I must say that each year that I go to the boat show, I think about getting a new boat. I always arrive at the same conclusion. I can't buy a better boat, period. For what I do anyway, which is hang out with my family and friends all weekend at the lake wakeboarding and camping. Fuel consumption is a big one, even with premium I can spend all day on the lake running back and forth pulling riders for 20$. It would be around 50$ in another ski boat. The DD's are better on gas and are snappier out of the hole than the V drive Epics. As far as the wake size goes, the Epic SX was one of four boats in 2000 that had a pro-level wake, according to Waterski mag. CC didn't participate, they would have been up there. I don't know how objective they were, there were always large Toyota ads in the mag!
The other thing is reliability. There is not a more reliable boat that you will find. You can put 1500 hours on the motor no problem, possibly quite a bit more. Normal pushrod cast iron v8's are toast after 500 hours, maybe 1k if maintained meticulously.
The maintenance interval is 4 times longer than a Detroit V8 powered boat. 200 hrs per oil change vs 50 hrs. That is a lot of money and time that your boat is out of service or in the shop vs. an Epic. The transmission is made by Hurth, same company that makes the ZF transmissions in high end cars like Vettes and Ferraris. You cannot break the transmission in an Epic even if you try. Don't ask me how I know;)
I don't think it is the hull that is the limitation, it is the fact that Epics don't have gobs of torque and can't pull as much weight. They are one of the best handling fully weighted boats, according to Travis M. Any boat with a hull 21 ft long and a relatively flat transom and enough weight will make a big enough wake for all but the most talented riders. I can go as high and far as I'll ever want to go with my wake. See the DVD Death Cookies for guys getting massive air behind an Epic. I get comments all the time about how big my wake is compared to other boats. I am running more weight than the average Joe.
That having been said, Danny Harf told me that he put three sacks in the TRUNK of his X22, two beside the engine and one in the the walk thru!
The X22 is more comfortable and has more storage than anything else made at the time. It raised the bar. Compare the Epic to 2000 model boats, the Toyota was about 3yrs ahead of it's competitors. Interior, drivetrain, construction, etc. The first stiff, non-rattling, nice looking folding tower, immediately copied by MC (zeroflex)
It will be a collectors item, no doubt.
As for Epic comments on Wakeworld, they all start with "I've heard that.." or "This guy told me..." I used to call people on it, but I just quit going on that board. Too many knuckleheads. Here are the three recurring post titles:
My New SAN
My New Xstar, usually comes with comments like "which board has graphics that look best in my cool racks?"
My Stereo
As for whether or not you should buy an Epic, all I can say is that I am never sorry when I buy the absolute best. That is why I didn't buy a Nautique or MC or Supra or Malibu.
Plus, Malibus look like they were designed by a gay professional wrestler.
