Air nautique direct drive opinions

[Daddyodaman]

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I'm in the market for my first wakeboarding/ski boat, and to cut a long story short, my front runners are the mastercraft 205 (99-2000 model) and the air nautique direct drive (2000-2002). My friend has a malibu v ride which is a great wake boat, but the wake without ballast is a bit intimidating for beginners and little kids. I'm semi intermediate at boarding (180's, no inverts yet) and I don't want to be a pro, just have fun, but I want a boat that can also be skied behind, as if like to get back into a bit of recreational slalom. I also want a boat that can make a wake that's not going to scare my kids off learning to ski,hence I'm looking at direct drive boats. I'm just keen to hear people's opinions of them from that era and also what to look for when buying one. My budget is 30-40k australian, which limits me a bit, as popular boats are fairly expensive here. This is my criteria:
1- 70% wakeboarding 15% slalom 15% tubing etc
2- used on a river where other boat wakes are the only threat
3- able to make smallish to large (not interested in surfing) wakes for decent, but not pro level boarding, and reasonable (semi aggressive) slalom
4- be able to comfortably seat 3-4 adults and 3-4 kids at once (not always that many, but sometimes)
5- be a good enough family boat to not need to replace any time soon
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm also open to any other suggestions/makes

[engelland11]

Hi,

I have a 99 Sport Nautique and I love it. If you're not familiar, the Sport is the same as the Air, just without ballast/graphics. It meets all the criteria that you have and I think would be sufficient for your planned usage. We mostly wakeboard and it has plenty enough room to add ballast bags if needed. Makes a nice clean wake that is not too large for beginners, but is large enough for inverts. Hope this helps!

[DLafont]

As indicated in my profile, I have a 2000 PAN. Really like the boat and have been real pleased by it over the past couple summers. My usual crew runs roughly the same size as what you described and works great for all. We manage to surf behind it, nothing spectacular, but still a load of fun. Basic wake is great for wakeboarding. I too decided to stay with a direct drive for the greater versatility. The keys for me when buying this boat were budget and space as my previous boat was a Ski Nautique, so limited space there... When dealing with kids on board, a bimini top is a must have!! No big issues to report on the boat after 200+hours added since I bought it, regular maintenance stuff. Have fun, boat shopping is meant to be exciting. Make sure you're in love with the boat you buy and don't settle too much. With your budget in Canada, you could get something pretty darn nice, not sure how things translate to Aus $$ when talking boats.

[Treybizttu]

As indicated in my profile, I have a 2000 PAN. Really like the boat and have been real pleased by it over the past couple summers. My usual crew runs roughly the same size as what you described and works great for all. We manage to surf behind it, nothing spectacular, but still a load of fun. Basic wake is great for wakeboarding. I too decided to stay with a direct drive for the greater versatility. The keys for me when buying this boat were budget and space as my previous boat was a Ski Nautique, so limited space there... When dealing with kids on board, a bimini top is a must have!! No big issues to report on the boat after 200+hours added since I bought it, regular maintenance stuff. Have fun, boat shopping is meant to be exciting. Make sure you're in love with the boat you buy and don't settle too much. With your budget in Canada, you could get something pretty darn nice, not sure how things translate to Aus $$ when talking boats.

Your post has me curious as I have a 00 PAN myself... I'm not a surfer but I got a ronix surfboard as a gift and figured I might as well give it a shot... How do you have your boat setup?

Thanks!

[DLafont]

Your post has me curious as I have a 00 PAN myself... I'm not a surfer but I got a ronix surfboard as a gift and figured I might as well give it a shot... How do you have your boat setup?

Thanks!

Usually, I fill up stock ballast and just go. We don't go "wireless" that much, but I've managed to do it a couple times with stock ballast and a few chunky friends on board... ;-) I've been too lazy to play around with sacks and such, but I bought a couple 500# last year and might try to get things better dialed this summer, if it ever comes!! I had one of the bags in the ski locker and plan on placing the other on top of the tanks in the back and that helped quite a bit. I mainly pull the wife, kids & nepĥews , so they're perfectly happy just to be on the water. No matter what, I love that boat and since it's paid off and starts every time, it works for me!!

[Daddyodaman]

Thanks for the replies. There are a few pro air nautiques for sale in my budget, all 99-2000 models, but I wasn't sure as I've heard they aren't very nice for skiing and only marginally better than normal airs for boarding. Have any of you got an extra jump seat, and do you have it behind the driver or next to the driver? The only thing I'm not excited about is the observer seat being suitable for only one person, although I'm sure it's not a huge issue. Also, how good is the standard ballast? Is it easy to operate and does it make much difference? My friends malibu is just a case of flicking a switch either way for fill and empty, but I've heard the nautique is a bit more fiddly. The air nautique is fast becoming too of my hit list, but I figure you can't learn too much about a boat, especially from owners like you guys. Are there any things you don't like about the boat? I have read that the digital gauges are annoying, but I'd like to know what you think

[a0128]

Contrary to what others have written, the Air or Pro Air are just fine for skiing. I have a 1999 Pro Air and the wake is very ski-able at speed (32-ish). Granted it is not a NWZ hull and was designed specifically for wakeboarding, so if you are particular about your slalom wake this may not be the right boat for you. But since you indicate your water time is 70% wakeboarding then this is a great boat to start out on.

We mostly wakeboard and the un-weighted wake is a great place to start for beginners and once you fill the ballast tanks the wake gets bigger but not overly intimidating like say a Super Air 230. For the average Joe or Jane the Pro Air wake is more than enough to get air, perfect your 180's and 360's and even some flips. Most people are under the wrong impression that you need a huge wake to get maximum air and be able to do inverts, raleys, tantrums, etc. The key is speed to the wake out of your cut. If your kids and their friends crash and burn every time they try and cross a huge wake they will quickly lose interest.

The Air or Pro Air platform is a great family boat and can accommodate your seating requirements. Some like the interior layout of the v-drive platform, but I like the maneuverability and easy access for engine maintenance of a direct drive boat. The GT-40 is a great match for the hull and puts out 310 hp. The boat gets up on plane almost immediately.

The only shortcoming is the ballast system. This system uses two aerator pumps (one to fill and one to empty) and a pair of valves (one for each side) to fill the rear ballast tanks. Basically you open the through-hull petcock in the engine compartment, open the valves and switch on the pump. Once the tanks are full, you switch off the pump and close the valves. I leave the through-hull open while I am wakeboarding. To empty you reverse the process. It is not as simple as your friends Malibu, but it is not complicated. I have augmented the built-in ballast with a FlyHigh bag in the trunk and one in the in-hull ski locker. Each bag adds approx 380 lbs. They fill manually with a Tsunami pump. Others have replaced the aerator pumps with reversible impeller-based pumps (which is probably what the Malibu has) and it is a relatively easy job if you are mechanically inclined.

Good luck with your search.

[Daddyodaman]

Thanks mate, that's a very good piece if info. Just the sort of stuff I need to know. Appreciated. 😊