Axis Wakeboard Boat Forum

I think you would be better off with a larger I/O boat, I really liked my crownline, it handled choppy water much better than my axis.

gibster... I would bet more people on here pull a tube, they just don't want to admit lol! I pull one quite a bit either because the kids want to, or the girls that go with us want to use it. I also pull a lot of really good wakeboarders and they will hop on the tube later in the day. I would rather pull a tube than surf... haha. I think the main complaint for people and tubes is... boaters pulling tubes in flat water...

velebrz - I have the larger motor in my boat. In my last inboard I had a merc 315 and I notice no difference in gas consumption even though this boat is larger and I run more weight. I have driven many inboards with many different engine options. The larger motor helps the boat get on plane faster... I can't help you with top speed. I don't think I have ever driven my boat WOT.

yes, the 2nd fin can be added to our boats, I was quoted roughly $600 but I am sure it would be less if you deal with them. My dealer swears by it and says he is going to order all his boats with it, but a higher up axis guy says that it is not necessary for most of us, that unless you are making super tight turns in small private ski lakes, you do not need it.

He said this knowing I ride in a small and tight riding spot, and said that even I don't need it.

As for a ballpark price, I have seen new A22's at $50k and have seen them as high as $65k. Not sure where you are at, but it depends on your area, supply and demand. My local dealer sells his axis' as fast as he unwraps them and only has a couple left...

@jgriffith : larger i/o, because of cruises, trips, and casual things without tow ?

@elc : thank you for replying elc. By the larger motor I presume you mean the 410 hp version ? Since I have absolutely no experience with inboard nor i/o engines, could you tell me approx how much your axis drinks ?? Im in the dark here, since i have only ever drove a 2 stroke 90 hp tohatsu outboard, which drank like 10 gallons per liter at WOT and about 5 at more careful use.

@johnnydefacto : valuable info about the second fin being only for very tight stuff. Thank you for the ballpark price, which I am sure varies upon location and dealership. What I meant with the question though, was the ballpark figure for fuel use, what to expect, is it like 30 gallons per hour, or more like 20 ? I know it varies upon rpm, weight, people, ballast etc...but lets say a steady use, for beginner waker, no additional ballast tanks...

IMO the axis is made to play in, not really for long cruising trips. For the same amount of money you can get a larger, nicer I/O boat that you can still pull stuff (wakeboard, tube, etc.) on but will be much more comfortable for cruising around in IMO.

I love my axis and I'm not saying its uncomfortable or handles bad, I just think it is made for playing/sports much much much more than for cruising.

hi again everyone !

just got back from the dealer.Had most of my questions answered first hand, also made appointments with one of the owners to take me for a spin this end of week ! There is only 1 axis in whole country, imagine that !!

what got me worried though, is the fact that he said the trailer that comes with the boat cannot be homologated for use on EU roads. Now that signifies a huge problem for me. If anyone is from the EU, can you confirm this ? If it is indeed true, can one buy a neutral brand trailer where the a22 or the a20 would fit on ?

he also told me that the freshwater edition can drive in saltwater just fine, if you do regular checks and sprinkle it with water. How you guys feel about this ??

regards

vele

I use my Vandall in salt all the time. I have never been in pure fresh water. After each out, I mist the boat down with fresh water and wipe it dry. I also flush the engine while im wiping the boat down. This would amount for 15-20 min of flushing. I not exaggerating and I know this is a lot of flush time; however, not being stingy on flush time will only let the boat live longer.

As for your trailer Ill look into some stuff. Anything can be re-wired. I had to re-wire a few cars coming back from Europe before. Make sure you get a galvanized trailer. You can get the one that comes with a AXIS. Light systems are cheap. I could draw a complete diagram for you on how to do this. Im surprised your dealer wont do it for you.

One last thing. Purely curiosity. How much are the boats over there?

regarding the turning...
My other inboard buddies are always amazed when I'm towing a wakeboarder, fully loaded (4000+ lbs. plus people) at around 24-25mph and I turn around in less than about 150' of water in our slough.
that things turns on a dime man!

cheers gibster and Fiveflat for the responses :

@gibster : you are too kind, with the trailer advice and all. I have to go and ask what specifically doesnt go through the examination process, to have better info for you, so you can understand what exactly is the deal.

I understand, and also agree, flushing is mandatory. I do have some iffies regarding the use here. As I understand in the states, most people use their boats "daily", in the sense they tow it to the lake/river, ride, put it out go home. Overseas, here, we go on holidays in more robust packages , of 10, 14 days. Could that be an issue,having the saltwater edition in sea for that long, and then of course have a flush seanse when you pull it out ? Daily cleaning of the interior is of course, presupposed.

about the prices, the vandall edition with the 450 HP engine is about 71k USD.

@Fiveflat : that is great man. Which prop doyou have ? with that kind of ballast, do you have to WOT it all the time ?

x2 with this. I have the same weight and my boat turns awesome and tight. But what I think 67king is referring to is maybe because of the way the prop on an outboard is so far back off the boat it can help whip a tube from side to side a little better?? Maybe he can chime in on that theory.

On another note, I rode yesterday with 3 guys, full fuel and my normal ballast set up and man, the wake was banging. 2 of the guys have ridden my boat a lot and they were all saying how great the wake felt that day. Not sure what was different, but it was awesome. One of my buddies just sold his 04 SAN and said that he prefers my wake over his. that makes me smile