Evolution of the Nautique Wakeboard Boat

[jsta281]

So as I sit hear anxiously awaiting for spring to come, I for some reason have become interested in the evolution of the Nautique wakebord boats. I don't really know why as I am a DD fan/owner but regardless I am interested. If this info has been posted before somewhere I apologize and a quick link would be great.

What I have come to learn googling the topic is that the first Nautique V drive was the 1995 Super Sport but it was not intended to be a wakeboard boat (did not originally come with a tower), it was intended to be a "family run about" type boat. During this time I guess Natique was trying to make wakeboard specific boats with a DD. Then somebody put a tower on the Super Sport, and within a few years Nautique came out with the 1999 Super Air Nautique V drive with the Flight Control Tower.


Assuming that is all more or less correct, would anyone care to walk through the evolution from the 1999 SAN to the current G23? I don't mean/expect a book on various options but rather significant design changes or advances in tech.

This is purely an educational exercise. Thanks in advance.

[super01]

I have found this site to be very helpful in learning the history of Nautique boats...

http://correctcraftfan.com/reference/brochures.asp

[jsta281]

I have found this site to be very helpful in learning the history of Nautiqe boats...

http://correctcraftfan.com/reference/brochures.asp

That is a great link. I guess that will give me some reading material!

In terms of a starting point, was the hull design the same as the DD ski boats when the 1999 came out?

[jsta281]

So that link is great. Things start getting complicated in 2003. How come the G23 is not in the 2012 brochure?

[swc5150]

So that link is great. Things start getting complicated in 2003. How come the G23 is not in the 2012 brochure?

The 2012 brochure came out before the G23 was released.

[DanielC]

Ah, the glory days when a competition ski boat was actually Correct Crafts flagship.
In 1995 Correct Craft did introduce the V-drive Super sport. 21 foot 2 inch hull. It was designed as a family friendly boat, that at speed you could ski behind, but if you skies, you probably went to a Ski Nautique. I believe this hull bottom was used until 2007?

In 1997, Correct craft introduced the the TSC hull Ski Nautique. This ski boat pretty much blew away the competition, and is still one of the best hulls for slalom skiing available.
I know, you asked about wakeboard boats. Here is why the TSC hull is important to that.
The TSC hull was designed and developed in 1995 to 1996. This hull was so far ahead of the competition, that Correct Craft R and D could now focus on wakeboarding, in 1997.

First came the launch control system, ballast tanks. Then Correct Craft noticed people liked using the 18 inch taller "barefoot pylon" in the Sport Nautique, for wakeboarding, and they then designed and brought out the "flight control tower" I saw on one of the first Sport Nautiques, with the tower, and ballast tanks at show Ski Nationals in August of 1997, in Janesville, WI.

In 1999, the ski Nautique was still ahead of the competition, and Correct Craft introduced the "Pro Air Nautique". This was a Sport Nautique, but with notches in the hull that allowed the aft end of the boat to sink lower at wakeboarding speeds, and still ride more flat at skiing speeds, but by then, most riders had settled on the Super Air, the wakeboard version of the Super Sport, the V-drive boat being the wake board boat of choice.

[GoBig]

Two key early introductions pre-1995 that laid the foundation for the modern day wakeboard boat:

1990 - Nautique Sport (DD) introduced. This hull would go on to become the wakeboard flagship of the 1990s.
1991 - Nautique Excel (v-drive) introduced. Correct Crafts first v-drive which would later become the Super Sport and Super Air.

[shag]

I think one of the best boats would be able to find a pristine open bow, 92-94 Barefoot nautique, or Excel open bow with the 454. Those boats were ahead of their time, and a well kept one holds a good value. Still not as much room (of course) as the newer boats, but the open configuration was so great then. They produce a good wakeboard wake, can be skied behind (def not a ski nautique) and produced a good barefoot wake, with a fairly flat, not as turbulent table for crossing. (Flightcraft was the best imo)

[s_kelley2000]

Fun topic!

CC offered a few V-drive boats in the 70’s (Separator, Torino) but the first V-drive Nautique was the Nautique Excel/Barefoot Nautique which came out in 91 I think. This was originally only a closed bow offering but they added an open bow option the following year and this hull lasted until 94 I think. With the V hull this was a good rough water and barefooting boat especially with the 454. This hull didn’t get used much for wakeboarding because towers hadn’t been invented yet and there was no easy way to add a Skylon without the center mounted pylon but the Excel/BFN is capable of throwing a nice wake.

At this time the Nautique of choice for wakeboarders was the Sport Nautique because you could easily add a skylon and the wake got big with a couple of fat sacs. Most early wakeboard videos will show riders riding behind a Sport or MC Pro Star 205. The first generation Sport ran from 90-92 and then it grew a little and went through a redesign in 93.

