Boats

Supra Launch 20 2008

By Wakeboarding Magazine

Updated: January 1, 2008

Wakeboard Boat Review

Supra’s direct-drive Launch 20 might be the bridge between the two water-sports worlds, serving up crossover performance likely to please wakeboarders as well as skiers who might sometimes use the boat. And at just over 20 feet long, it’s both nimble on the water and easily trailerable.

Hull: With a dead drop from 43 to 47 degrees, Supra’s deep V keel is designed to keep the bow in the water for a smooth ride in nearly all conditions. The enhanced displacement is good for generating wakes and for improving tracking.

Ballast: The 750-pound standard factory ballast system — a 400-pound bow bag and 350-pound rear bag — is enough to get riders going without being intimidating. It’s enough to turn what may be a direct-drive ski boat into a model that can boost wake size for people getting into wakeboarding.

Tower: The Supra Launch 20’s standard Rad-a-Cage tower is burly enough to yank even your biggest buddies to their feet. Made with 2.375-inch tubing, it’s one tough rig. And with only four bolts needed to disengage the hinges, it can be folded down into the lounge by one person. Now that’s user-friendly.

Wake shaper: The standard Smart Plate is a very happy marriage between wake shaper and speed control that allows drivers to tweak the rider’s setup on the fly. The feature automatically adjusts the wake plate setting to deploy when and how the rider wants it.

Highlight feature: The box seat behind the driver caught our eye since it’s not often we see direct-drives that have rear-facing seating other than the observer’s seat.

The wake: Our testers found a decent factory wakeboard wake behind the Launch 20 that was fairly abrupt, but good for beginning wakeboarders and absolutely acceptable considering the Supra Launch 20’s multisport capabilities. The good news is that the wake can be ramped up to an intermediate/advanced level with added ballast.