2001 sport air nautique compared to Malibu Sunsetter LX

[singing skiier]

I would like to know which has better slalom wakes, the 99 sunsetter lx or the 2001 CC sport air nautique. I just sold my 99 and am trying to get a better ski wake while keeping approximately the same storage and room of the sslx. Haven't found any sslxi's or rlxi's in my price range. Am considering a 2000 rlx and know it has much superior slalom wakes than the sslx, but not the storage or room, and has the climb over bow access. I can get the nautique or the response for about the same price, the nautique has about 1/2 the hours, but a bow ding, and needs a new rub rail eventually. I'm not sure if the teleflex gauges have been replaced, and there is a small tear in the stern storage locker vinyl. The rlx also has a small tear in the same storage locker vinyl. The cc san has a tower and ballast, the rlx a Bimini and wedge.
I ski with a couple of guys during ski season, just got into 22 off at 32-34 mph. My wife slaloms but not aggressively. We sometimes invite friends and family for kneeboarding, tubing, slalom, teach some beginning wakeboarding, teach them to ski. San has the GT-40' and the rlx the monsoon 325 engine.
Really appreciate any insight you have.

[SkiTower]

what "99" did you just sell? What you're used to determines what you'll be happy with. If you came out of a Nautique you probably won't be happy with a Bu quality, regardless of the performance.

[singing skiier]

I sold a 99 malibu sunsetter LX with the intent of purchasing a boat that is more ski specific as the sunsetter is more wakeboard specific. I want to be sure the sport has a better ski wake than the sunsetter LX before I pursue it. I know the response LX has world class ski wakes.

[jchamlin]

I have a 2000 Air and slalom behind it and I think it's great...not as great as a pure slalom boat, but good for me. I can get into 22 off at 34 (sometimes) and I thought the bump was not as bad as 15 off. Maybe someone else can comment on their experience but I was surprised. I think Nautiques have a softer slalom wake than Malibu, but that's my personal experience. My only gripe about my boat when slalom skiing is you have to keep it in gear when stopping. Take it out of gear and you lose the ability to turn. You'd think that as long as you have forward momentum, you could steer, but not with my boat. I haven't test this with other 2000's but mine does it. Let me know if you have any particular questions.

[NCH2oSki]

My neighbor has a sunsetter lx, not sure of the exact year, and I had a 99' sport. There wasn't a huge difference in the wake between the two, both were acceptable, not great but ok. Imo your making a lateral move if your only comparing the slalom wake.

If you want a more ski specific OPEN BOW boat get a response lxi, or ski 206 both are much nicer for slalom. I ski both on a regular basis and don't think I could tell them apart if It was dark and I had ear plugs in.

[singing skiier]

Thanks, am going to test drive and hopefully ski behind the 01 air nautique tomorrow. Looked at the Response LX, is a bit smaller, but seating capacity not that much different...have skied behind one and it is much better than the SSLX. Can't afford the SSLXI/216 and RLXI/206 right now. The only time I skied behind a Sport was in 99 when we tried out the Sport vs the Sunsetter LX. To me it had a softer wake than the LX. Even though its Texas, am not looking forward to the cold water in my wet suit!

[singing skiier]

Drove 3.5 hours to try out Air Nautique. Liked the colors (blue, yellow on white) with color matched tower, PP, upholstery 8 of 10, needed some fiberglass work on the nose, and a new rub rail all the way around. Hadn't cleaned up the boat, but I could see beyond the dirt and mildew. Cold front had just blown in by the time we got to the lake. Three of us in the boat, took off. About 2/10ths of a mile I moved to observers seat to view wake and noticed debris coming from behind the boat and blue smoke occasionally. The other fellow noted that there was water coming out from underneath the motor cover and onto the floor by the rear seat. Smoke started coming from the clam shell, and it smelled like burning plastic. Opened the clam shell and water was in the bilge. Owner knew he had put in all plugs, but he forgot to re-tighten the inlet hose to the raw water pump. He didn't have his glasses and couldn't tell which button to push for the bilge pumps, so he gunned the engine to get us back to shore before we started to sink. Closed the clamshell because the starboard exhaust bellow had a hole in it, smoke coming out. Closing the clamshell, we found out, allowed only exhaust fumes back into the intake manifold, so the engine dies about 50 feet from a dock, but the wind pushed us into the dock, I found the bilge pump and turned it on, he re-tightened the hose so we didn't sink. We didn't want to continue with a hole in the bellow blowing exhaust and water into the engine space.....but I got to visit with the owners family (former fellow church members) and they fed me supper. Bottom line-didn't get to test the boat. The owner felt awful of course.

However; as a Malibu owner (ex-owner come Thursday). I did some comparing.

