Waves/comfort on R6 Surf when not surfing

[Dawgfan]

We have a 2013 242 WSS and love the boat. Recently our local dealer reached out offering a good price on a trade with some steep incentives on a new 2023 Cobalt. The incentives only apply to in-stock 2023 models, and to get something comparable in size to our 242 WSS we would need to be in an R6 (the 242 WSS is 25' 11"). Looking at the non-surf model there is really nothing in stock that has the features of our WSS. Although the WSS is not a surf boat it has a VP 308hp, trim tabs, wake tower with speakers, board racks, etc. None of the base model R6s the dealer has in stock have similar features, but most of the R6 surfs they have in stock do. I know the best advice is to buy the boat for what you plan to do with it, and while we are not wake surfers (at least not yet), we do still like to wakeboard and ski, and we might eventually take up surfing. But my question is if we don't surf much, are we giving up ride comfort to go from an R6 to the R6 surf? If the ballasts are empty will we still be producing the huge waves that surf boats produce, which is something I'd like to avoid when we are not surfing. We live on the lake and I'm one of those guys that gets p*ssed when a surf boat passes close to our dock and rocks us like we're in the ocean. I prefer not to have a boat that will produce that kind of wave every time we take it out for a ride, because we do a lot of cruising and riding even when we're not doing watersports. TIA for any advice.

[AsLan7]

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So glad you found us dawgfan.

You bring up some great points. Something many forget about is the fact that a surf boat has the outdrive with the props pulling you. Where this can be a factor is if you boat near the shallows often. When you trim the outdrive up on a surf boat it will actually drive the propellers down deeper. This can be a costly mistake. It's one of the reasons we have held off jumping to a surf boat for now. We moor off the beach and swim quite a bit when we boat. Our outdrive needs trimmed up to keep the props clear of the bottom when we motor slowly around.

The ride will be slightly rougher with the Malibu flatter hull influence. You will only generate monster waves though when you have ballast combined with the surf tabs. When not doing that, your wake will not be that much of an issue.

Any pics of your WSS?

And welcome aboard mate!'
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[Dawgfan]

Thanks Aslan - Good point on the forward-facing prop. We rarely boat in shallow water - we're about 20ft deep at the end of our dock, and I've never been one to beach our boat or get close to shore because I'm afraid of scratching up the hull. There are definitely some shallow spots on our lake, but I learned a hard lesson years ago to watch out for those (let's just say replacing a duoprop is not cheap!)

Good to know that we can have a normal wake/waves when the ballasts are not full. But when you say there will be a rougher ride with the Malibu flatter hull influence, do you mean the deep V hull design of the R6 is different for the R6 surf? The one thing I like about our 242 is the deep V hull that cuts through the huge waves produced by the large cabin cruisers and wake surf boats on our lake. I wouldn't want to lose that.

I'll find a good pic of our current boat and post it.

[dustinm]

the ride between an R6 surf and non surf will be the same with empty ballast, like A7 has mentioned. Where he is coming from with the flatter bottom is incorporated in all R6s, major design change from the R5s, basically the new even series vs the old odds.

Have the dealer take you out in both boats.. shouldnt be a difficult request for them to do if they want you to buy a new boat.... Then you can fully decide for yourself.

[Dawgfan]

Thanks, Dustin. We will definitely take a test drive before spending that much money. I would completely eliminate the R6 surf as an option if there was no way to use it without producing a huge surf-size wake, but sounds like that is not the case - we can just empty the ballasts when not surfing. So now just waiting on the dealer to respond with the best incentives they can provide before we take one out for a test ride.

[dsthomas]

We have an R8S. It's awesome! With that being said; I wouldn't own a non surf even model R boat (no offense to those that do they are fine boats). The odd series boats I think just look better, they get better GPH. They are tried and true, etc.

So if you just want to upgrade then find a nice used R5. Like someone said above, you really need to figure out if surfing is your deal. We held off on getting a surf model for a while because we thought how much fun could it be? The answer is that it's a lot of fun. Older people like my self can do it, it doesn't hurt when you crash. It doesn't take 1/10 the work that skiing, kneeboarding, wakeboarding take. Even with a full ballast you will still have a normal wake. the surf tabs are what create the wave.

So my advice is if surfings not for you look for a late model R5, if surfing is something you fall in love with then spring for one of the new R6S models. We have really enjoyed ours.

[Dawgfan]

Good advice DS. At 55 I'm still skiing and wakeboarding, so I'm sure i would love it - just never done it. We weren't even thinking about upgrading - we love our 242WSS, but the discount on the 2023 R6 non-surf is getting it down close to what I'm seeing for used R5s, which is what got us thinking about upgrading. I'm glad to hear that you like the R8S. I would love the extra room of the R8S but it would be hanging out the end of our slip and I'd have to upgrade our lift because of the weight.

[dsthomas]

I don't know price wise what they are asking for on the R6 surfs. My friend is selling his. Boat is immaculate it's a 2022 and has very low hours. The boat was kept on a lift It has many bells and whistles. You'd have to travel as the dealer he is selling it through is in Missouri and I'm guessing you're in Georgia. They bought the R6 and shortly thereafter fell in love with a lake house on a small lake here in Missouri. The lake has a size limit and his R6 surf didn't meet the requirements. I'm guessing it probably has less that 20 hrs on it so it's possibly still in the break in period. My friend is VERY particular and this boat was very well taken care of for the small time he had it. Not trying to be a salesmen or anything just seeing if I can help out a fried. Take a look at.

https://www.lakevikingmarine.com/defaul ... lt%20boats

[stifflkd]

Interested to know what options you are looking for that the R6 non-surf does not have. Unless its the color or engine package I am not aware of any option that the dealer can not provide. Granted you may not get a discount on the options but at the end of the day you will have a boat that you want. I purchased the last R5 on the lot in 2021 and had the dealer add the tower and anchor windlass and the following season add trim tabs. There is no magic that these need to be installed at the factory. The process is the same and I actually have more confidence in a dealer that has been in the business for 30 years as opposed to (?). The extra $1K - $2K I might have spent on a $150K boat is in the noise and you will have the piece of mine owning a boat that you will truly enjoy.