Tempted to compare the V-drive to a sterndrive? Take a look below the waterline. Today, V-drive offerings have grown beyond typical ski boat territory to include 22’, 23’, and even 25’ models. They widened beams, fashioned even more plush, richly appointed interiors, and ultimately, increased length to satisfy customer demand. Manufacturers quickly took advantage of this V-drive revolution - and the desire to include more passengers in on the fun - by building upon a ski boat’s already impeccable construction and top-notch fit and finish. The engine’s placement also naturally moves weight aft, building a better wake. The most obvious benefit is no bulky engine box interrupting a large and spacious cockpit. It drives forward to a precision gearbox, where power is then redirected aft (picture that letter V) in classic inboard fashion. The trick? That engine is essentially spun 180 degrees. The real change in the market came with the introduction of the V-Drive, and bigger, larger models designed to let everyone join in on the fun.Īs its name suggests, the V-drive maintains the prop and rudder approach of an inboard, but positions the engine in the back under seats or a sunpad…just like the average sterndrive runabout. Weighted down with ballast and outfitted with raised tow sports towers, inboards initially proved up to the task, but it was a temporary solution at best. Rather than a tiny, flat wake, they demanded a big, monstrous launch ramp, all the better to boost them skyward en route to a dizzying array of aerial maneuvers. Passengers? They’re welcome aboard…as long as they don’t mind a typically closed bow and a cumbersome engine box smack dab in the middle of the cockpit.īy the 1990s, wakeboarders began to force a change in the equation. It’s made to deliver a solid, reliable pull and a small, flat wake, ideal for slalom skiers to cross without disrupting their line. For decades, the inboard ski boat has been unapologetic in its singular focus.
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