Ski Boats for Sale

Ski Boats: what to know

A direct drive inboard built to pull a slalom skier. The engine sits amidships, the wake is small and flat and the hull tracks dead straight. A different boat entirely from a wake boat, and the better one if skiing is the point.

What to check before you buy

• Direct drive or v-drive. Direct drive puts the engine in the middle for the flattest wake. A v-drive frees up the cockpit but makes more wake.
• Check the pylon and its mounting. It takes the entire load of the pull.
• Inboards are simple and long lived, but look at the shaft log and the rudder port for drips.
• A ski boat that has been used for wakeboarding has been ballasted, which it was never built for. Ask directly.
• Good ones hold their value and there are fewer of them every year, so a clean example is worth waiting for.

Common questions

What is the difference between a ski boat and a wake boat?

Opposite goals. A ski boat makes the smallest wake it can. A wake boat makes the biggest it can. A ski boat carries its engine in the middle and has no ballast at all.

Can you wakeboard behind a ski boat?

You can, but the wake is small and flat, which is the wrong shape for it. Adding ballast to a hull not designed to carry it is not a good idea.

Are ski boats good family boats?

They are narrow, the cockpit is small and there is no bow seating. Wonderful at the one thing they do, cramped for a day out with six people and a cooler.