Looking for best boat <$30k in So CA for skiing & wak

[Frankied]

Looking for best boat &lt;$30k in So CA.

Hope that I didn't just double post!

I am new to Natiques but have heard some hearty recommendations for your make! We are looking for the best boat that suits our skiing and wakeboarding needs so would appreciate any leads or additional info regarding which models would best suit our needs. I think that a tower and ballast system are minimum requirements but don't know enough about Natiques to narrow my choices. Any additional info or leads would certianly be appreciated. Thanks,

Frank Donahue
Ventura, CA

[Rick]

Frank a trip to California Correct Craft in Riverside should be your first stop. They are very knowledgeable and probably have just the boat your looking for.

[yukon]

Hi Frank,

You may want to consider the SNOB I have for sale. I've been using it for both skiing and wakeboardind and it's been great. Never used the Fat Sack I have as I was happy with the wakeboard wake without it. With a couple passengers in the rear it was even better.

And... about half of $30K. I have more pics I can email if you're interested.

Regards,
yukon

[Frankied]

Yukon: SNOB = ??? I would need more particulars to consider.
Rick: I actually spoke with someone from CA CC at the boat show and have requested that they keep an eye ot. I just haven't been recommended any specific models to look out for...
Thaks for the input

[Rick]

SNOB Ski Nautique Open Bow as opposed to an SAN Super Air Nautique or SN Ski Nautique or POS anybody else

[skinautique]

Frankie -
Here is a little run down for you on the different boats:
Ski Nautique - Mainly Slalom Skiing - produces low and soft wakes
Ski Nautique Open Bow or SNOB - Same boat with a walk over the dash open bow - Similar wake sizes to the closed bow
Sport/Air Nautique - 21.5 foot boat - direct drive (engine mounted in the center) - good crossover boat for skiing and wakeboarding.
Super Air or Super Sport Nautique - Vdrive (engine in the back) - 21 foot boat. Open bow with a hull that is designed to produced a bigger wake. More ideal for wakeboarding. It is skiable for a recreational style skier that only skis a couple of times a year.

By the sounds of what you are looking for, you want to find a sport or an air nautique. You can put a tower on there if it doesn't have it and load it with fat sacs. If you wanted to spend the money, you can add factory ballast tanks if it doesn't have it already.

Hope this helps. If you need more help, let me know.

[Frankied]

SkiNatique. Now THAT's the information that I was looking

Now that is what I was looking for!! I do believe that I want a direct drive, preferably already with the tower and balasts installed. I wasn't aware that you could actually add this later. Is there a substantial cost to this? If not, that certainly leaves me with more options. THANKS again for the input from you and the others...

FrankieD

[SGY]

stretch it.

Frank,

If you can stretch your budget $3,000 to $4,000 you can get a used 2003 206. Awesome hard core slalom boat with intermediate wakeboard characteristics. There are lots out there. In my mind there is such a difference between the new Nautiques (2003 and newer) and the earlier models, it's well worth the additional dollars. The difference between my 99 SNOB and the 2003 206 was dramatic.

If you are interested, PM and I'll see if I can help you find something.

[Frankied]

SGY and everyone, thanks for the info

So, from what I gather, the hull design changed for 2003?? Was this a fairly significant change? One of the other makes that I'm considering is a Malibu and I know that I should be looking for the non-diamond hull. Are there a number of Natique hull designs and one in particular that would best suit our needs for a good balance between wakeboarding and skiing?? If I find the right boat, I'm sure that I will be able to budget around a few grand difference so any leads in the area would certainly be appreciated! Hope that everyone has a happy and safe Easter weekend...

FrankieD
Ventura, CA

[SGY]

Newer CC boats

Hey Frank, all good questions. The big hull design change came in 2002 when CC went from the TSC hull to the TSC2 hull. (TSC=Total Surface Control) The new hull was, among other things, designed to rechannel the rooster tail resulting in softer and smoother wakes. I understand from shortline skiers that the TSC2 hull's wakes are better than the TSC hull wakes. At longer line lengths, I haven't noticed a huge difference. I think this new design also resulted in a shallower shaft angle--from around 14 degrees to 12 degrees. The new shaft angle has several benefits--including quicker planning. The TSC2 hulled boat is also easier to handle at slower docking speeds than the TSC hulled boats. In 2002, the TSC2 hull was only used on the closed bow ski nautique. The 2002 SNOB still used the original TSC hull.

