2002 Super Air Nautique Known issues

[alexbailey228]

Hey all,

I recently put a deposit on a 2002 super air nautique team edition. It has the excalibur 330 engine. I currently own a 94 sport nautique (for sale) so I am not very familiar with the inner-workings of a V-drive nautique or just newer nautiques in general. I want a V-drive to have just a little more room on the inside so I decided to take the plunge on a 2002 super air in Florida. I am supposed to pick it up this weekend and I would like to know what I need to check before I make my final decision. The salesman at the dealer have not been the most informative on the boats history so I really want to make sure I cover my self by performing a thorough inspection.

It has 418 hours. The dealer was not able to answer that when I asked. The boat will need some upholstery work but they say it is mechanically sound. I have tried using the search button and I did find some useful info; just not all the info I feel that I need for the situation. The dealer stated there was an issue with ballast tanks that he knew of but was not sure what was wrong with them. I am aware that the ballast on the 02 SANTE have proven to be problematic. Are they expensive to fix?

Also stated there may be a speedometer issue that would require lifting the engine slightly to fix but wasn't sure???? The guy sounded like he really didn't have a clue really about it. He did say that it ran and drove very well which is why I decided to place a deposit. When out on the water we wakeboard the whole time so thats all I really need it to do. I am attaching a picture of the engine. The bolts on the manifold look to be slightly rusty which is why I feel it may have been in salt. It could to due to florida's saltier air as well. The 02-05 SANTE's are my favorite boats of all time so this would really be a dream come true if it worked out.

Can you guys provide me some guidance so that I can make a good decision this weekend when I go to potentially take delivery of this boat? What all should I check? What are the known issues on these boats? What red flags should I look for? Any help is greatly appreciated!

[alexbailey228]

Also since boat does not have the digital gauges, Where is the hour meter on this boat???

[nukemustang]

Couple things:

The ballast tank issue is two fold. One is the valves that were used to isolate the tanks leak, so if you filled it to "half-way" and then shut the valve, as you drive the boat the pressure of the water can overcome the valves ability to hold water, so the tanks would continue to fill. Another is that the aerator pumps used to fill and empty the ballast tanks are not of the greatest design for that purpose. Nautique eventually switched to one reversible pump with an impeller to fill and drain the tank via the same connection. To fix this, you can add brass WOG valves (water, oil, gas) that you can get at almost any hardware store, but you lose the ability to control them from the helm. The re-plumb the pumps can be expensive since the reversible pumps are around $200+/- each.

The rust on the exhaust manifolds is really a minor issue. The boat is 10 years old and the manifolds and bolts are not stainless, so they will corrode slowly. The best way to look for salt usage would be to check the adjustable motor mounts and metal items lower in the bilge. If it was used in salt, those will be rusted VERY badly as they are also not stainless and not painted. If the boat sat with water in the bilge area and the engine cover not opened after the engine it warm it is super hot and very humid under the engine cover.

The speedo not working, should not be a big deal, it looks like the boat has perfect pass which should use a paddle wheel for speed input.

Only thing I am not sure about is the engine hours being read on a gauge. On mine, it is in one of the digital displays on the tachometer, but if it has the Excal motor, the engine hours are stored in the ECM and should be able to be pulled.

Hope this helps

Tim

Also, there maybe some one here that is relatively close to the dealer that could take a look before you drive down there... not sure what dealer it's at.

[alexbailey228]

Tim,

Thanks for the input that is very helpful. The boat is located at boat at the boat and motor superstore in palm harbor FL. It is near Tampa and Clearwater by lake tarpoon. that would great if someone could drive by and have a look. Are there any other issues I should look for with this boat. How do I check the V-drive fluid? Do I need a special device to pull hours from ECM? Does anyone else have an idea as to where the hours are displayed? Do you guys think those are the original gauges? If I do find that those areas are rusted below should I pass on it?

http://www.boatandmotorsuperstores.com/productDetailsBoat.aspx?sid=304400

Boat will definitely need an interior but it is in my price range.

[a0128]

Not the original gauges. Keep in mind (and offer accordingly) that an interior could run $3,500 - $5,000. Gel looks faded. Probably could use a good going over with some compound and then a good wax.

Since it is a GM-based motor the dealer should be able to pull the hours off the ECU.

From what you describe about the dealer I am not getting a lot of warm fuzzies. Either he knows the history and is feigning ignorance, or he really does know nothing about boats and probably should be peddling cell phones.

