2021 Heyday H22

Overview

The Heyday H22 costs thousands less than similar boats, sports fresh aesthetics, and it rides deep and wide on the water. The extra depth means more displacement for bigger waves and wakes, and the extra beam enhances stability when the whole gang is aboard.

Interior and Accessories

Offering seating for 14 means the H22 provides room for everyone. Boarding from the 2-foot-2-inch removable swim platform, the new and innovative transformational rear-facing seats and sun pad catch your eye. Slickly engineered, this allows you to reconfigure the cockpit from two rear-facing bucket seats to a flat and spacious sun deck in seconds. And because both seats sit well below the gunwale, it is completely legal for the crew to enjoy the view from them while underway.

Also, the sliding stadium seating allows friends and family to relax for a forward-facing ride, or slide the cushion into the center of the boat for a rear-facing view of the action happening in the wake. In the bow, Heyday created one of the largest playpen-style seating arrangements for a boat this size. With the ability to reconfigure the area to have a walk-through aisle or to close off the area completely with the cushion-backed windscreen, Heyday delivers ample configuration choices to relax and enjoy the action.

Throughout the H22, two-tone Gatorstep decking provides traction, comfort and durability while color-matching the vinyl seating. Elegant stitching and attention to detail give you the look of luxury without sacrificing toughness.

At the helm, a clear and uncluttered dash provides quick access to all of your immediate operational needs. It is highlighted by a 9-inch Simrad touchscreen with custom Heyday software, which creates an intuitive experience for controlling the speed, filling and emptying the ballast, and choosing “surf left” or “surf right” with the tap of your finger. The wireless charging station comes standard and will keep your phones running at full power without the need to keep track of any pesky cables.

Without any compartments next to the engine, there isn’t room for ballast bags. Any extra ballast or lead will need to go under the seat cushions or on the cockpit sole. But with no optional engine upgrades, loading this boat with much more additional ballast might be a moot point.

The standard Force tower folds up or down with the help of gas-assist struts, making tower stowage or deployment a one-person job. Add on the PTM billeted aluminum swiveling board racks ($1,215) with three position locking options, and you’ll have the ability to keep boards of all shapes and sizes out of the way. On top of the Force Tower, you’ll have the option of attaching your GoPro camera to the tow hitch, giving you a great mount for hands-free filming. Surf tow knobs on the inner corners of the tower provide different options for avid surfing enthusiasts. From the underside of the tower, you’ll notice a projector shining the Heyday logo down onto the cockpit sole. This fun feature, coupled with the many interior, docking and underwater lighting options, ensures that the H22 remains visible and stylish at all hours of the day and night.

Keeping the audio awesome, this boat is equipped with six Rockford Fosgate 6.5-inch speakers. With audio controls at the helm and an optional control at the swim platform ($240), you can tailor your music no matter where you are relaxing. With the optional Audio Boost ($3,930), Rockford Fosgate tower speakers, 10-inch subwoofer and amplifier, your tunes will play with crystal clarity while riding or surfing.

Engine

A 370 hp 6.2L MerCruiser T6200 V-8 Tow Sports V-drive powers the Heyday’s fun. The stock ballast of 2,950 pounds in four undersole tanks (rear starboard, rear port, bow starboard and bow port) took seven minutes to fill.

For wakeboarding, at 22 mph with ballast full plus 415 pounds of crew and the trim tab up, the wake was clean and large but not overly intimidating. Both sides offered a good transition face, with not much lip at the top. This suits beginner to advanced riders.

For surfing, we set the H22 at 12 mph and utilized the “surf left/surf right” presets with the same 415 pounds of crew weight and the trim tab in the up position. The surf wave was long with considerable amounts of push. The large pocket will allow surfers of all levels to find the sweet spot and stay in it with ease.

Heyday has stripped down the extra frills and built a great wakeboat that is meant to be functional instead of flashy. The H22 will absolutely be one of the better price-point wakeboats on the market, which is what it is designed to be. If there were engine upgrades and ballast upgrades available, this boat could be just as good or better than the other price-point boat brands. But with a price tag that keeps this boat $15,000 to $25,000 less than the other brands, we doubt there will be much complaining.

How We Tested

• Engine: 370 hp 6.2L MerCruiser T6200 HO ECT V-8
• Drive/Prop: V-drive/15 1/2″ x 15″ nibral
• Gear Ratio: 1.95:1 Fuel Load: 40 gal. Water on Board: 0 gal. Crew Weight: 415 lb.

High Points

• Affordable without being cheap—quite a feat!
• Configurable aft cockpit is super cool.
• Wireless phone charging, intuitive touchscreen controls and sweet touches like the logo projector.

Low Points

• Cool, innovative aft seating reduces stowage and space for additional ballast bags or lead.
• Only one engine option.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

Heyday Wake Boats – Knoxville, Tennessee; heydaywakeboats.com