Considering a 1997-1999 SNCB - Any advice?

[Proud2BeCC]

I'm considering purchasing a 1997-1999 SN. Please give me any advice on what to look for with regards to each year.

[Jesse1]

RE: Considering a 1997-1999 SNCB - Any advice?

I had a '97 Ski Nautique Limited Edition that was burgundy/cream. First year for the TSC hull. Great boat! I would recommend the GT40 engine. They did not have the keypad or electronic speedo so there was less problems than later models. I don't know of any real issues with the boats.

[SGY]

RE: Considering a 1997-1999 SNCB - Any advice?

99 has the adjustable rudder.

[jasper]

That is a good range of year models. You can actually go up to 2000 or 2001 before the hull changed. If you are trying to stay away from the big "N" graphic, there were still some "classic" editions in 2000 that did not have it, but not many. Issues are the digital speedo's and the Teleflex/Hummingbird depth finders. Problems with both. The speedo's were covered under warranty. I was SOL on the depth finder. Keyless opinons vary. I could go either way - no big deal. Don't like the fact that if you fully remove the back seat, the gas tank shows - i.e. it's unfinished. Don't know if they've changed that even on the new models. The good: Great wake. Great drive. Great engine.

jasper

[NCH2oSki]

I have a 99 and when you remove the back seat it does not show the gas tank. It has an additional removable panel. I especially like the middle of the back seat where you can flip it upside down and step onto the swim platform. Still leaves two back seat cushions to sit on, and you dont have to walk on your seats to access the platform.

One of the issues I know of is, its a great ski boat, , in fact the new tsc3 hull is often compared to the tsc 1 hull. Find a nice one, you wont go wrong.

[M3Fan]

99 and up has a re-tuned ECU on the GT40 which, among other things, eliminates an annoying idle flair on startup. Almost everyone that got that generation of boat went with the GT40, which is hailed by many to be the greatest inboard engine ever devised. So try to stick with it. 98 and up has a restyled motorbox which is cooler looking and smaller than the 97. 00-01 is basically garaunteed to have replaced guages, so be careful with determining the hours on those boats. I have not heard of any big problems with the keypads on 00-01, and I really prefer it over the old pushbutton breakers with miles of daisy-chained wiring. You really can't go wrong with any year in your range. You're asking about arguably the best build period of SN's, of all time.

[Proud2BeCC]

Thanks for all the great information. This is the type of response that sets Correct Craft apart from the competition. PN is milestones apart from every other owners site. I had heard that the 97' muffler was a bit louder than the 98-99, and also that the rudder pulled pretty hard. My assumption was that this was to compensate for the non-tuneable rudder while going thru the course. Sounds like I couldn't go wrong with the 99 SN. I will be upgrading from a 92' Supra COMP. It's been a great boat, however it doesn't carry the same owner experience as the Nautique. Please provide me additional thoughts on the 98 & 99's if you would. Thanks again!

[ScarletArrow]

I just purchased a '99 - and it's been great.

I would stick with the GT-40.

I flip my middle seat over in the back, but I know many who remove the seat altogether.

I don't like the way it looks out, and I don't want the hassle of putting it each time I take the family out on a larger lake.

The newer models (I think beginning in '02) have a better setup where the rear seat pad sits on a elevated "platform" - so if you remove the seat pad there is a still a step to come down on when entering the boat...much nicer IMO.

[bkhallpass]

I had a 98. Loved that boat. I believe in 99, the dash was made white to match the rest
of the boat. IN 97 and 98 it was black which can get pretty hot. BKH

[todda]

my '99 still has the black dash, BKH.

snwanabe, I have loved our 99, w/ GT-40. Turn-key starts every time, haven't had a single problem. Wake is awesome, a bit of a 22 bump, but good technique rids you of that problem!

Todd

[bkhallpass]

my '99 still has the black dash, BKH.

Todd

Wow, very interesting. I wonder if yours was one of the early 99s?
I just went and looked at the 99 literature to double check. The driver's pod is black, as is the glove box cover, but the fiberglass dash area was definitely white. I remember that after I bought my 98, the white dash was the only change for 99 that I wish I'd had. Who knows. In any case, 97-2001 are definitely great boats regardless of graphics and slight technical tweaks.

[NCH2oSki]

my dash is white, the pod and glove box/cooler lid is black.

Just turned 140 hours on mine. Purchased with 15 hours on it 3 years ago. I really love our boat!

[GRskinautique]

I have a '00 and my neighbor has a '97. These are pretty much the only two boats I drive and ski behind. The differences between the two are minor. His does have the idle flair which is not a big deal at all but I don't notice it being any louder than mine. Mine has the rear trunk (lift up the rear seat back), digital gauges, tunable rudder and keypad. My steering is maybe just a tad tighter than his but that is probably more just a function of age than anything else. If my motorbox is smaller, to be honest I can't even tell. Behind the boats, I can't tell any differences at all. I would agree with the others on this board. Assuming the boat you get is well cared for you can't go wrong.