I go to lake powell every year with my 24v a bu 247 and an X30. We have had all three boats side by side and been on line at our prefered weight, speed and setup, ie ballast,wedge, taps. I have no ballast and the wakes are within less than 2" tall and all have nice shape. The Bu is tallest and steepest with wedge and ballast and the 24v and x30 are same height just shaped slightly different. When it's time to surf everybody 12 big guys in the 24v makes the nicest surf wake. Our conclusion is we each like our own boat for different reasons and all have fun. The 24V could get as tall or taller with more ballast than the bu, but it already weighs more than 700 lbs. more than theirs to begin with so thats where they heckle me is I am always trailering my built in ballast. All this being said I know you are talking a 20V so not apples to apples, but it gives you a reasonable comparison to a larger version. If I were to do it again I would add ballast, mainly for surfing when just my wife, daughter, son and I. If you are going out with a light load you will want ballast. Besides bigger is always better when surfing. And there's my

[akdoc]

Get ballast. I think Tige should banish the "no ballast needed campaign."

[anhaney]

Buy and put in your own Ballast

I say buy the boat and put your own ballast system in. It will cost the same in the long run and you will get more ballast for your money. You do need ballast though if you plan to surf. My factory ballast takes up a lot of space and I am thinking about pulling out the hard tanks and putting in sacks. On the 24ve they put the ballast furthur back in the boat and out of sight. that is a much better location and it probably works better back there.

[Domsz06]

it depends on what you do and what level you are whether you need ballast. If your not surfing and your not great boarder then you will not need ballast if your just doing wake to wake and no inverts then you don't need ballast. My 21I has a great wake and it's very easy to go w2w.

Now if like anyting else and you start surfing you will want more wake. If you are mechanically inclinced at all you can put your own ballast in and you will get more for your buck just like anhaney said.

[marco]

ok gang this is just the help I need. Trying to decide between a new 07 demo 24ve with no ballast for 50000, an 06 bu 247 with ballast and a manual wedge for 50000, and another 06 bu 247 with ballast and a power wedge for 56000. Me and my 4 kids just learned to wakeboard this summer and I've not even jumped yet (I know I'm a wuss). We wanna get better and learn wakesurfing now. Dealer says no ballast needed behind the 24ve...help

[sacnvr2l8]

once you surf you may never wake board again...We sold all of our wakeboards and only surf...GET THE BALLASTS...GET THE BALLASTS ...GET THE BALLASTS

[maximus2003]

Marco, Any of those boats will be more boat than you'll ever need if you are a true beginner. It just comes down to what boat you like better, ie. looks, options, & handling. All of them will be more than adequate for you to learn. From an options standpoint, if you're buying a 247 you won't want it with the manual wedge. That being said it also is not worth a $6000 difference in price, if that is the only difference between the two BU's. In MHO if i was a beginner I'd save some cash and buy less boat to learn on. There are lots of great boats out there for a lot less that will be great for you and your kids. Not telling you how to spend your cash, just making sure you check out all your options. Good luck with the new boat.

[laserfish]

There is more than just the wake to think about. Sometimes you have to go through some rough stuff to get to the butter, and I wouldnt even think about getting in my cousins bu in rough water. My brother in law has a new x30, and there is no comparison in the rough water handling, better than the bu, but not as good as tige. Wouldn't think twice about rough water in in my Tige, it takes rough water better than any mc or bu you can name. As for wake, my 20 year old son can do front flips, back flips, back rolls, railly, etc. with no ballast and only 2-3 people in the boat. Of course more people, better wake. He has ridden behind a lot of boats, and would not trade ours for any of them. Solid boat with a solid feel and good wake without the ballast. If you just started, it will be a while before you need ballast, except for surfing, and we have surfed with 4 in the boat and no ballast. Sure, the wave is not nearly as long, but it can be done. Ride em all, I'll bet you will go with the tige.

[sparky216]

You will want, not need the ballast for surfing. You will want, not need the ballast for wakeboarding. It is a lot cheaper to have the ballast installed upon delivery than later on. Basically what I am saying is that eventually, probably next season you will be good enough to need the ballast to advance in the sport either WB or surfing. Since your paying 50k+ and probably financing some or all of it you may as well roll it into the whole package and start learning with the ballast. At these price levels there is no excuse not to get the ballast, tower, stereo....etc, and it will help with re-sale down the road. We didn't have a ballast on our 06 22v, but by the next season we were ready for it and got it on our 07 24Ve although I wish there was more capacity in the factory system.

Good luck with your purchase, either one, the Bu or Ve with be a FANTASTIC boat.