All around family ski/wake nautique?

[mlange]

Everything up that way seems to be Nautique and has been forever. Watercraft must be doing a real good job up there.

[Papachristou]

One of the local guys from the ski club recommended a Mastercraft x14v (2010-16) for a crossover as well. Comes with factory ballast system you can piggy back.

[MN Ryan]

10 years ago, the X14v was my dream boat. They're sweet boats.

[bturner]

I used to be a MC guy but could never get into that model. The interior reminded me of an I/O. Up this way the local dealer had one for 2 years that they could move. Also saw several for sale cheap before the vid hit. They really never caught on here. Have no clue how they performed, never saw one in the wild.

[MN Ryan]

It always intrigues me how regional boats brands are. Here in MN, Malibus and MCs are by far the most common inboards. Of course, our Nautique dealer options are slim and unimpressive.

[Papachristou]

Yes, I need to look and see which dealer is closer. The MC 214v I found has a brand new motor and 130 hours total on the boat. MC is including a 1 year engine warranty.

[dskier]

If you do the 14V make sure you stick with a 2009 or 2010. They changed the hull in 2011 or 2012(not 100 percent sure) to be more of a wake throwing hull.

[Papachristou]

The 2016 200v that the guy advertised as immaculate has been sitting uncovered at a marina. A pontoon backed into it and chipped the bow into the fiberglass and half the seats are cracked ♂️

[ScooterMcgavin]

Understood but those are cosmetic, The important thing is maintenance and how solid of a boat it is. If it runs good and everything else is good, use those items as negotiating tactics

[Papachristou]

That is true but he’s asking about what it should sell for in pristine shape. I’ve resigned myself to not getting any questions use out of whatever I get so patience is key. Something will come up this winter I’m sure.

[Papachristou]

Everything up that way seems to be Nautique and has been forever. Watercraft must be doing a real good job up there.

It’s all the publicity from the ChainSkimmers lol

[bturner]

I just went to a party at a local MC dealer last night and got to take a close look at several new surf boats and the pricing of these beasts. While the features and build quality were stunning, I was absolutely shocked to see the sale price of the boats. The surf boats ranged from the low 200s to the top level boat having an asking price of just over $300K. $300K. I almost fell over. Even their entry level wake boat was over $120K. With prices like that on new boats it's no wonder used boats are seeing these "higher than one would expect" prices.

As to condition of used boats.....

I've been doing the boating thing for over 40 years now. During this journey/adventure I've climbed the boating ladder in my youth starting out with a salvage 19' Sea Ray and working my way up to the last 2 relatively new boats (2 season boats) through horse trading, flipping and sweat equity. During that time I never once bought a used boat that was in the condition it was advertised, something was always wrong or broken (yes even on the 2 season boats). From pure abuse/neglect to poorly implemented upgrades (especially stereos) there is always something that will need work. Nearly all the owners of these poor boats insisted the boats were in top notch condition and used lines like..... "do you know how much these boats go for", "I didn't notice that was broken" or "that's a minor issue". What surprises me even more is that nearly every one of these boats I looked at were absolutely filthy with little to no effort taken in preparation of the sale. It also surprised me how many of these boat owners really thought the boat was worth what they were asking for it.

Now my experience is probably (well, to be truthful, most likely) influenced by the type of boats and the pricing of the boats that I was looking at. I get that as I'm looking at "good deals" or boats I could flip but honestly what some people see in their abused or poorly maintained boats is a mystery to me. I guess this why many boats get listed for weeks or months before they're sold or an owner will say they shown the boat to several people and are waiting for offers. I can only think of one or two times one of my boats didn't sell to the first person to come look at it but then again my boats have always met or exceed the condition I advertise.

Still thinking of doing another Jeff (I love how he keeps finding all those boats he restores) if I can get the wife onboard. The problem I'm having is figuring out where the market is. I used to be able to look at a MC or Nautique and tell you what it was worth and probably tell you how much it would cost to put it back in shape within a few hundred dollars. These days have really changed the market and costs to do something like a cosmetic restoration. I'm just now completing a refresh on the BIL's 05 Boatmate trailer that most people on here have heard me bitch about (and yes we finally got around to cutting the front bunk spacers to fix the loading issue). Everything I bought to refurbish the trailer from wheels/tires to sandpaper and paint costs 15% - 25% more than just a couple years back. My point here on this is IF you decided to bite on one of these boats that needs some work you better do some research on what the cost will be in today's inflated prices. It may really surprise you.

I do believe good boats are out there and at fair prices (whatever that is these days) and with patience you will find one. The coming 3 months will probably be the best time to find that "right" boat. Best of luck with your search.

[MN Ryan]

LOL, a pet peeve of mine is ads selling a 2009 boat in "like new condition" or stating "no lowball offers--I know what I have".

[Papachristou]

You raise really good points on the price of new boats versus 5-10 years ago. There’s just not a $60-80k new option anymore. Even entry level models are $150k+ and the dealers treat you like a pleb.