Discover the only boat designed to bring together wave performance, luxury amenities, and spacious comfort without any compromise… The Paradigm Wake Surf Pontoon/Tritoon boat availabile in Arizona, Texas, Kansas, Missouri & Oklahoma.
The Paradigm Surf Series is made to thrill, built to connect, and crafted for unforgettable days on the water. As a family-owned boutique manufacturer in Phoenix with over 30 years of expertise, we design and craft surf deck and pontoon boats that seamlessly combine comfort and performance. Every boat we build reflects our dedication to precision, quality, and innovation, ensuring a smooth ride and thrilling adventure. What truly sets Paradigm apart is our focus on delivering a boat that exceeds expectations—where performance, craftsmanship, and attention to detail come together to create an unparalleled on-water experience.
Paradigm Boats pushes the limits of performance with Volvo Penta’s Forward Drive technology. Featuring two forward-facing, counter-rotating props, the new Duoprop delivers a smoother ride, better maneuverability, and greater fuel efficiency. The forward-facing design enhances safety for surfers, skiers, and swimmers, making every adventure effortless. With cutting-edge engineering, we’re shaping the future of boating.
Before he started Paradigm Boats, Scott Buchanan sold boats for 35 years, including high-end pontoons such as Bennington and South Bay. So when he considered creating a unique boat brand, he took a look at the marketplace. He saw that the two hottest segments were pontoons and wakesurf boats, and the forehead-slapping realization hit him: why not take the best of both and combine them into one boat?
After three years of development, Paradigm launched the Surf series, which includes the 266 Surf we tested. It is a fiberglass-hulled boat with a pontoon boat deck and layout. Technically, it’s a deck boat, but no one will confuse it with the more traditional designs from Hurricane or NauticStar.
Paradagim Wake Surf Boat Specs
LOA: 26 feet, 6 inches (29 feet, 6 inches with swim platforms)
Beam: 8 feet, 6 inches
Dry weight: 7,205 pounds
Deadrise: 14 degrees
Fuel: 100 gallons
Passenger capacity: 17
Ballast: 4,050 pounds
Power and Performance
Engines: Volvo Penta V8 FWD
Cylinders: V-8
Displacement: 6.2L
Top speed: 46.5 mph @ 5950 rpm
Best cruise: 25 mph @ 4000 rpm (1.8 mpg)
Time to plane: 4.9 seconds
Time to 30 mph: 10.4 seconds
Features We Love
Volvo Penta Forward Drive
Carbon fiber arch
Twin Bimini tops (optional)
Intuitive helm controls for surfing
Responsive steering
Seakeeper 1 gyrostabilizer (optional)
Tiered swim platforms
Surf Blade System
Galley console
Cool Touch upholstery
Easy-to-fill ballast tanks
Paradigm 266 Surf Engine
Volvo Penta’s Forward Drive is a game-changer for a surf boat. The most significant limitation of the more traditional V-drive found on most surf boats is that it is fixed in position. The driver can’t alter the boat’s trim with the drive to reduce the hull’s wetted surface for increased speed and fuel economy. A V-drive also relies on a rudder for steering, which works pretty well when traveling fast but not so well around the dock because water must flow over it to be effective.
The 380 hp 6.2L Volvo Penta FWD engine is standard. Any buyer who wants to carry a big crowd and go faster should consider upgrading to the 430 hp version of the 6.2L motor. It is a $7,637 option we would recommend.
Performance and Handling
The Volvo Penta engine’s 430 hp proved to have plenty of power to pull this boat. It reached plane in 4.9 seconds and hit 30 mph in 10.4 seconds. That’s a decent holeshot to get skiers up and going. At 4500 rpm, it produced a relatively flat wake for slalom skiers at a speed of 32.2 mph and burned 18.6 gallons of gas per hour, for a fuel economy of 1.7 mpg.
Its best economic cruise speed was at a wakeboard-happy speed of 25 mph, which netted 1.8 mpg. As I previously mentioned, it reached a top speed of 46.5 mph with six people on board.
