Sanger (Caution: wake boat content)

footer said:

We're going to get a wakeboard boat. (Yes, I know it's not the most popular idea on RDP, but I'm willing to do whatever it takes to keep my kid stoked on going to the lake.) There's a dealer not to far away selling Sanger boats, and they look great for the price, but are a pretty rare brand up here. In doing online research I can find out everything I need to know about the big brands (Nautique, Mastercraft, Malibu, etc...), but there's no tests or reviews on Sanger. Do any of you West Coasters have first hand experience with Sanger's newer wake boat models? The model we're specifically interested in the 212 SL. Any feedback on their quality and performance would be appreciated. Thanks.

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Boat Bling said:

Wakeworld can be a good resource but not as many helpful posters around vs a few years ago. Everyone has their favorite brand especially when spending someone else's $, you'll be steered into a $125k Nautique G23 within the 1st 5 posts

Sangers are well built boats and have stayed simple while the big 3 (Malibu, Mastercraft, Nautique) have pushed the envelope with glass dashboards and luxury car-like features. Sanger is a West Coast brand with little penetration in other parts of the country so if you go to sell down the road your market will be limited. They tend to have deeper V hulls so they surf well with less weight the tradeoff being wakeboard speed will need to be faster to maintain a clean wake. This can be tough for young kids who are learning. Catching an edge is exponentially more painful at 21mph vs 18.

Unlike custom boats where you typically purchase direct from the factory or one of a few select dealers, the dealer plays a huge part in the wake boat ownership experience and is IMO far more important than the brand you end up in assuming you're buying new. A good dealer will go to bat for warranty issues, perform quick repairs in the middle of busy season, etc while others you may be on your own.

I'm not sure how far you are from the Minneapolis area but Minnesota Inboard is the highest volume Malibu dealer in the country and their service after the sale is outstanding. The Axis line is Malibu's price point brand and should be comparable to a Sanger. Go out and demo a few models from different dealers to find out what you like and more importantly, who wants to earn your long term business.

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Boat Bling said:

Wakeworld can be a good resource but not as many helpful posters around vs a few years ago. Everyone has their favorite brand especially when spending someone else's $, you'll be steered into a $125k Nautique G23 within the 1st 5 posts

Sangers are well built boats and have stayed simple while the big 3 (Malibu, Mastercraft, Nautique) have pushed the envelope with glass dashboards and luxury car-like features. Sanger is a West Coast brand with little penetration in other parts of the country so if you go to sell down the road your market will be limited. They tend to have deeper V hulls so they surf well with less weight the tradeoff being wakeboard speed will need to be faster to maintain a clean wake. This can be tough for young kids who are learning. Catching an edge is exponentially more painful at 21mph vs 18.

Unlike custom boats where you typically purchase direct from the factory or one of a few select dealers, the dealer plays a huge part in the wake boat ownership experience and is IMO far more important than the brand you end up in assuming you're buying new. A good dealer will go to bat for warranty issues, perform quick repairs in the middle of busy season, etc while others you may be on your own.

I'm not sure how far you are from the Minneapolis area but Minnesota Inboard is the highest volume Malibu dealer in the country and their service after the sale is outstanding. The Axis line is Malibu's price point brand and should be comparable to a Sanger. Go out and demo a few models from different dealers to find out what you like and more importantly, who wants to earn your long term business.

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Sleek-Jet said:

So to hijack the thread a bit, where do you go boating in WI? Our family place in MN is a bit of a haul for the weekend, looking for something closer.

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