While $20k is a great price for a 2002 SAN, it is probably reflective of the general poor overall condition. Personally I'd pass unless you want to be spending more time working on the boat than on the water.

[alexbailey228]

We made deal for 28,500 so I figured if the engine runs well, with those hours, I could justify spending the money on a new interior. He claims he doesn't know history because boat is being sold on consignment. My good friend has an upholstery business and does really high end stuff. He did the interior in my sport and when I showed him the pictures of this one he quoted me about 2000. 28k is really the maximum I can spend, I do not want to finance. Since those are not the original gauges, why do you think they were changed?


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[nukemustang]

The v-drive fluid should be life of unit. The transmission has a dipstick, the V-drive has to "square-drive" plus one top and one bottom.

The gauges may have been replaced, the units of that generation were prone to failure and there is a kit available from White Lake that replaces the teleflex digital gauges with Faria gauges.


http://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/fo...to-faria-gages

http://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/fo...ria-conversion

[a0128]

We made deal for 17,500 so I figured if the engine runs well, with those hours, I could justify spending the money on a new interior. He claims he doesn't know history because boat is being sold on consignment. My good friend has an upholstery business and does really high end stuff. He did the interior in my sport and when I showed him the pictures of this one he quoted me about 2000. 20k is really the maximum I can spend, I do not want to finance. Since those are not the original gauges, why do you think they were changed?


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Congrats on the deal and the boat. You are smart not to finance. You'll have many fun days ahead on the water. Like Nuke said the gauges of that era were prone to fading to the point where they couldn't be read. Probably what happened here. I haven't seen too many 2000 - 2002 boats with the original LCD gauges that are still working. The kits are an easy install.

[obd666]

as pointed out above, the main thing with the gauges is to have the hours pulled off of the ecm by computer and documented. this is the only way you'll know the true hours. obviously, this may alter the perceived deal you are getting if they dont match what they say they are.

[seth]

Get them to pull the actual hours off the ECU. 17.5k is still a great deal for that boat if it has 1000 hours on it. Why are you replacing the interior? It looks fine to me. Run it for a couple years then replace when it needs it. I think that could be Danny Harf's old boat, there is a boat that looks just like that one in the old POINTLESS wakeboard video.

[alexbailey228]

Can you guys explain how I pull the hours off of the ECM? Does it have to be a nautique specific device? This is not a nautique dealer so I am concerned about I need to go about asking them to do it. I am in the car on the way to Florida. I'll post pics when I am there an updates on the situation. Thanks for all the great advice!

[nukemustang]

You would need the software interface program to plug into the ECM. For the PCM engines, it is Diacom Marine Software, made by a company called Rinda. (its the same software for many marine engine manufactures, see website) Dealer should have this available.

http://www.rinda.com/marine/diacommarine.htm

[seth]

Their service department should be able to pull the hours from this engine. If they say they cant, that is a red flag. Also have them do a compression test on the motor, it is very easy to do and should be routine for their service department.

[alexbailey228]

Ok guys I ended up buying boat. It will be a project, I was able to work them down on price a little more so I walked away with it. The electrical system is where all the issues lie. When you press the button for interior lights, only the light behind the driver seat comes on. All the others are either not getting power or they are burnt out. One of the electric hatches does not work and is missing the metal button.. Does anyone know where I can source this part? Fat sacks do not work and the docking headlamps don't work either. Speedo and gas gauge work intermittently, perfect pass try's to work but keeps rebooting and beeping. Engine ran well, I sat and listened to run for a long time. There was a weird sound I would like to mention, it was making a faint sparking sound as if one of the spark plug wires were pulled off but the rythym of the sound was not Contant. Any idea what could be causing it? Interior was not all that bad. The trans fluid was not milky but it was slightly dirty looking. Oil looked good and boat drove nice. Did not seem to have near the holeshot that my sport nautique has. The main thing is the electrical, could it be sourced to one issue? All the wiring doesn't look that bad, is it possible the control pod is bad? Have any of you guys had a bunch of electrical issues? Also the throttle is a little loose, I feel like it could use some adjusting. When at full speed the handle was almost facing the floor as opposed to facing the dash. The steering wheel is not straight up and down so ill need to figure that out. Can you guys shed some light on how I can go about fixing these electrical issues?

[alexbailey228]

Also horn and stereo do not work.