Are 196's rare?

[AirTool]

Thanks Crad,
.... PA is a long way from SoTex.

If you consider the one in PA, I'll offer to drive with you to get it. You pick up the expenses. Can't guarantee availability but could probably work through the details. gmaps says its 22 hours drive each way from Houston. You could pick me up and drop me off in Houston.

I would also need a kitchen pass from Mrs. AirTool

[swc5150]

I agree AirTool. The NADA average retail on my 2009 Team 206 was $41,430 in late 2009 but increased to $44,830 in late 2010. Like you said, "gotta luv it."

Like Barry Sanders, I guess they retired while still in their prime!

[Erik]

No.

No, they are not rare. Not by any comparable stretch.
They were made in great abundance.

HOWEVER.

The 1995-2006 210 saw an almost complete freeze in resale value following the release of the new 210.
There is a similar resale value freeze on 196's happening now. Temporary? Maybe. The 210 freeze took longer to thaw than I expected. I've gone on record as saying the Ski Nautique 196 (the version it was working as when retired) is the 2nd best boat they have ever made. People's reaction to the 200 is varying (improving, but varying) and the 196 is holding steady.

So, not rare, but coveted as of now.

[swc5150]

I kind of disagree. If one is looking for a late-model ('06-'09) 196, there are literally only a handful on the market right now, out of the 100's that were built. You're right, they're not rare in existance, just rare in being for sale.

[DanielC]

I do not think the Ski Nautique 196 is rare, but it is in high demand.

[Erik]

...out of the 100's that were built...

Thousands, don't you think?

[DanielC]

I do not know if this is still the case.
This is how I think the serial number on a Correct Craft could be decoded.
I will use my boat, for the example. It is a 1997 Ski Nautique.
The hull identification number is CTC 70344 J697
The CTC is common on all Correct Craft boats.
The J697 identifies the month, and year of manufacture. "J" being the tenth letter of the Alphabet, my boat was made in October. The 6, identifies it as October, 1996. The "97" identifies the model year, 1997

That leaves the five digit number, 70344
The Correct Craft factory can identify your boat with just these five digits.

Thew first digit, the 7 identifies the model year.
The second digit is used by Correct Craft to identify the model.
0=Ski Nautique, closed bow
1=Ski Nautique, open bow
I think 3=Sport Nautique
7=Super Sport Nautique

The last three digits of the "70344" identifies my boat.

Therefore, the serial number system could only accommodate a maximum of 999 boats each year of any one model.

[swc5150]

The hull ID can be deciphered to read the manufacturers name (CTC), model year & model ("80"), number made of that model ("216"), mold used, month of mfg, and year. These numbers came from my hull ID, and mine was one of the last '08's off the line, so over 200 196's in '08. An educated guess would say there are over 800 2006-2009 196's on the planet. Unfortunately for those in the market, you'd be lucky to find more than a handful for sale. Great for resale, bad for can't ski!

[Erik]

I do not know if this is still the case.
This is how I think the serial number on a Correct Craft could be decoded.
I will use my boat, for the example. It is a 1997 Ski Nautique.
The hull identification number is CTC 70344 J697
The CTC is common on all Correct Craft boats.
The J697 identifies the month, and year of manufacture. "J" being the tenth letter of the Alphabet, my boat was made in October. The 6, identifies it as October, 1996. The "97" identifies the model year, 1997

That leaves the five digit number, 70344
The Correct Craft factory can identify your boat with just these five digits.

Thew first digit, the 7 identifies the model year.
The second digit is used by Correct Craft to identify the model.
0=Ski Nautique, closed bow
1=Ski Nautique, open bow
I think 3=Sport Nautique
7=Super Sport Nautique

The last three digits of the "70344" identifies my boat.

Therefore, the serial number system could only accommodate a maximum of 999 boats each year of any one model.

That sounds mostly reasonable to me. This has to be a new convention for numbering though, because they made more than that in past years. I just meant that across the 196's span, thousands. For instance the amount per year of the Ski Nautique 2001 ranged from 979 to 1332 per year (82-89). Maybe since there are more models/diversity now, they can limit the numbering scheme like that. I suspect you've got it mostly right - it just needs some elbow space regarding that 999 claim.

