205V Wakeboard Edition

When Paul Brothers first found his 205V VRS, he considered it a "diamond in the rough". He knew he wanted an all around towboat, but had no idea that it would become the boat it has turned into today. Having a meticulous, sometimes anal, nature allowed him to turn a basic 205V into the ultimate watersports boat, just like he wanted it; the self-named MC 205V Wakeboard Edition.

Rough Cuts

The first mods Paul made were the basic exterior functionality and cosmetics. Being as the boat had no high towpoint, he decided to have the dealer install a MC OEM 2004 Zeroflex tower with clamping racks and a mirror arm mount. For added board capacity he also added a Monster Tower board rack. Paul's dealer also threw on a matching black bimini to shade the cool gray interior on those hot, summer days. The final stage done by the dealer was hiting the powerplant with Perfect Pass Wakeboard Pro to let Paul enjoy the pull instead of get nerve racked trying to maintain speed.

With the popularity of the drip molded vinyl, Paul also decided to up the "bling" factor a little, and throw on some letters done by www.domednumbers.com; but he didn't stop with just the numbers. Paul also had some drip molded "Wakeboard Edition" decals made too finish off the badging.

Audio and Amenities

Exterior and looks done, Paul headed over to the next important area that makes chilling on the spacious sunpad all day enjoyable.......the tunes. Paul kept the stock Clarion XMD3 and Clarion cabin speakers. Getting a little more output in the cabin he wired up a Clarion APX280M that he won at the Mastercraft East Coast Owner's Reunion. To up the bottom end, Paul threw a Hifonics D-class 'Brutus' amp in the dry storage, and wired it up to a Kicker CVR12 capable of handling 400WRMS and 800W Peak. Having the right box was also important to Paul. At first he built a traditional down firing box that slipped under the bow cushion. Not quite pleased with the results for reasons only he can ascertain, Paul redesigned the box into the same location with a rear firing design to show off the CVR. He then dressed it out with a few LEDs and some lexan. Additional cupholders were also added to benefit the passengers in having handy storage locations for the tasty beverage they may be enjoying. With the sound staging under control, Paul needed help to get rid of the commercial injected ramblings of the local stations. He installed a Sirius Stilletto 100 portable satellite radio receiver near the helm to keep the channel changing at the fingertips of the pilot in charge; or pack it back into house as required.

Early morning sessions can get a little chilly and nothing stings more than a cold wet towel when its sub 60 out. Paul decided to tackle this problem by installing a Heatercraft AcuHeat 313. With three heater outlets, and umbilicals, Paul is able to make the weeniest of weenies happy when they get "too cold to go on".

Ballast

The latest area of Paul's boat build had to do with getting the not-quite-an-X-Star wake up to par on his 205. Paul began specing out a DIY ballast system. The core components Paul found through parts houses online and at the local hardware store. A few custom panels, plumbing, and a little backyard ingenuity, and Paul is able to lay down a wall of water with the push of a button (styled to match). The 205V-Wakeboard Edition now boast an astonishing 2400lbs. of DIY insanity. The ballast system consist of 1500 rear, 400 middle, 500 front (120lbs lead, 300lbs water, 80lbs bow sub box). Paul had to make a few adjustments to the dividers in the boat to accomodate the new load. A couple of DIY dividers, and the bags were AOK to not melt on the exhaust rumbling out of the beefy powerplant.

Once the ballast was in place, the stock prop just didn't have the holeshot Paul was used to. A quick run over to OJ Props combined with a little trial and error with the fine folks; and Paul was jerking all shapes and forms out of the wake like never before. Paul ended up with a "cupped" Edge prop coming in @14.25 x 14.5 with .120 cup (OJ part #472).

Results

With 2400lbs of ballast, heaters, tunes, and looks to boot, its no wonder Paul has one of the sickest boats ripping up the lake. His 205V Wakeboard edition is enough to bring a tear to an eye. The only question we have for Paul is, "What next?"