we would ski & wakeboard on our 232 islander. wasnt the best, but none of us are professionals so it got the job done the few times we used it as a tow boat.

Agreed. I've pulled skiers and tubes and wakeboarders behind my 26.
There's a rope attachment built into the handle in the center above the swim platform.

Wake is huge for skiing which is not good, but you can have fun.
That huge wake makes for great wakeboarding and surfing.
Great tubing as well.

It really depends on if you want to ski casual or more to the hardcore and if you want to wakeboard and surf vs skiing only.

Thanks for all the comments and links. It sounds like it is still quite reasonable. I'm definitely the casual/recreational type and won't be using it for anything too technical. And reference the budget comment: I was originally intending on just getting a $10k ski boat, but I've always eyed the Baja line. I think I can justify spending up to $25k for a much larger, nicer boat knowing that it will also hold quite a bit of that value. I don't really expect to buy a 27' Baja for $10k. I did see a 1998 232 Boss for sale locally for just under $20k a few weeks ago. That seems like a great price considering the condition and hours, so something like that in a year or so will probably be perfect.