2004 Super Air Natique 210- the right boat?

[ljwilke]

Not sure I'm willing to go to Seattle. Maybe Portland. I want to stick with a V drive because it is still a family boat. We all recreational ski, but the adult kids want to wakeboard and wakesurf also. I had no idea how hard it would be to find a boat that can do all decently. I'm just starting on the boat buying journey, and learning as I'm going. The budget has gone up to $50,000 very tops. I rather buy a boat no older than 2008 ish.... My husband and I and the kids decided to chip in to get the boat we can keep till we can't ski anymore so willing to pay more than the original $30,000 budget. Thanks

[SilentSeven]

You have options at that budget. Best thing you can do is look at a lot of boats so when that perfect boat shows up you'll feel confident to grab it quick. The really nice ones typically don't last more than a day or two. If the boat is a bit of a distance from you and sold by a dealer, you can typically put a $500 refundable deposit down over the phone with a commitment you'll go inspect in a few days. Good luck!

[ljwilke]

This one is local to me....any opinions? https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/boa...246258133.html

[Warrior48188]

The boat should do pretty much everything you're looking to do. Just know, this boat is built as a wakeboard boat, so the ski wake will be bigger than your Bayliner, but certainly not unmanageable. There was a rear pylon that was an option on that boat that year. It would be good if this boat had that option because skiing with the rope from the tower can be weird. Wakeboarding wake will be great. Surfing can be done, but will require an external gate. Those are inexpensive and easy to use.

Generally speaking, $35,000 seems a bit high for a 2004 210, but times are strange right now, and you're in California, where boats are generally more expensive, so maybe the price is in line.

Which engine is in the boat?

Excalibur 330 HP would have been standard
ZR6 375 HP would have been optional and a nice upgrade because it also includes closed-cooling.

There is a known issue with the gateway box that controls the gauges in that year Nautique. Read up about it here. It is pretty common to have the gateway fail, and the retrofit kit is about $1,000 plus installation, and it is backordered right now.

Repair for Dead Gauges on 2003-2006 Nautiques Caused by Bad Faria Gateway

Also, the 2004 year 210 has an oddball, one-year-only tower with rounded bottom bars that is generally considered less desirable than the towers on other year 210 boats. You may be able to use that as a bargaining point.

At the price you mentioned, I would certainly hope this is a Team Edition boat, or at least a Limited. If it is a Signature Edition with analog gauges and key start, that price is way too high.

Post up some pictures and let's see what you're looking at.

Jeff, if the Team and Limited Editons have a known problem with the Faria Gateway box and guages, why isn't the Signature Edition with analog gauges more desirable? Seems like the more reliable guages would be a positive. Disclaimer, I have an 04 Signature Edition and prefer the reliability at the expense of appearance.

[SilentSeven]

FWIW Here's some interesting reads on the 211 wake with comps to other hulls.

https://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/f...99-sv-211-wake

https://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/f...0te-sv-211-226

[Gwozhog]

An older 210 would be one of the last boats I would be looking at if I was looking to ski. It is a wake making machine. If you want a true do it all boat from that era that skis, surfs, and wakeboards I would strongly consider a Mastercraft 205v.

[LakesideRec]

What is Wake Makers? And then once the bags are plumbed in I would just fill them with water with a switch on the boat? Is it possible to surf at all if I don't do that? Or does it just make the surf better? I know nothing about wakesurfing except I know the shape of the wave matters. Not sure if my kids know a good wave from a bad one.

Wakemakers is a retailer of ballast bags and accessories (www.wakemakers.com). The suggestion here is that on boats that already have on-board ballast tanks and pumps, you can add additional capacity for even more ballast by adding a ballast bag which is permanently plumbed in to the existing pump in a piggy-back configuration. The added bag is placed on top of the existing tank in the locker area. When full, you do lose some storage space, but when empty, you can use that locker space to put away your boards (on top of the bag which is permanently left in the locker). The added piggy back sacks and misc. plastic fittings and hoses will probably cost under $800 total and are an easy DIY project.

The wakemakers website has a lot of good info and pictures and can even help configure the size of bags that will fit within your exact boat model. They can also sell you complete kits with the right fittings and hoses to add on to the factory system.
https://www.wakemakers.com/nautique-...st-system.html

Once installed, filling and draining would be via the boat's built-in ballast pumps and plumbing which would fill both the built-in tanks and bags connected together. You would just have to run the pump longer to fill the added capacity.

Nautique's walk-through video for the 2016 Sport 200's indicate the factory ballast (740 lbs or something like that) is enough to surf. For smaller and beginning riders, probably enough without adding ballast. Adding another 800-1200 lbs will make a bigger or longer wave for more advanced surfing or bigger air when wakeboarding.

[srock]

One thing I can assure you is that you will not be disappointed with the move from a Bayliner to Nautique. You are going to be floored with the performance behind the boat and the all around driving experience with be 1000 times more pleasurable. Although the 210 may have a bigger ski wake the consistency of the pull over a Bayliner will make up for it. You will be thinking that your average driver must have been taking lessons because the pull just became so much more consistent.