Boats

Key Features To Look For In A Watersports Boat

A look at a top-line Supra provides a great buyers guide for those seeking a new towboat.

By Garrett Cortese

Updated: June 6, 2018

Key Features To Look For In A Waterpsports Boat

Watersports boats are loaded with specialized features and technology designed to allow riders to perform. Courtesy Supra Boats

We know that most of our readers are experienced boaters. In fact, our average reader currently owns their third boat and has been boating since childhood. That’s real experience.

The other side of that coin is nobody can know everything. Plus, some classes of boats, such as watersports boats like the Supra SA 550 pictured here, have evolved exponentially in just the last few years. The systems and features these boats possess might just impress even the most experienced boaters in our readership.

Specialized engines, like the Raptor by Indmar series used by Supra, are engineered with the torque and power to deliver watersports thrills. Courtesy Supra Boats

Electric Tower

The Supra Power Tower is a great example of a watersports tower that folds for storage, trailering or a low bridge at the touch of a button.

High-Performance V-Drive

High-output engines, like the Indmar Raptor in the SA 550, turn props through a V-drive gear for maximized torque and speed control and provide safety while wakesurfing.

Swivel Board Racks

Board racks, like these PTM swivel board racks, provide ease of access and space-saving functionality.

Rider profiles are easy to save and run from the high-tech helm. Courtesy Supra Boats

E-Z Bimini

Supra’s Max Coverage Bimini is a great example of a Bimini top that snaps into place rather than requiring cumbersome pins, and it can be deployed or folded by one person.

Big-ScreenControl

The newest boats feature big-screen displays, such as Supra’s Vision Touch Dash, that enable monitoring and operation of all systems in a convenient, easy-to-see manner.

Steering-Wheel Controls

Supra places audio and wake-shaping control buttons so that adjustments can be made without the need to take your hands from the wheel.

Power Heated Seat

The “cool” factor of a heated seat that’s also power-adjustable is undeniable. Few comforts prove more coveted on cool mornings with mist rising from flat water.

Subfloor ballast tanks can be filled with the push of a button. Courtesy Supra Boats

Ballast Systems

Most modern wakeboats offer subfloor ballast tanks that can be filled with the push of a button to beef up wakes and waves. Up to 3,500 pounds can be pumped aboard the SA 550, in four locations.

AutoWake Control

While precise adjustments and custom profiles can be dialed in manually, Supra’s AutoWake takes the trouble out of shifting weight or passengers around by detecting the boat’s pitch and roll and automatically adjusting ballast as needed for optimal wake shape and size. Settings can be saved as presets so that AutoWake can adjust for each rider.

Wake-shaping devices adjust a wake or wave’s height and length. Courtesy Supra Boats

Wake Shaping

Wake-shaping devices come in two forms on today’s watersports boats: center-mounted transom tabs and port and starboard plates. The port and starboard plates are designed to be used for wakesurfing. Once deployed, the plate changes the direction of water coming off the boat’s hull on that side, thereby making a large, surfable wave on the other side. Center-mounted tabs, like Supra’s Smart Plate, change the hull’s running surface, which allows them to adjust a wake or wave’s height and length.