Seeking info on early 2000s 21v limited

[genki]

Thinking of entering the v drive market. Long time I/O owner. Slalom mainly, kids wakeboard and love to surf on friends boat. Now looking to find a good entry point into V drive. seems like the 21v was ahead of its time.

Heard the 21v from early 2000s is good for wakeboard, and surfing, but also still nice for slalom with the TAPs up. Is that correct?

What are some things I should be mindful of? Found a pretty nice ltd in my area...around $18-19k, fairly low hours. no PP.

- I know the tower is questionable. There were a few towers I think. one was metcraft? I think this tower has Tige on the side that might be better?
- wood stringers, but have lifetime guarantee. any issue here?
- freeboard ok? This one will go on a mid size like with some chop at times. how is the ride in the open water?

I am sure there are many more things...would appreciate any input. I would like to connect with any owners current our prior.

Many thanks.

[nmriordan]

Not sure if this helps but our first step into the Vdrive market was a similar boat - a 2002 20v. It was an enormous upgrade over the old I/O for lots of reasons. We slalomed and while it wasn't like a DD it was great with TAPS at 1. We also got sucked into surfing very quickly and that has become our entire family's sport of choice. Not saying that will happen to you but be prepared for it. The 21v should surf great with the right bag set up.

If you have more details on the condition (pics?), if there is any plumbed ballast, stereo specs, other accessories/features guys will chime in on their opinions on the price. What you mentioned seemed fair to me assuming there is nothing major that needs replacing. Also leave room in the budget for anything you want upgraded (cruise control is a must). I'm also a believer that exterior condition typically reflects how well the rest of the inner parts of the boat were maintained.

We boated in our 20v on a bigger lake notorious for rough water and didn't have a problem. We drive carefully and avoid the really busy spots and peak hours. For an inboard I was impressed with is well she did.

Definitely recommend a sea trial before buying and if you're not pretty mechanically inclined, bring someone that is with you and inspect the guts closely.

Good luck!


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[Thegerman618]

H20Sk8er has this boat, 2000-2001 I think. The metcrap tower is a beast to work on and usually snaps on the top crossbar if its going to go so would check there first. That will be the TAPS (1) in that year super good system and works very well. I can't speak for the slalom wake, but can attest to the wakeboard, Surfing wake/wave. Wakeboard wake is very easy to get dialed in and cleaned up on both sides good rampy wake with lots of power. Surf wake is really good, with a moderate/heavy list, just don't be afraid the stuff the bow every once in while in it. It does ride pretty high out of the water when up on plain, but idling around she sits pretty low. Pretty sure that year has the Merc 350 Mag MPI, great motor and very easy to work on, plenty of power. That specific year of hull/motor combo is good, if you re-prop with something a little more aggressive it is a blast to drive and helps get a few thousand lbs of ballast moving for surfing. Good luck, welcome to the site and post some photos. Hopefully H20Sk8er will chime in here.

[UNSTUCK]

I have a 2000 21v. It's our first boat so we have nothing to compare it to. But we love it! We got our a last summer and installed Ridesteady on it right away. We pretty much only surf as well, and with that, the "bad" tower hasn't been bad, as we don't pull much with it. I'm getting into more ballast and playing with a TAPS 3 copy that I'll install this spring. I'm excited for what it will do to our wave.

I have nothing to complain about with a 16 year old boat in original condition and 500 hours.

[kx250frider617]

I used to have a 2001 2100v limited. It is a great boat to introduce you into inboards. It was ahead of it's time with full wrap around seating, deep interior, wide beam, etc. However, it was the same time Tige said that their boats do not need ballast. When wake boarding, do not plan on loading thousands of pounds of ballast, as the wake will just wash over and be unrideable. This is due to the spray pockets. For wake surfing, I used to fill a 750 bag on the surf side locker and and have a 400 bag in the bow.

For the boat itself, it rode great in choppy water. Way better than my a22. I've never had a problem with the stringers. If you find a SoCal boat, it most likely with have the extreme phat tower, which was the best looking IMO at the time.

When you look at the boat, inspect the belt and pulleys real good. Tige designed the engine hatch to drip all the water directly onto the engine belt and pulleys. Also, check the steering cable. It's easy to replace after you sacrificed your time learning, the first time you do it.

My TAPS system stopped working becuase of a strange relay deal they used under the dash burned out, make sure that still works.
All in all, its a great boat to start with.

[genki]

Many thanks for the inputs so far, very helpful. You all have answered a lot of good questions. I will try and get pictures of the actual boat(s) that are in consideration, but don't have yet.

I'm not sure how many options of engines there were in the 2000 to 2002 range, any to stay away from?

Then, trying to figure out more on the tower. I know to stay away from the Metcraft if possible. I think this tower below was better...is that correct? The boats I have seen come with this tower:

tige tower.jpg

Thanks for the continued discussion. I will gather a few more thoughts.

Great forum you have here, hope to join more formally in the future by being an owner!

[nmriordan]

I had that tower on my 20v. No problems. Felt strong, folded ok, board rack position was a bit of a pain but not terrible.


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[laserfish]

Great boat. Have had mine since 2002 and have had very few problems. Did replace the Metcraft tower with a Samson due to an accident. Best accident ever. Never had any problems with the Metcraft. Just keep everything tight. Built like a tank, much better than other brands. Rides outstanding in rough water. With no ballast, you can still get a wake that will scare a lot of people. My son can do all kinds of invert tricks and we have never used ballast for wakeboarding. We use a 400 in the rear locker and a 200 in the ski locker and get a wireless wave that has a ton of push. Not the longest of waves, but better than most, especially for a boat built before wake surfing was thought of. If well cared for and well maintained, you will love it, especially with kids, makes you appreciate how deep the freeboard is. Good luck.

