Ski Nautique 200 - Driver's View Photos

[NautiqueJeff]

Re: RE: Ski Nautique 200 - Driver

I took a few. I will post more in a little while. I am jumping on plane right now.

Whoa whoa whoa there boss man. We don't give a rat's backside about boarding any plane!! :twisted: Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

How did it drive? Was it all that and a bag of potato chips? Did you ski behind it?

And more importantly............WHY WASN'T I INVITED?!?!?!? :x Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

Well, it sure seems to live up to the hype. It drives like you would expect - pretty much perfectly. I did not ski behind it, and I did not pull a skier, so I guess that limits my test a little bit.

The layout is really great. The first thing I noticed was that the side trunks do not protrude into the boat nearly as far as they appear to in most of the photos that have been released. They are very spacious, but I was EASILY able to walk between them and the engine cover without touching either.

The rear seat pops out very easily, and the step up and out to the platform is well-thought-out.

The ZO controls are right next to the throttle control, and are very easy to adjust as needed.

A ton of work went into the hull design, and they explained what was done in order to achieve certain traits. They really did some incredible work to get this boat to perform like it does.

The optional tournament seat extension is a great design too. It folds down easily and has a pad on the back so that it can be stepped on to access the open bow. It can also be detached very easily and stored under the main observer's seat.

I got to climb around a closed bow too, but we didn't take it out on the water. The open bow had the Linc system, which is amazing. The closed bow had the gauges in place of the Linc system. The gauges are a HUGE improvement over the gauges from years past, and some people like them better than the '09 Team gauges. The CB had the teak-look non-skid. That stuff really adds to the look of the boat, especially the CB.

I have pictures of most of this. I will try to post them soon.

[SNMike]

Re: RE: Ski Nautique 200 - Driver

I took a few. I will post more in a little while. I am jumping on plane right now.

Whoa whoa whoa there boss man. We don't give a rat's backside about boarding any plane!! :twisted: Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

How did it drive? Was it all that and a bag of potato chips? Did you ski behind it?

And more importantly............WHY WASN'T I INVITED?!?!?!? :x Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

Well, it sure seems to live up to the hype. It drives like you would expect - pretty much perfectly. I did not ski behind it, and I did not pull a skier, so I guess that limits my test a little bit.

The layout is really great. The first thing I noticed was that the side trunks do not protrude into the boat nearly as far as they appear to in most of the photos that have been released. They are very spacious, but I was EASILY able to walk between them and the engine cover without touching either.

The rear seat pops out very easily, and the step up and out to the platform is well-thought-out.

The ZO controls are right next to the throttle control, and are very easy to adjust as needed.

A ton of work went into the hull design, and they explained what was done in order to achieve certain traits. They really did some incredible work to get this boat to perform like it does.

The optional tournament seat extension is a great design too. It folds down easily and has a pad on the back so that it can be stepped on to access the open bow. It can also be detached very easily and stored under the main observer's seat.

I got to climb around a closed bow too, but we didn't take it out on the water. The open bow had the Linc system, which is amazing. The closed bow was a Standard, and had the gauges in place of the Linc system. The gauges are a HUGE improvement over the standard gauges from years past, and some people like them better than the '09 Team gauges. The CB had the teak-look non-skid. That stuff really adds to the look of the boat, especially the CB.

I have pictures of most of this. I will try to post them soon.

Good deal Jeff! Thank you sir!

[NautiqueJeff]

Okay, I have a few more pictures of the 200 Open Bow for you guys. Enjoy!

First shot shows the new dash, and it is incredibly functional. I wasn't sure how I would like it being so non-symmetrical, but the functionality of the dash makes up for the lack of symmetry. ZO is so easy to control. The Linc system is just incredible. That is by far my favorite thing to come out of the factory in years. It is so well done... The small compartment on the left of the steering wheel is the location of the stereo remote on boats without the Linc system. The remote is rectangular this year, and looks good there with the gauges in place of the Linc system. On boats equipped with the Linc system, the stereo is controlled through that system, so there is no need for the remote.

The second shot shows the observer's seat and tournament extension. The extension folds down flat, and has a backing so that it can be stepped on to enter the open bow. It also detaches very easily and fits under the main observer's seat. The walkway to the bow is even with the floor in the rest of the boat. The panel sitting in the bow fits into the opening to block the wind.