The Super Sport came out in 95 and was essentially just a V-drive version of the 2nd generation Sport. This hull lasted until 2006 and was called a Super Sport, Super Air or a 210 depending on options and/or model year. Without being able to easily add a skylon most wakeboarders opted for a Sport so that is why CC made the Sport/Air Nautique their flagship wake boat during these years. Then in 98 CC invented the tower and that is when wakeboarders finally got to experience the beefier V-drive wake in unison with the elevated rope height of a tower. This boat quickly became the wakeboard boat of choice for many riders. This was a steep wake with an abrupt pop that got pro-level with minimal ballast.

In 2006 Nautique wanted to offer a larger wakeboard boat so they came out with the 220 and this was originally intended to be the flagship wake boat I think but it got discontinued after 2008, likely because the 210 and 230 were more popular and there was not enough sales to warrant having a boat size in between. In 2007 they came out with the “New 210” which was a total redesign of the old 210/Super Air. This is a much wider and roomier boat. They were able to get rid of the trough leading up to the wake and mellowed it out a little so it wasn’t quite as abrupt as the original. This is a great wake but takes a little more weight to shape up than the original 210 did because it is a larger/wider boat. This same hull is still in production but the interior was reconfigured after the 07 model run.

In 2007 the 236 came out and it was originally marketed as a “crossover boat” family boat but I am not sure who would want to run the course behind a 230. In 2008 they offered the 236 and the 230 (same boat) with the 230 becoming the flagship wake boat and the 236 was later dropped but this hull lives on as the current 230. The 230 became the wakeboat of choice for the sponsored wakeboarders and for tournaments.

The G23 was introduced in spring 2012 as a 2013 model. I have not ridden behind or seen one yet but it seems like they blew the doors off everything they or anybody else has previously done. This is a much deeper boat with 2800 lbs of sub floor ballast. The G-25 was introduced a few months later but the G23 is still being marketed as the flagship wakeboard boat and supposedly has the better wakeboard wake and the G-25 is better for surfing.

[jsta281]

So when did the SAN hull design change from using a ski hull to a wakeboard specific hull? and during the years that they made 2 and 3 SAN in varying lengths, was there one SAN that was "the" wakeboard boat, you know if you were competing for an X games gold medal?

As for the most recent G23 G25, is one favored for wakeboarding or does the G23 seem more popular becasue is "cheaper" (that's kinda funny to say with what they cost) then the G25?

[jsta281]

So when did the SAN hull design change from using a ski hull to a wakeboard specific hull? and during the years that they made 2 and 3 SAN in varying lengths, was there one SAN that was "the" wakeboard boat, you know if you were competing for an X games gold medal?

As for the most recent G23 G25, is one favored for wakeboarding or does the G23 seem more popular becasue is "cheaper" (that's kinda funny to say with what they cost) then the G25?

I see these are already answered great post kelly2000

[jsta281]

So when did the SAN hull design change from using a ski hull to a wakeboard specific hull? and during the years that they made 2 and 3 SAN in varying lengths, was there one SAN that was "the" wakeboard boat, you know if you were competing for an X games gold medal?

As for the most recent G23 G25, is one favored for wakeboarding or does the G23 seem more popular becasue is "cheaper" (that's kinda funny to say with what they cost) then the G25?

I see this was answered, great post Kelley2000. So the hull on all the wakeboard boats up to 2006 was a "ski" hull? What were the changes after 2006? The boats got wider, was there some thing else? also, what if any practical hull design differences are there between the G23 and any other of the newer SAN boats?

[gride]

i'd like to add that the first tower they used was directly related to either joey meddock or josh lechtworth, i forget. i believe one of their father's worked for CC and it came about through him and some of the early riders. also, there is the tsc(total surface control) hull, the TWC(total wake control) hull, and i believe more than one generation of each.

[s_kelley2000]

i'd like to add that the first tower they used was directly related to either joey meddock or josh lechtworth, i forget. i believe one of their father's worked for CC and it came about through him and some of the early riders.

You're right, I think the inspiration came from a boat that Meddock was using for photo shoots that belonged to his dad. I think it was some kind of fishing boat with a tuna tower and he was sitting on top of the tower to get a different camera angle. They didn't have anywhere to tie the rope so they hooked it to the tower. It was either Murray or Byerly who were shooting with him a bunch back then and they passed the idea on to CC I think. I think I read about that in a somewhat recent Wakeboard Magazaine so I will see if I can dig it up later. Might have been Murray's big interview a few years back but I could be wrong.

[gride]

First wakeboard tower. Many believe it was Correct Craft because they patented it. Well, the first the pros got behind was Doug Dukane's boat. He was one of the original photographers and photographed many champions. He bought an offshore patrol boat in Florida and owned an old police car to pull it with. The thing was monstrous. The thing had a huge wake, pulling from the tower up high and blew knees out because of the killer landing. Shapiro flew almost 80 feet prior to landing from takeoff. It was a massive wake. Anyway, Larry Meddock (One of the staples at Correct Craft, whose son, Joey, is a huge successful photographer and former pro-rider) saw it, liked it and innovated the tower you see today. His design was the first made specifically for wakeboarding.