2003 22V

[CtxAggie]

I'm looking to replace my Mastercraft Prostar 205 direct drive with a 22V. I love my MC but it's a direct drive and my family needs a bigger boat and one that can produce a respectable surf wave. I'm willing to give up a great wake in order to have a good surf wave and good wake.

We found an 03 22v with merc 350 mag at 360 hrs, perfect pass, and recently new interior for $26k. When I went to look at the boat I noticed heavy rust on the trailer and quite a bit of fading on its black gel coat. The current owner, who's had the boat for a year, said the previous owner may have used it in saltwater. The engine's appearance looked OK with no noticeable rust. The transmission appeared to have some rust but nothing that alarmed me. Owner said he replaced the starter and alternator this year, and says he's been told that the trailer should be replaced. I haven't test driven it but may do so soon. I really liked the size of the 22v; seemed enormous coming from a MC 205.

Should I steer clear since the boat was likely used in salt water? Is 26k high given the gel coat needs serious attention, the interior could use TLC, and the trailer may need replaced or completely overhauled?

[TWOhunter]

Just my $.02 worth....

I got boat fever last 1-2 summers and decided to take the plunge this winter with a pre-owned purchase. I live in an area where there are some boats that had salt water use. I steered away from them and wanted a fresh-water used only boat. I took my time and looked and looked. Settled on 2005 22V. I had some tell me to not purchase boats that had been used in salt water. I can't say I have any personal knowledge... Just took advice of others. Hope this helps and good luck.

[jimidemo]

Here's my $.02.....
Would it be worthwhile to spend $32,500 and not have those problems? I usually see them in the southwest for around that price point. Another option if your looking to to save money (like myself) is going to the 21V and spending around $24,000 with no issues. Yes the hull is different. The 22V's are known for a great surf wake. Have fun.....

[Captainkurk72]

I too would agree to avoid any saltwater boat. In addition this boat doesn't sound like its been cared for. 360 hours is not very many hours for a boat having a new interior and all the rust you mentioned. Sounds like it got used and never washed down and left outside without a cover. I generally look at the interior and if the owner is willing to spend the time keeping the interior looking like new then you can be certain they spent the equal amount of attention to the mechanical aspects of the boat.

Keep looking and you will find a good boat. I looked on all the boating sale websites and craigslist (many of the popular lake cities/states). Just last month I was fortunate to find a 2005 22V GM340hp 141 hours for $28,500 and even better was in my home town. The boat lived in dry stack storage so the interior was near perfect and a few scuffs on the hull. I would try and find a 2005 and newer so you can get the convex hull and TAPs 2. Good Luck

[Stingreye]

Market looks similar to when I bought my 24V. Anything over 30k was sitting and anything under 30k moved quickly.

Not sure where you are but here are some boats with a quick searchtempest.com search of craiglist.
http://medford.craigslist.org/boa/4561533043.html
http://bend.craigslist.org/bod/4598944585.html
http://rapidcity.craigslist.org/boa/4569150353.html
http://sanantonio.craigslist.org/boa/4603271680.html
http://houston.craigslist.org/boa/4615588204.html
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hn...572344352.html
http://morgantown.craigslist.org/boa/4595045136.html

Its not as expensive to ship a boat as you might think. I had mine shipped from Texas to California.

Maybe try posting some pictures up of the one you are looking at and some of the guys running in salt might be able to tell you if it looks like it was run extensively in salt or not.

Regarding interior, the vinyl used in that era had a fuzzy backing and seams coming apart was common on nearly everyone I looked at.

[Stingreye]

Also don't trust the hour meters. My boat's hour meter has reset twice in the 2 years I have owned it

[CtxAggie]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I'm going to steer clear of it. Yes, I'd prefer to spend 32k and get peace of mind over 25k with risk of costly problems.

I did see a clean 06 24V in lower 30k range. Anyone have experience with 24V and 22V that could comment on wakeboard wake, surf wave, fuel consumption, and drivability compared to 22V?

[Stingreye]

Both 22V and 24V are both known to make awesome surf waves. Wakeboard wake you will need someone else to chime in. Fuel consumption seems to be negligible from what I have gathered.

Unless you have a storage requirement to fit in, I would go 24V for the same price. Its very spacious and comfortable. I was looking at the 22V and 24V and am glad I went with the bigger one.

[Kimber]

CtxAggie, I have a 2004 22v that I am considering selling. Give me a shout. I live in the Houston area, and I am also an Aggie - surely we can do business!!
Cory - 7one3-557-8047

[cpropes2005]

Whoop! Lots of Aggies in this thread. I have a 22V as well and love it. My only regret is that I didn't hold out longer for a 24V but the 22V is still a big boat and has met all of our needs perfectly.