1. I noticed that the hull is simple and clean-liked that.

2. Never had seen such a small prop on an inboard but seemed to work well for the brief period I rode in the boat!

3. Bow area seemed cramped and the seating slid around, was thin and just looked cheap to me. My Malibu seats are well fitted, thick, supple and fit over the lockers and stayed in place. Curious as to why CC would design their seats like that!

4. What is that Fuel Cell thingamagigger? Is that simply a fuel filter?

5. The Malibu bellows are thick and pretty rigid, but the Nautique's seemed thin like a bike tire tube...is that normal?

6. What I did see for a brief second of the wake looked like two thin, short in height rooster tail, pretty much in the middle of the wake. I saw somewhere that someone said that is a sign of the TSC hull, but then someone else said the 01 Sport doesn't have the TSC hull.

7. I couldn't tell how to adjust the height of the steering wheel, that was a feature I liked on my Sunsetter. I was finally able to move the seat back far enough that my knees didn't impede the steering wheel. I'm only 6' 1.5".

8. I know the big three all make great boats, and they are each different in the way they approach building their boats. You may throw me off the forum, and you might say I wouldn't know quality if I saw it, but I couldn't say that the boat exuded any more quality than the Malibu I've lived with for 13.5 years. What am I missing?

[NCH2oSki]

I'll address some of your points based on my 5 year ownership of a 99 sport.

2. The prop should be a 4 blade oj legend 13 x 15 iirc, updated replacement prop is an acme 422 and its a nice upgrade in performance.

3. The bow area seats are not thin, maybe these are some the owner has had repaired/replaced. They should be secure and locked in place. Definitely not correct.

4. The fuel cell is a secondary fuel pump, with filter that keeps pcm's from ever having a vapor lock issue. Something my friend with his RLXI wishes he has on the hot summer days .

6. I'll find a picture of my wake for you.

7. There is a black tab directly under the wheel at the bottom of the dash that tilts the wheel.

8. I think you found a not so well kept boat.

[NCH2oSki]

Here is a 34mph wake, 15 off ...not the greatest picture but it may help.

[bscott]

If it's a '99, then it might not have the thick cushions. In 99, they changed the open bow entry. You either had the step up into the bow or the straight walk through. I believe the older version is one pad, and it is not as thick and the multiple cushions in the newer design.

[Chexi]

Cushions in an older Malibu will definitely be bigger than in a 99 Air/Sport, and yes the bow seat cushions are not super tight. In my opinion, the bow cushions should be a little bit bigger. Overall, the cushions in older Malibus seems superior to older nautiques, at least in the vintage you are looking at. All of that said, I would not have traded my old 99 Air or my 2000 SAN for a Malibu. You need to drive them both to understand.

It is unfortunate (for both you and him) that the seller probably ruined his boat taking you for a test drive. Blue smoke means the engine overheated. There is a real possibility of a warped head or at least ruined seals.

When I drove from Texas to Tahoe to test my old 99 Air, the prior owner neglected to put in the boat plug in the engine compartment. We didn't realize until we were pretty far from shore and water started coming out from under the clamshell. The PO didn't even know there was a plug in the engine compartment (the person who winterized it took it out). Fortunately, I found it in the glove box and was able to save the boat from swamping. The PO didn't want to turn the engine off or stop... but there was no way I was going to put the plug in with the motor running. So we stopped very quickly and I put the plug in. Our hearts were beating fast that day!

BTW, if the owner can't even see the dash buttons, he probably shouldn't be driving.

[NautiqueJeff]

Wow. I don't think I would touch a boat that was treated like that!

[singing skiier]

THIS REPLY IS TO NCH2oSKI. Comparing pictures between the sport and the sunsetter lx. This picture is 7 years old, and a pitiful wake crossing, but it gives a good idea of the size wake at 30 mph 15 off with my 120 lb wife and a 215 lb son in the boat. The wake is smaller at 32 and 34. At 22 off, the wake had a slight bump, but still not too bad once I started getting on edge through the wakes. It looks to be more of a rounded hump than the sport...which seems to have a defined wake with the twin roosters washing out toward where you were skiing. I would guess the wash is softer than the hump of the sunsetter. What length were you skiing?

[NCH2oSki]

Yep, that's what my neighbors wake looks like. The wake on the sport is softer, and quite easy to slice through. I'm guessing I was at 15' off since we were free skiing. I never have ski'd it shorter than 28' but have pulled some friends at 32' and 35' off and they complained the trough was deeper than a 196 or other brand dedicated slalom boat, which makes sense with the larger transom the sport has.

[NCH2oSki]

A couple more wake pics.


The first pic is 15' off at 30 mph with the boat pretty well balanced. The second pic is of my friends response lxi, and it is very similar to the wake picture you posted above, only smaller and its nice and soft.