1993 open bow questions

[TommySki]

First time poster. Looking for a Nautique for the family primarily for skiing but also tubing and some footing. Weighing in at 6 ft 210lbs I like it between 39-42 mph on the water.

I have a line on a 1993 open bow Nautique with a tower. http://stlouis.craigslist.org/boa/4888439448.html

It has a 351 PCM with 757 original hours on it. Looks clean and well cared for from what I can tell thus far. However what I don't know and what I call upon the experts here is the following:

- Whats the top speed of this boat? Can I get 40-45mph comfortably out of this with a couple kids and maybe an adult in the boat?
- Can I attach a barefoot boom to this boat? The current owner is not a footer and never attached a boom. I see that the tower mount looks to be directly behind the driver seat which makes me wonder if that would be in the line of the boom out the side.
- Hows the ski wake behind this open bow boat? Is it better suited to boarding or is it good for slalom as well?

Thanks for any info you can provide.
Tom

[swc5150]

'93 was the first year with composite stringers, so that's a really good thing. Second, it'll be plenty fast to pull you footing. It'll top out at a solid 45mph, maybe slightly faster. This hull was designed for skiing, so that where it excels. You can weight the crap out of it to attempt a decent boarding wake, but that will also rob you of a lot of space. If you plan on serious boarding, this boat isn't for you in my opinion. If you're primarily footing and skiing, it'll be a nice little ride for you. This generation is know as the "No wake zone" hull, which pretty much sums it up The NWZ boats are pretty small too, so it won't work for you if you plan on bringing a bring group along. I'd think a boom would fit between the tower mounts? Looks clean in the pics...good luck!

[TRBenj]

Good info except for the top speed comment, which is off base- the boat will not achieve >45mph if it doesn't have the 285hp proboss. Stick to the feedback you got on ccf and you should be golden.

[swc5150]

No kidding, I thought back in the day even the base engine pushed the SN to 45? Good to know! OP, definitely trust Tim over me on this one!

[zhadley]

I have a 92 closed bow (same hull I believe) with the base engine that would do 44 indicated on the stock prop. (changed prop and lost a few mph now).

[TRBenj]

44 would be especially strong for a base motor in that hull, but it's possible. A fast hull, a strong motor or favorable conditions would help. An inaccurate speedometer might also contribute . 41-43 is more typical. 45-48 is more typical of the proboss.

My '90 with the 240hp and an upgraded ignition was good for almost 43mph, and that's it.

[zhadley]

Perhaps either my memory or my speedo is/was a bit optimistic. The boat was primarily used for wakeboarding (gasp), but recently purchased an actual wakeboarding boat (210). Trying to get this boat back to doing its intended purpose. We were at Lake Powell and doing quite a bit of barefooting and it really wasn't getting to a comfortable speed with a 4 blade OJ (can't remember off the top of my head exact model). I recently switched to an ACME 422 and hoping to get a few more MPH on the top end.