1999 Pro Air Nautique

[howdy]

After 15 years I am starting to get back into boating. The kids are old enough now(6 and 8) and I want to teach them to ski, wakeboard etc. I have come across a 1999 Pro Air with 400 hours in very good condition inside and out for 17K obo and am just wondering if this would be a good all around boat or is it more of a DD wakeboard boat.

My wife and I are just more recreational skiers so we won't be seeing a course. I have only wakeboarded a few times(15 years ago) and I could see myself spending more time doing that vs skiing. My son who is 6 will probably do both, but will probably spend more time boarding as time goes on as thats what most kids seem to do. My daughter has mild cerebral palsy, so with her fine and gross motor skills just getting her up on skis would be a victory in itself.

After searching on here the reviews of the wake have been less than stellar on skiing behind this boat. Is it like skiing behing an I/O or an V dive dedicated wake board boat? I am not going to have a chance to drive it until this weekend and I don't want to waste the guys time if this really isn't the boat I should be looking at. Maybe a Sport Nautique or dare I say a MC 205 or 209 would be a better choice than a Pro Air. Thanks in advance for any info/advice.

[aussiesport]

I was recently in a similar situation and decided on a 2000 sport nautique, so far everyone in the family is more than satisfied. The boat performs well and meets all requirements with ease.

[NCH2oSki]

Just my opinion----- I would shy away from the pro air dd boats, CC didnt keep a long production life on them for a reason. In the long run you will be better off to pay more for a sport, and if the boating life doesnt work out, it will hold its resale better and it will be easier to sell.

Also my opinion, but the 99' is the best used sport out there, it has the full walk thru with no step up, has mechanical guages, classic graphics, excellent ski wake, lots of room in the locker, and most will have a bullet proof gt-40.

Where are you located? I know where a really well cared for and very nice looking 99 sport is located....

Other alternatives are mc 205 - avoid 99's if you can- bad interior styling.
Malibu Sunsetter LXI years 99 and up....

[howdy]

Thanks for the info guys. I will keep my eye out for a Sport. My first choice is a Nautique, but I just don't want to settle for this Pro Air and try and convince myself its the right boat when I know in the back of my mind its probably not. I have been keeping a spreadsheet for the past 2 months on boats up for sale and this guy started at 20K in early July and like I mentioned its down to 17K obo. With that short run of that particular hull and people looking for a V drive wakeboard boat it might be a tough boat to resell as its been sort of orphaned out there with just a couple years of production.

I am in the Sacramento area and there are just not a lot of Sports around right now, at least in my 20k price range, but that could change over the next month as the summer winds down. We used to ski the Delta until late October/early November, so it could be a good time in the next few months to strike a deal as people end the season and get the itch for that new boat.

[xlair]

Most comments on the Pro Air come from people who have spent little time in one. They are fine boats. I have probably spent 300-400 hours in both a '99 and '01 PAN. There is nothing really wrong with them. Correct craft stopped producing because the market realized that the V-drive boats were simply better wakeboarding boats. The Pro Air was produced from '99-02, which was four model years. Its a similar situation to the 220 (which was also produced for four years). They weren't bad boats but the market was no longer there after the fourth year.

The ski wake is admittedly not great on the PAN. It is not terrible, better than a Super Air but I would say the regular Sport is a better slalom wake for sure. However, the wakeboard wake is also better than a comparable years Sport/Air so there is a little trade off.