2002-2006 210 sante opinions needed

[Laptom]

The 02 was a better boat (interior wise). But our Gt40 was icecream on the 00. And liked the wrap around seating. The 03 Excalibur was a bit more thirsty, but the 06 was better (different transmission also). It is all in the margin, but our 00 had an incredible wake & best fuel economics (I know the hulls are all the same, and the wakes looked the same, but they all felt different).
Love our 230, but miss every 210. Thank god we still have our bb Barefoot!

[jo-e90]

What motor was in the '02? and the '06?

[tommer12]

What motor was in the '02? and the '06?

I posted over at correctcraftfan as well, but saw this thread. I have had an 84 and just recently sold my 92 SNOB. Loved both boats. Wish I still had the 84, but oh well. Im looking for a 206 or 210 and the SAN keeps popping up on my radar because of the seating. Im not a huge fan of the v-drive because they usually drive like pigs. To be honest, I have never drove a 210 SAN so Im not sure how it compares with anything else. I know Id be safe with the 206 because its direct drive. but the seating and room vs 206 and 210 is what I really want.
Love, love the prostar 205 as well, but again.. direct drive. That boat is killer smooth.

From it looks like 2003-2006 are "good years". I have found a 2004 210 SS LTD, but not ideal because of the shape its in.

I used to be a huge wakeboarder, but kind of back into skiing, wake skating and barefooting again. Love to be able to put up a boom and teach my kids which i know I can kind of get to work off the tower. Im sure my kids will get into wakeboarding, but they are 3 and 5, just skiing now.

Anyways, love to hear your thoughts.

[beach]

My 210 drives similar weighed down at speed to larger weighted down direct drives(Like a Prostar 205/209). It's definitely worse at low speeds, and it doesn't really compare when unweighted. On the other hand, I think it drives way better than a newer Xstar or VLX.

I don't really know how well a 210 will ski. It is a vdrive version of the sport nautique hull, so it shouldn't be too bad. Maybe someone here has tried?

If you liked a prostar 205, then you might want to look at a prostar 205v. It was the 1st generation xstar and x2. From 06-12 it was a X1. That hull is supposed to ski well for a vdrive and in my opinion drives more like a direct drive when unweighted. It needs more weight than a 210 for wakeboarding and drives worse when weighted down though. I was shopping for either a 210 or an X1 before I bought my 210. Mastercraft cheaped out on the vinyl for a few years(01?-04?) so you have to watch out if the boat still has the original vinyl.

I think the early Malibu Sunsetter VLXs are supposed to be a good crossover boat as well.

An SV211 might be in you price range too if your shopping for 03-06 210s. I don't know much about them.

I guess it depends on how picky you are about your wakeboard/ski wakes. I'd recommend test driving.

[lucky7t]

03 is the best! I had one for several years and over all it's the best boat I've ever owned. I had a 210 SANTE

Very solid boat

[Laptom]

95 - GT40
97 - GT40 (new engine)
00 - GT40
02 - GT40
03 - Excalibur
06 - Excalibur

The 03 had the worst engines of all the 210's we had. Don't know why, but it was the thirsty one, less smooth, had less then 100 hours on it, least power (in the margins).
00 best engine, with a close call to the 06 Excalibur (but that one had a different transmission).

Also had a 02 d-drive with a GT40. Great boat to drive.
And a 04 X2 with the 310hp engine.. Twice as in-efficient on fuel, nice wake with some additional ballast... Traded in after 5months of using it... Never go back to the dark side ;-) ..

[jo-e90]

95 - GT40
97 - GT40 (new engine)
00 - GT40
02 - GT40
03 - Excalibur
06 - Excalibur

The 03 had the worst engines of all the 210's we had. Don't know why, but it was the thirsty one, less smooth, had less then 100 hours on it, least power (in the margins).
00 best engine, with a close call to the 06 Excalibur (but that one had a different transmission).

Also had a 02 d-drive with a GT40. Great boat to drive.
And a 04 X2 with the 310hp engine.. Twice as in-efficient on fuel, nice wake with some additional ballast... Traded in after 5months of using it... Never go back to the dark side ;-) ..

How was the interior of the '02 DD better than a spacious SAN ?

[brycejay]

Where does he say the interior is better? He said it was a great boat to drive… has nothing to do with interior space.

[Laptom]

Haha, yep... And better to who?

I get a bit crunchy everytime I see somebody shouting that the 03 or 05 are the best SAN's ever made...
My point is that you should not overlook the other years, all of them has advantages and disadvantages which are different for each user.
Our greatest SAN 210 was the '00 version, best performing engine (fuel, power and smooth), great interior layout (wrap seating), we liked the N graphics, etc. That does not mean that the '00 is the best version for everybody or does it mean I will turn down the other years.

Ever year CC changed parts on the 210, the list is pretty complete on PlanetNautique, just note was is important for you and start from there.
Personnaly I think the 210's are great alround boats, which are very reliable, efficient (fuel) and spacious (for 21ft), where you can ski, tube, wakeboard, skate & surf behind it without any problem. The boat is better than I ever get with my talents ;-) .

[Brichter14]

I second this.


Does my 97 need a bit more depth on the inside? Sure. Would i trade that for a less awesome engine? Heck no.

[jo-e90]

Where does he say the interior is better? He said it was a great boat to drive… has nothing to do with interior space.

Here:

The 02 was a better boat (interior wise). But our Gt40 was icecream on the 00. And liked the wrap around seating. The 03 Excalibur was a bit more thirsty, but the 06 was better (different transmission also). It is all in the margin, but our 00 had an incredible wake & best fuel economics (I know the hulls are all the same, and the wakes looked the same, but they all felt different).
Love our 230, but miss every 210. Thank god we still have our bb Barefoot!

[pe4me]

I had a 94 PS 205 and I wanted a V-drive for a growing family with a unique priority: sports car like handling. The X10 (310HP), maristar and x-star were anemic on power, disappointing IMHO. Granted I was used to the performance of my 205. Cousin tried everything with the X10 and it still felt like a barge. MC dealer pointed me in a x14v but it just didn't get the reviews from trusted sources and was priced more than what I could justify spending. I could have easily got a older X2, X2 or Xstar and been happy but as fate would have it...
I took a chance on the 210 again based on what friends have said, unrivaled reviews and doing everything but a test drive. I purchased my 06 210 SANTE from Whitelake Marine via Saudi Arabia and have been only impressed with everything about Nautique. Its not a PS205 but pretty darn close all things considered. I wouldn't say I "drink the cool-aid" with brands but really think like many have indicated, you are splitting hairs between the years and have to balance value with options you want.
To directly address the OP, I feel great about how much boat I got for 30k especially when you look at what new boats are going for even with the options and added bells/whistles. I have an 06 so I looked at it being the most refined, newest maybe the most reliable ballast system (pumps) and least amount of time on earth. That's it. I looked at a 03 and a 05 that were closer away but felt I found the best deal in what I purchased. Currently, guys are working on NSS systems for theses years...
The proof is in the pudding, when you go to the water absolutely no one complains about the boat (for being nearly 10yrs old) and certainly not the wake. This most importantly, would be the case for any of the years assuming you purchased boat that was well taken care of.
Good luck