[DanielC]

That is certainly possible.
This system I describes seemed to "work" with my boat, a 1997 model, and I worked at a Nautique dealer for a few years, early in this century. I found no exceptions to this system. There may have been exceptions before, or after.
Remember each new model year allow a "reset" on the serial number. A 1998 ski Nautique could exist with a 80344 serial number, and that number could also refer to a 2008 Ski Nautique.


If you take the model year 1997, this system would allow 999 Ski Nautiques, 999 SNOBS, 999 Sport Nautiques, and 999 Super Sport Nautiques, and I forget if they were making the Ski Nautique 176 in 1997.

3,996 boats in a year, with about 250 or 300 working days a year is a lot of boats.

I was working with a very small sample of boats, and their serial number. But I suppose if the entire Planet Nautique community were to submit their serial numbers, we probably could get a pretty good idea of how many of each model, and year of Correct Craft boats were actually made.

[DanielC]

That is certainly possible.
This system I describes seemed to "work" with my boat, a 1997 model, and I worked at a Nautique dealer for a few years, early in this century. I found no exceptions to this system. There may have been exceptions before, or after.
Remember each new model year allow a "reset" on the serial number. A 1998 ski Nautique could exist with a 80344 serial number, and that number could also refer to a 2008 Ski Nautique.


If you take the model year 1997, this system would allow 999 Ski Nautiques, 999 SNOBS, 999 Sport Nautiques, and 999 Super Sport Nautiques, and I forget if they were making the Ski Nautique 176 in 1997.

3,996 boats in a year, with about 250 or 300 working days a year is a lot of boats.

I was working with a very small sample of boats, and their serial number. But I suppose if the entire Planet Nautique community were to submit their serial numbers, we probably could get a pretty good idea of how many of each model, and year of Correct Craft boats were actually made.

So, to answer the original question on this thread, I do not think 196's are rare. there are probably a lot of them around, but most who have them, (like me) are keeping them.

Finding a 196 current enough to be able to put Zero Off on it might be difficult. That would obviously limit you to about the last two or three years of production, unless you were up to retrofitting a "zero off capable" engine into a 2002 or later Ski Nautique.

Perhaps Correct Craft should bring back the 196, closed bow, with hull improvements learned in the building of the 200.

[CAN'TSKI]

AIRTOOL, can I take your wife with me? Just kidding. Thanks for the offer. Right now I have one possible in Florida and one possible in Wyoming. I just can't wrap my eyes around the color scheme in PA.
The Wyoming story is interesting. The guy uses his 196 to pull a tournament or two on his private lake. Evidently, for a certified tournament the boat has to be 2 years old or newer. He has a 2008. He is being dragged kicking and screaming into a 200.
There are only about 10 boats out there with under 500 hours. The only people selling are going to the 200.
$32-$34,000 sell price without a trailer is realistic.
That is actually a pretty darn good re-sale considering you can get a used 200 for $7-10,000 more without trailer.

[ClemsonDave]

He should be able to use the '08 for a couple more years unless he his holding Record capable tournaments.

[swc5150]

AIRTOOL, can I take your wife with me? Just kidding. Thanks for the offer. Right now I have one possible in Florida and one possible in Wyoming. I just can't wrap my eyes around the color scheme in PA.
The Wyoming story is interesting. The guy uses his 196 to pull a tournament or two on his private lake. Evidently, for a certified tournament the boat has to be 2 years old or newer. He has a 2008. He is being dragged kicking and screaming into a 200.
There are only about 10 boats out there with under 500 hours. The only people selling are going to the 200.
$32-$34,000 sell price without a trailer is realistic.
That is actually a pretty darn good re-sale considering you can get a used 200 for $7-10,000 more without trailer.

Rumor has it, on B.O.S., that a 200 has been sold in the upper $30k's, with a trailer. Food for thought, if you decide to start sending offers to 2010 200 owners. The longer the used 200 market stays over $40k the better for me! Keep that 196 value up:-)

[BoltFan]

I would say finding a boat that is salt water friendly (allows for fresh water cooling), can be registered in California (strict emissions standards) and has ZO is extremely rare! I searched for months before having one shipped from North Carolina to San Diego.