Question re a used 1999 Ski Nautique

[Noelb]

Hi, I'm looking at a local ad for a 1999 Ski Nautique with low hours (is 350 too low??) that looks extremely clean. The owner doesn't seem too knowledgeable about boats, so I want to throw out these questions to the PN community:

- The owner couldn't tell me whether it was 196 or 206, but he believes that it is 20 1/2 feet long. However I always thought that in 1999 there was only a 19.6 version of the SKi Nautique, could I be wrong?

- The engine is the GT40 apparently. I believe it is supposed to be a great engine, can anyone confirm this, or tell me whether I should stay away?

- About the hull: I used to own a 2006 SN 196 but didn't like the wake that much at 22 off. Kind of a hard bump. A friend of mine had an older model ski Nautique (not sure what year) but the wake was definitely better. What's the general opinion on the 1999 hull?

- Should I expect to have to put in a lot of maintenance? I'm no experienced mechanic and I don't have time. I do have another boat (2013 model) that we use for everything else, so the SN would serve only to pull 1-2 ski sets about 60 or so days per year.

- Anything else I should know before making an offer on this boat? Thanks!

[hondaprlud]

Congrats on the 2nd boat!

I'm sure someone can answer hull and ski wake in a bit. But the GT40 is a great motor. And I wouldn't worry about the low hours, you could have the motor compression tested by a mechanic but I'd probably do a water test and through visual and decide.

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[DLafont]

Ditto on GT-40, runs great in my 2000 PAN. Take it out for a spin to check how it runs. Hours are very low, but if it looks real clean and runs well, pourquoi pas??

[High altitude]

A 196 is really a term that was adopted later in the series (2002?) but I get what you are asking. Bottom line...a 206 will have an open bow, a SN will have a closed bow. I have a '99 SN and it's a great boat and the GT-40 is a great motor. The only warning I have for you is in my '99 the hour meter only runs part of the time. I have installed another hour meter for my own knowledge and I have put 153 hours on the motor in the last three years. The electronic hour meter shows only about 50 more hours. I believe this has to be a problem with more than just my boat. Personally, I don't think hours matter much. I've heard of plenty of GT-40's with over 2000 hours that run strong. I think a history of regular maintenance is much more important. As for the wake, I have heard the bump is not as bad on the TSC1 hull, but let's not kid ourselves...there is still a noticeable bump at 22. Of course that's really the only line length with an issue, and even that is not too bad. As for the MX, I don't think you can avoid it with a '99. I'm not saying you are going to be doing a ton...but the boat is 15 years old. If it hasn't had a new steering cable in the last few years, you should expect to be putting one in. I had to replace a starter assist solenoid and the perfect pass computer (not a big issue since I wanted to upgrade to StarGazer). The next thing I will have to fix is my depth gauge. It's went completely nuts this year. Again...none of these were too big an issue or really time consuming. Overall, I think you will be very happy with it. Hopefully you aren't paying more than about $13K. Above that I wouldn't be as bullish on the deal. -Marc

[s_kelley2000]

Is the boat an open or closed bow? If it's a closed bow then it's a 19'6" Ski Nautique. If it's an open bow then it is either 19'6" Ski Nautique Open Bow aka SNOB or it's a Sport Nautqiue which is a 21 footer and a different hull shape. If it has a playpen bow then it is a SNOB, if it's a walk through bow then it's a Sport. The 206 which is 20'6" debuted in 2002 (or 2003 I can never remember) is a stetched 196 and replaced the SNOB and Sport. The SNOB ski wake should be just about identical to the closed bow version since it is the same hull just with an open bow and probably a few extra pounds because of that. The Sport wake will not be quite as nice for slalom but only you can decide if it works for you after skiing it.

[DanielC]

1997 was the first year of the TSC 1 hull. It was offered in both a closed bow, and open bow version. For the open bow, the helm, and engine were moved back a few inches, to give more room for the open bow. At trick skiing speeds, thay will ride a little bow high, compared to a SNCB. Same hull on boat boats until 2002.
In 2002, the TSC2 hull was introduced. The SNOB retained the TSC1 hull for one year.
The "196" designation was introduced in 2003. Same hull as 2002 Ski Nautique. The SNOB was replaced with the 206. The Sport Nautique was replaced with the 216. The Super Air, and Super Sport were renamed the 210, but kept the same hull as before. But midway through the year, after much dealer protest, the "Super Air" and "Super Sport" names came back.
2003 also saw the introduction of the 226.
I think the TSC 3 hull came out in 2004, but I could be wrong.

[Noelb]

Thank you all! Very knowledgeable and helpful folks around here!

So yeah, it is a closed bow. I guess the seller was wrong when he quoted 20 1/2 feet length. I'm going to go give it a spin this week-end. I expect the deal should settle at about $16-17K Canadian with the trailer, which I find isn't bad given it's apparently great condition.

[jhersey29]

The swim deck will take it to about 20.5 feet. Depends if your original question was will it fit in my garage and does it have a fold away tongue on the trailer.
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[CHassmann]

21.5 feet with the platform.