In 2003 CC came out with the SN 206 and the Sport Nautique 216. Both benefited from the TSC2 hull. However, the 206 has a walk through open bow and is a foot and one and one half inches longer than the closed bow Ski Nautique, now referred to as the Ski Nautique 196. The 216 is two feet and one and one half inches longer than the 196. The 206 is considered a hard core slalom boat. It has ski wakes that are very similar to the 196. (See the reviews on this web site.) I can attest to the 206. It is an awesome boat. The 206 handles better than my 99 SNOB and skies better as well. It is also considerably quieter and smoother than my 99 SNOB. The 206 at slower speeds has a decent wakeboard wake--classified as intermediate. I've ridden in alot of CC products. The 206, in my opinion, is the best all around ski boat made.

The 216 is the mirror image of the 206. It has more storage room and the bow seems bigger. You can also fit a larger ski in the rear trunk. The slalom wake behind the 216 is not as good as the 206--but the wakeboard wake is better. Note that the 216 and the 206 are both AWSA approved for slalom tournaments. The 216 was made to replace the Sport Nautique. In my opinion, CC did a very good job in upgrading the Sport Nautique with the 216.

I hope you get to test drive both the 216 and the 206 before you make a decision. The 206 compares very favorably to Malibu's Response LXI. The Response is also a walk through open bow. It looks to be a very nice boat. Take a look at the forum at malibuboatowners.com. There you will get a great deal of information on this and other Malibu products. To answer your question, if you lean more towards wakeboarding, the non-diamond hull product will be the best. I think most of the direct drive Wakesetter models ride on this hull.

Any Response from 1998 use the SV23 Diamond hull. In 1999 Malibu made a few tweaks to the hull such as moving the engine placement to make it a tad better. There is a good review and comparison of the 1999 Response to the 99 SNOB on Malibuboatowners.com. (I think the link deals with comparing the Sunsetter with the Response.) In that thread, Tom Rutat reprints his 1999 review which indicates that the slalom wakes behind the Response are close, but not as good as the 99 Ski Nautique wakes--especially at longer line lengths.

As far as pricing is concerned, the Nautiques are going to cost you more $$$$. However, Malibu is closing the gap. Here in Colorado, a fully loaded Response LXI goes new for $39,950. A new 206 Limited Edition at Taylor Boats in Salt Lake City goes for $43,500. However, the 206 has tower and ballast. The LXI does not. So, they are fairly close in price. You'll see that used 206's and LXI's are seperated by a few thousand dollars.

Good luck. Don't hesistate to email me if you have any questions.

[Deuce]

Frank,

CCC may have a boat that fits your needs perfectly. I will attach the link.http://www.boattraderonline.com/addetail.html?65847922

I understand CCC has had some recent tragedy in their family and this may explain their lack of follow up from the boat show.

Side note, if you are looking at Malibu also, I think you might as well add the Mastercraft Prostar 209(X-9) to your list. I think that once you narrow things to Correct Craft, Malibu and Mastercraft you are pretty much assured that you will get a pretty great boat. Your decision then comes down to the little things that make or break the boat for you. I think the biggest of the little things is Dealer. You have to have someone who you can take care of you after you get the boat. When I decided that I wanted to get rid of my Cobalt in favor of an inboard, my decision was easy. I already had a great relationship with Taylor's Boats and I was fortunate that they also carry Correct Craft. A good dealer can make or break your boating experience if you have a problem with the boat.

Best of luck on your search.

E.J.

[Frankied]

Deuce, Thanks for the lead and advice...

With the MC, I wasn't sure what models to look for and had posted on their forum but didn't get a response yet..... Thanks again