R7 vs R8 surf

[ikucera]

Searched the forum and couldn’t find much so I thought I’d start a new thread. Currently have a 2016 A28 but kids have really gotten into surfing so are considering a move to R7/R8 surf. I know there was a pretty big change between the 2 boats. Would like to stick with an R7 as obviously significantly less expensive, but would consider the R8 if Feel it worth the $. Any opinions on functionality, wave quality, build quality, etc?

Thanks in advance. Cheers

[jhnmdahl]

R8 has more "modern" styling, but I don't think you'll find many here who think it's built better than the R7. Might be best to walk around in each and see what you think.

[ikucera]

Any experience with the surf wave in each? I will be stopping by our local cobalt dealer to look at both.

[mdadgar]

The general consensus here on the forum seems to be that the even Surf boats have a far superior wave to the odd boats, due to the Malibu Surf Gate tech instead of the oversize tabs on the odd boats.

I don't own either, but that's what I've noticed here feedback-wise.

[MnLakeBum]

We own an R5 Surf and the R6 Surf wave has a bit more forward push but for an experienced surfer it doesn’t really matter as the wave isn’t any bigger. The R7 with it’s extra mass, has plenty of forward push so if you can save $20k or more, I’d go that way over the R8. IMO the overall style of the R7 is better looking than the R6 or R8.

We still surf a lot but we also have a hydrofoil surfboard and with that one you don’t even need the boat in surf mode. They can surf on the hydrofoil behind our pontoon boat and stay in the wave for 20+ minutes.

[Krob1114]

We own an R5 Surf and the R6 Surf wave has a bit more forward push but for an experienced surfer it doesn’t really matter as the wave isn’t any bigger. The R7 with it’s extra mass, has plenty of forward push so if you can save $20k or more, I’d go that way over the R8. IMO the overall style of the R7 is better looking than the R6 or R8.

We still surf a lot but we also have a hydrofoil surfboard and with that one you don’t even need the boat in surf mode. They can surf on the hydrofoil behind our pontoon boat and stay in the wave for 20+ minutes.

Can you give more details on the hydrofoil surfboard.
Where to buy, ease of use, cost, etc.?
Thanks.

[MnLakeBum]

We bought ours 4 years ago from MacKite and it was about $1,400 at the time. https://www.mackiteboarding.com/slingsh ... l-package/

Behind a boat, it takes a bit more coordination than wake surfing but most can figure it out in a day or two. The battery powered wakefoil boards are pretty easy to get up on but they are very expensive - $12,000 or more. Speed of the boat is a little faster than wake surfing - 13-15mph vs 11.2 mph behind our R5 for wakesurfing. You can easily wake foil on a longer rope around 30 feet behind any boat, it works great behind our pontoon.

[Krob1114]

We bought ours 4 years ago from MacKite and it was about $1,400 at the time. https://www.mackiteboarding.com/slingsh ... l-package/

they are very expensive - $12,000 or more.

Thanks. Not in my budget.

[Norris_Boating]

We bought ours 4 years ago from MacKite and it was about $1,400 at the time. https://www.mackiteboarding.com/slingsh ... l-package/

they are very expensive - $12,000 or more.

Thanks. Not in my budget.

The R7 is running about 100k less than an R8, at least from what I have seen. If $1400 is out of your budget I would definitely go with the R7. We love ours, wave has good push but not very long. R7 runs though chop better, the bow has a larger seating area too. We have yet to pull off 360's without the rope on our wave but we are getting close. The longer wave of the R8 certainly gives beginners more room for error correction and pro's more room for tricks.

[dsthomas]

We upgraded from an R7 surf to the R8... The wave on the R8 is much better. Really like the the malibu surf gate as opposed to the huge serf tabs on the back of the R7. They are both great boats. Neither is built to the quality of cobalt pre-mailibu purchase of the company but show me something that's built better now than it was 5 or 10 years ago. I don't think you can go wrong with either one. The R7 does cut through the chop better but the R8 has a better wave. What ever is in your budget I'd go with that, you'll be happy.

[ikucera]

Appreciate the input. May hold out til next year and see if a few more R8s hit the market used.