Volvo Penta Inboard Motor
The Volvo Penta FWD configuration has another strength: its turning ability. Because the boat’s pivot point is farther forward than on most boats, it is very responsive in turns. Some drivers might find it a bit twitchy at first because it turns crisply with only a small wheel movement. Hard turns were a blast; it leaned over at an angle that let me know this wasn’t a pontoon boat. The benefit comes when a surfer or skier falls. The driver can whip it into a 180 and retrieve them quickly.
The Surfing Wave
Conditions for our sea trial were less than ideal for a wakesurf boat. First, I conducted it at the Miami International Boat Show, which means I tested it in the Atlantic Ocean. Saltwater is more buoyant than freshwater and hinders the hull’s ability to settle deeper into the water. Next, sea conditions were steep 2-footers over the 8-foot-deep water of Biscayne Bay. That is far shallower than the recommended 15 to 18 feet of depth needed to form an ideal surfing wave.
Who Is the Paradigm 266 Surf For?
Boat owners who live and breathe wakesurfing will likely prefer a more traditional wake chariot. Most avid boaters like to do a variety of things, however, and want to be comfortable, with plenty of room to move around. Perhaps the builder should name this boat the Paradigm 266 Surf, Cruise, Entertain, Sandbar, Sunset Cruise Day Boat to reflect its true nature.
Trick It Out
Paradigm uses à la carte pricing, allowing owners to choose only their desired options. Most notable and unusual for a surf boat is the Seakeeper 1 option for $25,000. That’s not an insignificant amount but is less than the retail price of this gyroscope that reduces up to 95 percent of a boat’s side-to-side roll.
Our test boat didn’t include Seakeeper’s Ride Vessel Attitude Control System, but it will shift from a $12,931 option to a standard feature on future models. It uses curved tab-like devices to accomplish the following:
- Vastly reduce the up and down movement of the bow
- Keep the boat automatically running level
- Improve holeshots
Increase your Paradigm 266 Surf’s nighttime entertainment vibe and visibility by choosing the optional underwater RGB lights ($1,983). Its 8-foot, 6-inch beam eliminates the need to jump through any wide-load hoops on most roadways, and Paradigm offers a custom trailer for $20,662.
A premium upgrade to the Rockford Fosgate stereo system costs $3,780, and adding two speakers to the arch costs $1,317.
Head Compartment
Our test boat didn’t have a head, but owners can add one in two ways. The least expensive way is to install a Porta-Potti with a changing curtain ($2,495) at the rear of the portside bow lounge. A flushable head with pumpout and a sink with running water requires the addition of a portside console and costs $6,750.
Challenges
A raised bar on the aft end of the stern lounge does a couple of things. It aids in passenger containment during acceleration and discourages people from sitting at the back of the pad with their feet on the swim platform when running (an action law enforcement officers may consider illegal depending on laws in your area). But it also eliminates a great place to hang out, gaze at the sunset, watch the kids swim, or boot up for a run. A clever workaround to fix this dilemma would be a drop-down rail with a sensor. It could let the driver know it’s in the down position before they place the boat in gear.
When I first saw this boat baking in the South Florida sun, I cringed. All I could see was dark upholstery—cognac and dark gray—and custom black flooring ($13,225). But it was Cool Touch fabric, so it wasn’t as hot as I expected. And apparently, the Twisted Traction padded deck has similar properties, because instead of being like a game of “The Floor is Lava,” it was merely warm. Still, I would prefer lighter colors for both.
Our test boat was docked at a nonfloating dock, and boarding at low tide proved difficult. There was no gunwale to stand on to step down into the cockpit, so we had to trod on the beautiful upholstery—we covered it with a towel—and grab the Bimini top for a handhold.
One area where this boat is similar to a mainstream wakesurf boat is the price. A well-equipped Paradigm 266 Surf will cost about $350,000. Loading it up with all the options, including a Lewmar bow thruster, will push the price beyond $400,000.
Conclusion
The Paradigm 266 Surf is an excellent choice for owners who like to surf but don’t want a one-trick pony of a boat. Because of its layout, entertaining amenities, and performance with the Volvo-Penta FWD powerplant, it’s a boat that can do it all.
