That's The Ticket: With the Advantage 22 Citation, the ride in the boat is even better than the good ride behind it.

By Matt Trulio

Seventeen years ago, the Advantage 22 Citation earned an award from Powerboat magazine. The 22-footer was one of the first models the late Harry Christensen—founder of Advantage Boats—ever built and the Test Team loved it.

This year, Advantage delivered a utility version of the 22 Citation to Parker, Ariz., and once again we were impressed. Obviously, the V-bottom wasn't meant to compete with the tow boats we tested at this year's Performance Trials, but because it was equipped with a 13th Floor wakeboard tower, we had to let our tow sports team take a crack at it.

The 22 Citation kicked up enough wake for the average boarder, yet it cruised at nearly 50 mph on fuel-efficient small-block power. Better yet, when the water turned scrappy, it got us home without beating us senseless.

PERFORMANCE
With a 320-horsepower MerCruiser MX 6.2 MPI engine under the hatch, the 22 Citation topped out at 58.4 mph. With like power, the average wakeboard boat would probably hit 45 mph. At a cruising rpm of 4,000, the boat settled in at 48 mph, a speed most tow boats can't reach.

We realize this is far from an apples-to-apples comparison. But if driving experience, ride quality and overall performance are as important to you as the wakes behind the boat, then the 22 Citation is an outstanding choice. Without question, it outperformed all of the runabouts dressed for boarding that we tested during the 2007 Performance Trials.

Time to plane was 4.7 seconds—appropriate for a deep-V performance boat, but a bit slow compared to a dedicated tow boat. From a standing start, the boat reached 53 mph in 15 seconds. It ran from 20 to 40 mph in 5.4 seconds and from 30 to 50 mph in 7.5 seconds.

The 22 Citation fared reasonably well in turns at cruising and full speed, which will come in handy when you need to get back to a fallen rider. It also carved steadily through corners, tracked perfectly and made short work of tall chop. For a 22-footer, rough-water ride quality was excellent.

TOWED SPORTS
With the boat's snappy throttle response, deep-water starts were easy for our boarders. That said, riders will want to stay tucked a microsecond longer than they would coming up behind a purpose-built wakeboard boat, which because of its propulsion setup provides instant holeshot.

Once up, beginner and intermediate riders—that means most of us—should enjoy the wakes that were plenty tall. Unfortunately, the only way to adjust wake height and shape was with boat speed or moving passengers to the stern—again the 22-footer was adapted for towing, not built specifically for it. As the boat speed dropped, the wake tops began to crumble, but they'll still be fine for most riders.

Controlling the 22 Citation's towing wasn't a major challenge for our drivers, although it certainly wasn't as easy as it is in a dedicated wakeboard boat. Mercury's SmartTow speed-control system, which is offered for SmartCraft engines where applicable, might be a good choice for buyers who plan to do a lot of towing behind the 22-footer.

"Someone who's not totally committed to wakeboarding but is totally committed to having fun—that's the buyer for this boat," said one of our wakeboarders.

WORKMANSHIP
As the 22 Citation came from a noted builder, we expected its construction quality to be high. And as expected, we were not disappointed. The boat was laid up with vinylester resin, 1-1/2- and 3-ounce mat, Coremat and 1208, 1708 and 2408 Knitex fiberglass.

No vinyl tape was used in the graphics that were handled entirely in the gelcoat. Hues of white, red and blue were vibrant and crisply separated from one another. Advantage installed a thick plastic rubrail to protect the hullsides.

Both of our performance and wakeboarding Test Teams commented on the absence of rattles from the tower. Additional hardware included a ski-tow, four billet cleats, navigation lights and a boarding ladder on the integrated swim platform.

The 22 Citation was outfitted with a pair of screw jacks that raised the engine hatch. The small-block engine was installed in performance-boat fashion, meaning it was mounted on L-angles through-bolted to the stringers. Wiring was simple and well supported, and the bilge was covered in spatter gelcoat.

INTERIOR
Advantage laid out the 22 Citation with a sun pad, a rear bench, twin bolster seats with manual dropout bottoms and open-bow lounges. For stowing wakeboards, there were racks on the tower. The in-sole locker also could be used for stashing a board, as well as water skis or life jackets. Gunwale trays provided additional stowage areas.

At the port-side co-pilot's station, there was a large locking glove box, a stainless-steel cupholder and a flip-up windscreen. A smart addition, the windscreen effectively deflected the breeze when the boat was underway.

The helm was outfitted with the standard array of gauges privately labeled for Advantage, a tilt steering wheel, a Mercury throttle and shifter and an adjustable rearview mirror. You don't often find a mirror on a performance boat, but on one set up for towing, it made perfect sense.

Ahead of the cockpit, there were zipper-door stowage compartments and the previously noted lounges.

OVERALL
For families looking for a fun sport boat that can pull wakeboarding duty, the 22 Citation is an exceptional choice. Checking in at $66,000—comparable to tow-boat pricing—the 22-footer offers strong performance, a smooth ride in rough water, great build quality and enough wake to please the average rider. It's still a winner in our book.

See the Performance Trials test results HERE.

Click to enlarge.