The third shot shows one of the two trunks. They are big, but they do not protrude into the boat as much as I expected. I was easily able to walk between it and the engine without touching either.

The bottom two shots show the transom with the seat in and out. One person can easily remove the seat.

If you look closely at the transom, you will see one of the two metal flake gelcoat options. This one is silver, and they also have a darker gray. It is very difficult to photograph the metal flake. It is much more pronounced in person, and it looks great!

[81nautique]

Gonna take a little while to like that interior, just so radically different I'm not feeling it yet. The rest of he boat in both CB and OB is stunning.

[NautiqueJeff]

Here are a couple of other shots. The teak-look non-skid REALLY dresses this boat up.

[SkiTower]

Jeff, if those last two don't make it into the 2010 calendar, I'll be highly disappointed.

[NautiqueJeff]

hehe... well.... Those are actually shots taken by Correct Craft. I don't usually use their photos in the calendar. They are great shots though!

[WakeSlayer]

The interior looks a little blocky at first glance. I like the idea of the side compartments. The dash is so different, too.

[SkiTower]

ah, after a second look I do recognize those 'railroad tracks'

[SNMike]

I prefer the non-teak look myself. Gonna have to get used to the glove box lid. It looks like what you'd see in a run about. No biggie.

Jeff, was the exhaust note any different on the 200 compared to the 196 PCM Vortec? I'm guessing not. That's the one big dif between the GT-40 and the Vortec, the GT sounds like a race boat.

[oldslalomskier]

I had a chance to check these boats out at the recent Worlds. As far as sound, they are basically Ninjas! Freakin' silent! So much so, the CFO was impressed. Complains about our non-CC boat.

A couple things:
- the rear step harkens back to previous Nautiques and if you leave the seat out, it'll be a stumbling block (literally). I suspect it is hiding something. Stupid idea IMO.
- The drivers' position is great EXCEPT the arm rest is too high. That is the problem with a 6 foot 5 guy like Andy designs it I guess. :shock:
- No wood platform option at all! The fake teak looks OK though and is much better looking IMO than the grey stuff. Esp. on the red boats they had there.

I wonder how they drive on a large lake??

[east tx skier]

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Ski Nautique 200 - Driver

Thanks for those, Jeff. View looks pretty good ... for an OB.

A buddy told me T shirts were being sold at Nationals that said "If slalom skiing was easy, it'd be called Wakeboarding!" :grin: :grin: :grin:

D3 has a shirt just like that.

From their website.

[jjackkrash]

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Ski Nautique 200 - Driver

I skiied two sets behind an open bow 200 on Sunday (from 32 mph through 34 mph/28 off) with the standard excaliber enginge, and drove a set or two as well, courtesy of the good folks at Buxtons. Other skiers there ran into short-short line (two into 38 off and our local pro into 41 off) and I didn't hear any negative comments about the boat from a skiers or drivers perspective. All I can say is wow, its a fine machine. Great wake, turns likes its on rails, tracks like a dream, and its freaky quiet. The dash and amendities were pretty cool as well. It was my first time with Zero off, and I liked it from a drivers perspective, but it took some getting used to. It was nice having all the segment times pop up in real time. The thing I was most impressed with was the view from the driver's seat. It is awesome. And there is almost no bow rise on the start. It is basically a perfect ski machine.

The 200 had--from what I could tell--only two minor flaws, which I am told are being worked out. First, the hinges on the rear-side storage compartments rub on the rope significantly enough to cause undue wear. Second, the rope rubs on the rear rail which is slightly elevated leaving scuff marks (the boat was black on this part and I don't think it would be a problem if it were white). I was looking hard for flaws and that was all I could find. I have been in quit a few ski boats, but this one sets standard in my opinion.

[oldslalomskier]

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: Ski Nautique 200 - Driver

Funny you should mention the hinges. I asked about them since they were not "flush fit" and was told "no problemo". Not. It should not take much to fix that problem. Although you now have me wondering if the "fake-tique" rubber on the gunnels will suffer the same fate as the ropes that rub the hinges.

[SkiTower]

- The drivers' position is great EXCEPT the arm rest is too high. That is the problem with a 6 foot 5 guy like Andy designs it I guess.

So does it have legroom now?????