First Boat. Decisions. Decisions.

[AWilcox]

I'm looking at buying my first boat. I grew up skiing on my friends ski nautique's but I want something a little bigger with an open bow. Going to be using it on a fairly busy lake so I'm hoping a sport or air won't be as rough on the water as a 19' ski. I'm currently looking at a several boats and want to know what would be best for my needs. I want to be able to do everything behind the boat, ski, wake-board, and even surf if possible. Skiing/Trick Skiing/Jumping being the most important thing to me. Not huge into slalom but could get more into it in the future. The boat needs to be able to hold a decent amount of people and from what I've seen the sport and airs that I've been looking at all are rated for 9 people. I'm basically torn between the sport & super air and what suits my needs the best.

Sport Nautique
http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/boa/5642476930.html - 12,000 - This is the boat I really have my eye on. The guy selling it is very forth coming about everything and he has told me it takes a second for the boat to get up and go. He seems to think it maybe an issue with the fuel, throttle response, but I'm worried it maybe a transmission issue.


http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/boa/5593333087.html - 12,400 with trailer. - Seems to be cleaner than the first but has more hours. Also, this guy seems very firm on price where I think there is 1-2k wiggle room on the sport listed above.

Mastercraft 200 VRS
http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/boa/5681723336.htm - 13,500


Super Air
http://flint.craigslist.org/boa/5648097834.html - 20,000 - Is it worth the extra money to go this route for the wrap around seating, ballast system, perfect pass, ect?

Air
http://annarbor.craigslist.org/boa/5613258542.html - 19,500

[Quinner]

#1, tower is awful, price is OK, need to confirm what motor it really has, prob 310hp GT-40?? If Protech EFI, not good
#2, tower is bad but not awful, price is good, hours are a concern (meter is an LED in tach), new interior looks mediocre at best. 99' Sport/Air is a great do-it all hull
#3, no comment
#4, looks nice, beware of true hours as those gauges are a known issue - 473 is reasonable and U should be able to cross check the hours on the Perfect Pass. Vinyl looks decent and maybe original which points to a well cared for boat. Slalom wake on the VDrive will be rough, wake board wake will be great
#5, horrible tower, snaps all over the hull , calling BS on the hours, same gauge issue as #4.

2 or 4 would have most of my attention

Good Luck

[DLafont]

I'm partial to #4, caveats well identified by Quinner. Looks just like mine, though different model (Pro Air vs Air), that color scheme has aged really well, so well that my wife won't let me change boats...

[TRIP]

I'd first check out and drive and ride behind a Sport/Air and a Super Sport/Super Air to figure out which model you really want. And then start looking for the best example you can find in your budget.

[azeus17]

I'd first check out and drive and ride behind a Sport/Air and a Super Sport/Super Air to figure out which model you really want. And then start looking for the best example you can find in your budget.

I agree...because of your ski preference, I would say an Air would be better suited to you than a Super Air. The direct drive is going to have a more friendly wake.

[AWilcox]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! It is greatly appreciated! I'm not too familiar with towers since I grew up using ski nautiques, how is a tower bad? What should I be looking for? I'm going to set up test rides with the sport and super air and see which one is better for me.

Thanks,
Aaron

[Quinner]

The only tower that is a Factory CC tower is on #4, the other towers are aftermarket or DIY towers, my reference to bad is mostly aesthetics, cannot speak for if they are unstable, shake, provide a poor tow point, are poorly installed, etc. My personal preference is a factory installed tower or a good quality clone which none of the above, sans #4, are. Differences in the boats are the Sport will track and handle better then the Super Air, the SA will ride a little dryer & smoother in choppy water particularly if you have a boat full of people. Sport will pull all skiing boarding events well, the SA with throw a much rampier better wake for board stuff and a stiff tall, not so good wake for slalom. I think the direct drive full of people feels a bit less crowded as the motor separates the rear cabin area, and some may prefer the more open floor on the VDrive.
Either 2 or 4 will be an excellent choice for what you want to do, if slalom is way down the list for you then I would lean towards the SA as the best solution for you.

[swatguy]

I gotta be honest here but what you're looking for in that price range based on the boats you provided and the details you provided I don't think Nautique is the right call here. Everyone can flame me if they like, but read the following.


You want room for 9. D drive will get super tight with gear for those 9 people and their bodies. I would argue bit doable comfortably at all. The bow would sit so low and space would be gonzo.

You our want ski ,wake and surf. Super sport /super air has a terrible ski wake. Beginner surf wake at best, and one of the best wakeboard wakes of all time. This boat will get just as beat up as the sport on the big body of water. Sport/air will get you the ski wake but you'll have sacs taking even more space up all over the floor. And the rear passengers will be soaked on a rough day.


The the ticket here would be a Mastercraft Maristar 210 . It's a v drive with a ton of room. It's cocpit is almost double that of the Super Sport. It has a deeper v entry in the front to accommodate chop and bigger waters. It's gunwale height and bow room are much more than a super sport. 9 and gear could be easily done. It surfs, skis, and wakeboard all very well. It's one of the better v drive ski hulls. Not the best in any one single aspect , but very respectable in all disciplines.

[keithh2oskier]

Along the lines of what SWAT Guy said you could also look at a Malibu Sunsetter or the like with a wedge and possibly a tower.

[xlair]

Along the lines of what SWAT Guy said you could also look at a Malibu Sunsetter or the like with a wedge and possibly a tower.

Older Malibu build quality is not great. I'd stick to nautique or that MC. Out of the nautiques I would say the San is in the best shape- the others, not so much.


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[AWilcox]

Please see the attached link of a video made of the first sport nautique and let me know what you think

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=...&v=U6ooNvNpJxU

thanks for the input on the mastercraft!