[genki]

Thanks to all for the continued assistance. this is great.

So on the engine, im finding mainly 315 HPs. Is that engine enough to get out of the water well on slalom? What was usually standard on the limited? Was there both a 315 and 330? Looking at a 2001 with the 315.

THanks

[chpthril]

I would not let the crappy tower be a deal breaker. Too many good aftermarket towers to replace it with, to let a good boat pass.

[nmriordan]

Had 315 HP in our 20v (pretty similar) and it was more than enough. I slalomed a lot as did my brother-in-law, who is 270, without any hole shot problems.


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[BurnMac42]

Another happy 21v owner here. Last summer was our first summer out and like others have mentioned, we had her out on both small and large lakes without any issues.

My surf setup is a 1100# flyhigh surf bag in the rear locker and a smaller bag under the port side seat (probably another 2-300#) and I go wireless with my cheap LF Fish board (I'm 210 pds).....

I definitely recommend if the boat doesn't have any ballast to hit up Chp for a custom enzo sac....I plan on swapping my ballast for one of those bags this summer!

[techjmw]

Owner of a 2001 21v here with the Scorpion motor (stroked 383). It has plenty of power and more than my friends newer engines. I also have a 4 blade stainless prop pre-dating the Acme props, I am still looking to upgrade eventually. There is a small high pitched whine some others have complained about, but I can't pinpoint the source and it goes away by adjusting the throttle slightly when it happens. I replaced the rubber water pump since it was disintegrated when I purchased the boat and immediately overheated. I recommend changing it and doing a tune up right away if you don't know the status. I also replaced the serpentine belt and keep the old as a spare. I have the weak and wobbly Metcraft tower, but as others said, I inspect it and ensure it is tight and I have no problems with it although it is on my list of things to replace. I replaced the Taps switch in the throttle since it was temperamental, the Taps hydraulic pump and Bennett tab O-rings in the pistons since water was intruding into the fluid of the Taps. I replaced my steering cable last year and re-upholstered the bottom seating area since they were all ripped around the seams. I love the boat, no real complaints. As others said, the Taps gives good flexibility with different types of water tow uses. We also added a bow cushion in the middle to make more of a platform, much more useable and enjoyable for our family. I added additional staineless steel pins on the swim deck, it moved a lot when in the water and was wearing out the pins that the deck slides on, this has resolved the slapping from waves and should stop the wear. I added a 12" sub and 4 6.5" tower speakers with three amps for plenty of power with dual batteries along with Bluetooth and aux in to the factory radio to retain the rear swim deck controls. The gas struts that hold the three doors open were completely failed and the doors fell with a lot of force, so I replaced all of them and now they work great, but it was challenging finding replacements with the right spec. I also added a built in smart charger with 110v receptacle with rubber seal for easily plugging in when not in the water. The boat is real spacious and I always get compliments on how nice it is, most don't know the age of it other than having a very unique looking tower (some say ugly and I tend to agree...) I have an Extreme trailer with disc brakes with breakaway tongue to fit in the garage. Once you get familiar with it, it is a beast of a boat and good value for the money.

On my list is adding XM radio and GPS and possibly upgrading the tower one day.

[fuct4datreason]

Owner of a 2001 21v here with the Scorpion motor (stroked 383). It has plenty of power and more than my friends newer engines. I also have a 4 blade stainless prop pre-dating the Acme props, I am still looking to upgrade eventually. There is a small high pitched whine some others have complained about, but I can't pinpoint the source and it goes away by adjusting the throttle slightly when it happens. I replaced the rubber water pump since it was disintegrated when I purchased the boat and immediately overheated. I recommend changing it and doing a tune up right away if you don't know the status. I also replaced the serpentine belt and keep the old as a spare. I have the weak and wobbly Metcraft tower, but as others said, I inspect it and ensure it is tight and I have no problems with it although it is on my list of things to replace. I replaced the Taps switch in the throttle since it was temperamental, the Taps hydraulic pump and Bennett tab O-rings in the pistons since water was intruding into the fluid of the Taps. I replaced my steering cable last year and re-upholstered the bottom seating area since they were all ripped around the seams. I love the boat, no real complaints. As others said, the Taps gives good flexibility with different types of water tow uses. We also added a bow cushion in the middle to make more of a platform, much more useable and enjoyable for our family. I added additional staineless steel pins on the swim deck, it moved a lot when in the water and was wearing out the pins that the deck slides on, this has resolved the slapping from waves and should stop the wear. I added a 12" sub and 4 6.5" tower speakers with three amps for plenty of power with dual batteries along with Bluetooth and aux in to the factory radio to retain the rear swim deck controls. The gas struts that hold the three doors open were completely failed and the doors fell with a lot of force, so I replaced all of them and now they work great, but it was challenging finding replacements with the right spec. I also added a built in smart charger with 110v receptacle with rubber seal for easily plugging in when not in the water. The boat is real spacious and I always get compliments on how nice it is, most don't know the age of it other than having a very unique looking tower (some say ugly and I tend to agree...) I have an Extreme trailer with disc brakes with breakaway tongue to fit in the garage. Once you get familiar with it, it is a beast of a boat and good value for the money.

On my list is adding XM radio and GPS and possibly upgrading the tower one day.

I also have a 2000 21v with the 383. I have that high pitch noise too. I can't figure out where is coming from. I also starting having issues with the shower not working. I was wondering what rubber water pump did you change?

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[techjmw]

I replaced the rubber impeller that acts as the water pump in the engine. If I figure out the high pitch whine, I will post here. I love the boat otherwise and just purchased an Acme 515 prop to upgrade which I am hoping smooths out my drivetrain and in general makes for a nicer pull and ride.

Also to add, swapped out all of my 6.5" speakers to two way Clarion with LED blue lights.