85 to 89 Ski Nautique vs 90 to 93 Ski Nautique

[Captain Nick]

What are the pros and cons of each one? Personnal preference. I like them both but for different reasons. The 85 to 89 I like the exterior syling with the bow and stern ring. Also the notch transom. Comes in handy if you want to lift the boat up and out of water in the boathouse. The 90 to 93 I like the layout of the cockpit more. Much more spacious. The platform really compliments the boat. I like graphics on both.

[jo-e90]

I like the '89 because it has the best wakeboard wake with the quietest exhaust for listening to tunes.
And has no voids in the hull. oops!

[jhersey29]

For slalom I liked the 88 better. Shallower and wider wake. The 92 wake is rampy and narrower. Always thought the 88 felt like hitting 2 wakes and the 92 felt like hitting 1 big wall.

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[beretta5spd]

85-89 has a much better wake for wake boarding.

89 (last year of 2001 model) -92 received better fiberglassing procedure over wood stringers.
Like jo-e90 said these years also had single exhaust, and the 89-93 also had the 1.23:1 transmission I believe.

93 was the first year of full composite stringers

the 85-89 was possible to get the BBC 454 in some of those years. Even more rare you could find some 85-89s with small block Chevy power under the cover. (I'm a Chevy fan but have really come to love the Ford PCM 5.8L engines)

[bhectus]

It really boils down to what you'll be using the boat for? If your intended use is primarily wakeboarding then I'd say go with a 2001 hull. These were 83-89. '87 got a new deck and the front seats got moved forward slightly. The wetted surface of the hull remained unchanged from 83-89. 89 was first year for 1.23 to 1 transmission and 2 into 1 exhaust. 1990 marked an entirely new hull known as the NWZ (No Wake Zone) and was a big improvement in slalom wake. Wakeboarding wake was compromised as a result. With like amount of weight in the boats it is not near as pronounced as the previous 2001 hull but with enough weight it still throws a very respectable wakeboarding wake. Not as steep and hard as the 2001 hulls. 1993 CC went to all composite construction so no worries of stringer rot.
For wakeboarding I prefer the 2001 hull but for slalom the NWZ for sure. Also the 90+ boats had removeable platforms so that helps getting into a smaller garage.

[bhectus]

Also, Nick....you may not realize but the 90+ boats still have lifting rings. They are just not on top of the stern any longer. There are cutouts in the swim platform and there are 2 eye bolts for that very purpose.

[shag]

89 has better holeshot with the 1.23:1 tranny, also quieter running. 89's generally are a little more valuable - not to say you may find boats prior to 89 in better shape. My 89's (owned 3 at different times) were always a little faster, and looked nicer (IMO).

90-92 still have wood stringers and there are many still in great shape, but 93 started the fiberglass system. Some say a slight decrease in rise quality because of, but I would rather have no wood.

[swc5150]

If you're boarding, the 2001 hull (85-89). Slalom, no brainer with 90-96 NWZ hull.

[Zach@n3]

82-89 is the 2001 hull. 85 had the deluxe option in the interior and it became standard in 86 (more functional and more storage). 87 deck changed and dash changed, 88 dash changed. 87-88 boats are generally 2 mph or so slower on the top end due to the interior being pushed further forward. 87-88 has more interior space but shorter under bow storage. 89 brought on 1.23 to 1 transmission, flat windshield, revised graphics, single exhaust, different resin, and revised stringer structure because of the single exhaust addition. 87 is the year that is most susceptible to gel cracking so look at the gel very hard if you are looking at an 87. The 1.23 and larger prop seemed in 89 to have replaced the top end that was lost with the interior re design in 1987.

[Captain Nick]

Thank you for the input on the two different Ski Nautiques. I however like to go slalom. I would also like to use it for wakeboarding as well.

[swc5150]

If you prefer slalom, go 1990 hull. You can always weight it down to get a ramp for boarding, but you're stuck with the slalom wake you've got with a 2001 hull, which wasn't the greatest.

[Zach@n3]

Ehh you can power through it .

[Captain Nick]

If you prefer slalom, go 1990 hull. You can always weight it down to get a ramp for boarding, but you're stuck with the slalom wake you've got with a 2001 hull, which wasn't the greatest.

The 2001 hull, probably has a better slalom wake than my Dad's 18' Checkmate. If it does I'm sure it would than, I would be more than willing to go with a 2001 hull.

[swc5150]

The 2001 hull, probably has a better slalom wake than my Dad's 18' Checkmate. If it does I'm sure it would than, I would be more than willing to go with a 2001 hull.

Yes, indeed it will The 2001 hull isn't that bad, it's just they made such a drastic improvement in 1990.

[Zach@n3]

The 2001 was designed more on the trick side of things, hence why the slalom wake suffers vs. other models. Also why it has such a nice board wake with some weight in it!