Wake Boats Vs. Ski Boats: A Comparison

If you or someone in your family is interested in watersports, then you know that it’s necessary to have the right kind of boat to participate in these pastimes. Wakeboarding, water skiing and other marine-based activities require a boat that’s capable of towing sports participants and providing the wakes for them to jump and perform tricks on. The two main types of boats designed to provide these features are ski boats and wake boats, and each has its own merits worthy of your consideration.

JC Sports, located in Seneca, is your South Carolina wake and ski boat dealer, serving our customers in Anderson and Greenville. Here is a comparison between the two main styles of watersports boats so you can determine the right choice for you.

Ski Boats

As the name implies, ski boats were initially developed during the latter part of the 20th century to make water skiing of various types possible. Ski boat engines usually have direct-drive transmissions and sit in the center of the boat to help create fast acceleration and prevent large wakes from forming off the stern. Skiers who want to perform stunts might benefit from a V-drive transmission that can offer slower speeds.

Wake Boats

This type of boat was created for those more elaborate watersports, including wake surfing and wakeboarding. Wake boats are designed with sterns that sit lower in the water, thanks to the strategic use of ballast, and other features like hydrofoil plates that help them to create really big wakes that the operator can then shape and hone for the wakeboarder or wake surfer. V-drive inboard engines are typically placed on wake boats or outboard engines are used to make those wakes big and fun to jump.

Which Should I Choose? 

It depends on what type of watersports you and your friends or family like to do. Your average ski boat is not very spacious and is primarily designed for skiers instead of many types of watersports. Ski boats can’t and aren’t meant to generate big wakes, so they would be useless for sports like wakeboarding.

Compared to ski boats, wake boats are much more spacious and have more room for more passengers. They also have more features to generate the big wakes needed for extreme watersports. Wakeboarders will prefer the features on a wake boat and water skiers will prefer what ski boats can do.

Ready to make your final choice? Stop by our Seneca, SC, dealership today to check out our current stock of new and used ski and wake boats for sale. We can even assist you with financing options if you require them. JC Sports proudly serves the cities of Greenville and Anderson, SC.