More new buyer questions

[magene]

I've been looking at used boats since before Christmas and am narrowing in on a few. I still have a few questions I'm hoping to get help with. The choices seem to be between a 96 Sport Nautique, a 99 Sport Nautique and a 99 Malibu Wakesetter. We are looking for a general purpose family towboat. The usual situation: Mom and Dad ski, our 13 year old son and his buddies wake and knee board, our 8 year old daughter and her pals like tubing and raft tows (so does Mom). Eventually she will want to ski or board. We probably don't need a competition ski boat or a pro level wake board boat. However, we ski hard enough to want a smooth wake so some wake board boats may not be suitable. I'd appreciate any comments people have, e.g., general comparison between Sport Nautiques and the Wakesetter, differences between 96 and 99 SNs, the SNs seem to have the standard engine will that be big enough to pull a big guy (220 lbs) out of the water?, other questions I should be asking or thing to look out for, ...

Thanks for the help

[Cumberlandrider]

Of course I'm gonna encourage you to buy a Nautique. As for the 96or 99, they have different hulls. The 99 has a softer and a flatter wake than the 96. For Mom and Dad, I think you will like the 99 better for skiing. The wakeboard wake is good with both. The wakesetter has an OK wakeboard wake and its not gonna even come close on the slalom wake. Either boat would be fine for general towing ie tubing etc. The Nautique will have a better ride quality and handle better.
Good Luck

[TrailInn2]

magene
I had been looking at boats since last fall. It seems like everyone has their preferences, (some people like Fords some like Chevy). We have a similar situation, the wife and I ski and the kids wakeboard, and everyone likes to tube. SN hold their value better so you should expect to pay a little more. I settled on a 96 super sport which is a Vdrive. The wake is going to be plenty for awhile without any weight for the wakeboarders and at ski speeds should be good for slalom. Any of these boats will pull you and three more the same size up with no problem. I put a lot of emphasis on how it was maintained when making my decision as well as who I was buying it from. Not sure on the 99 but the 96 probably has the 351, 310 hp efi PCM motor which is a very good engine.
Have fun and good luck.

[magene]

Getting close, still looking

Thanks for all the help, its nice to have such a great resource. I'm haven't seen the boat yet but I'm narrowing in on the 99 Sport. I'm pretty sure the wake is going to be fine for whatever skiing or boarding we do but I'd still value some additional input. With the exception of a competition tow boat (which is going to be too small for our family needs) is there a general purpose inboard in the $20-$25K (95-99, Malibu, MC or SN) range that will have a significantly better ski wake than a 99 sport?

By the way, if anyone knows of a good, general purpose, family tow boat in our price range in the Northern California area, feel free to let me know

Thanks again

[TrailInn2]

RE: Getting close, still looking

It sounds like a lot of your criteria is the same as mine was. I liked the Vdrive on the supersport because of the open area, (no motor hump) and it also has an open bow which was a requirement for me. The capacity rating is for 9 people. It was also in my price range, I paid 21k for the boat and trailer and the dealer discounted a monster tower and racks for a total of about 22k. It has 515 hrs. and had been serviced by the dealer since new. According to nada price guide this is right in line. As you will see in other posts the vdrive probably isn`t the best ski wake but should be ok and the kids will love the wakeboard wake.

[SGY]

RE: Getting close, still looking

Magene, if you can find a nice 1997-2001 Ski Nautique Open Bow you would be well served. It's a nice family boat--but a bit on the small side. CC moved the windshield and motor back to regain the proper center of gravity. This makes for a small cabin area--in addition to the bow which really is for kids.

If you are looking at the 99 Sport, you are probably spending between $26,000 and $28,000. If you look hard enough, you might find a 2003 206 out there in the low thirties. This boat would serve you and your family for many years to come. It has pro level slalom wakes as well as nice wakeboard wakes for intermediate riders. My family is much like yours. My kids love to wakeboard and knee board. Dad slaloms. The 206 is a perfect boat for us.

Do a search on boatbuyers.com and see what comes up.

[BigBald]

RE: Getting close, still looking

I went thru the same process last winter. We upgraded from a '88-2001 SN to a '99 Sport Nautique. We looked at several model of Correct Craft and Malibu....even looked at a few MasterCraft. We went with the CC.

The Sport is the perfect boat for our family and we haven't regretted the choice for a second. We have all types of watersports preferences - barefooter, slalom, wakeboard, regular, and tubing. We have had really good feedback from a lot of experienced skiers regarding our boat and what they are needing from a wake preference. It's not the best, but its really good and they all had a blast.

We did a couple of upgrades that we felt were neccesary - Flight control tower....needed to clear out some space and we usually have folks in the back seat so towing from the tower is a must. We also added perfect pass.....this turned out to not be a requirement. The control of the 99 was so far superior to the 88, that we have not used the PP....at all.... We also added a bimini...which is great idea if you have a family.

We may add some ballast at some point...but, for now we just use the LB method....Lard Butts.....works great for us...

You'll be happy with the Sport.

[SGY]

RE: Getting close, still looking

I agree with BBsplash. The late model Sport is an awesome boat. The wake is much softer for slalom than the previous model Sport.

Just for grins, here is a used 206 to take a look at.

http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/7/4/76971074.htm