26k seems like an ok deal but with needing a new trailer then something in the low 20's might make it worth your while if you could negotiate them down. In my experience all boats have issues at some point or another and I am not sure it is always true that newer/more expensive boats have less issues. You just have to find something you are comfortable with and do your due diligence up front (test drive, compression test, marine survey etc.) and then still be ready to work through the issues when they inevitably come up.

My only specific advice on the V's would be if you start looking at the newer year models would be to steer clear of the ones with the a the throttle by wire Marine Power engines. Those will either have the Tige Speedset system which most people seem to agree isnt very good or no speed control at all and the kicker is that those motors are not compatible with perfect pass so there is no option to upgrade to a decent speed control system which is a must in my mind. I don't know the exact year models (06 through 08?) so I am not much help but I am sure others with more knowledge can chime in. Anything that has a mechanical throttle cable will be fine and work with perfect pass.

[CtxAggie]

Whoop! Lots of Aggies in this thread. I have a 22V as well and love it. My only regret is that I didn't hold out longer for a 24V but the 22V is still a big boat and has met all of our needs perfectly.

26k seems like an ok deal but with needing a new trailer then something in the low 20's might make it worth your while if you could negotiate them down. In my experience all boats have issues at some point or another and I am not sure it is always true that newer/more expensive boats have less issues. You just have to find something you are comfortable with and do your due diligence up front (test drive, compression test, marine survey etc.) and then still be ready to work through the issues when they inevitably come up.

My only specific advice on the V's would be if you start looking at the newer year models would be to steer clear of the ones with the a the throttle by wire Marine Power engines. Those will either have the Tige Speedset system which most people seem to agree isnt very good or no speed control at all and the kicker is that those motors are not compatible with perfect pass so there is no option to upgrade to a decent speed control system which is a must in my mind. I don't know the exact year models (06 through 08?) so I am not much help but I am sure others with more knowledge can chime in. Anything that has a mechanical throttle cable will be fine and work with perfect pass.

Solid post! Thanks for that feedback. Have you had a chance to ride a 24v? If so, are the board and surf wakes any less desirable than the 22v?

[cpropes2005]

Never had a chance to ride behind a 24v but from what I understand the wakes/waves are very similar but the 24 might need just a little more weight to get there. My comment about wishing I had one over my 22v was just for the extra room. I can comfortably handle 3 families (6 adults and 6 small kids all under 4) on our 22v. I think the 24 could handle 1 more family which would be nice at times but not really needed since at least a couple of our usual crew have boats of their own so when that many people want to go out we will usually just take two boats.

[jslayde1]

OH Man....aggies... (i can say that cause my sister and father-in-law are aggies. ha ha)

Yes the 22v and 24v are very similar - and we too love our 22v. It give a very nice/clean wave with very little effort - such an easy boat to weight/surf. Look up Topazsurfer's post for the 22v setup.

For the 24v - there are a few people on the forum that can help: Stingreye, WAboating(I think), Duffy....and i'm sure a few others.

I think with a little patience you could find a very nice boat for 25K - 30K - of coarse this time of year will be slightly higher than non boating seasons.

Good luck and get us posted!

[IDBoating]

For the 24v - there are a few people on the forum that can help: Stingreye, WAboating(I think), Duffy....and i'm sure a few others.

Mine's a 24Ve, not sure all the differences the "e" makes but I've heard it involves the hull design. I CAN tell you that a 24 foot hull requires serious ballasting, but once you do that - hoo boy, you get an incredible wave. All that hull displacing all that water makes for a huge, solid beauty of a surfing dream. I have friends on our lake with 22's that leave their boats in the dock because they're rather ride our 24's wave. No replacement for displacement!

[kko]

I have the 2003 22v and love it. It makes awesome wakes. I prefer the marine power engine over the mercruiser. I have also been in the 24v. Again great boat. Great wakes just takes a little more ballast. IMPO unless you haul huge crews around say 10+ people the 22v is plenty of boat. I am on a small lake and the 24 would be to much. The 22 is perfect for 8 people maneuvers easier and is an all around great boat for the price your looking to spend. 24 is nice and if I always had 10 people going out Iwould want the 24 but if your regular crew is 6-8 then I prefer the sporty handling of the 22 over the 24. 24 drives great it's just not as nimble as the 22. Gas consumption a little less on the 22 but they are going to be close. Being Tiges they are going to be great on fuel consumption compared to other wake boats. Depending on what you tow with the 24 could pose some challenges. You really can't go wrong with either one. And coming from a 205dd either of these boats are going to seem huge. I would sell you mine but my family would kill me. I didn't think we used it enough to justify keeping it so I suggested we sell it they almost disowned me! Good luck in your search. IMPO you should be able to get a nice 03 22v for 25k or a nice 03 24 in the low30s.