Time for a new boat! What model year SN200?

[dski]

We have loved our '04 206 but it is time for an upgrade. About 3 years ago, we bought into an '07 236 and we use that for surfing. Our 206 is pretty much just slalom and doesn't need to be a triple threat or carry more than 3 (or 4 with one skiing) anymore. To that end, considering selling the 206 and moving to a 200.

Our skiers

1. Almost all skiers behind the boat are 23-28 MPH skiers at 15 off. Optimizing the wake for the slow speed is the Home consideration.
2. The best skiers behind the boat are at 32mph knocking on the 34mph door. (15/22 off) Will never be at 36 mph and we don't compete. We just love setting up the course at Lake Powell and other places and skiing it.
3. We don't wakeboard and no need to surf the new boat since we do that on the 236 now.
4. Budget is up to 65k

So, here are the questions!

1. Based on what I have researched on here and other sites, it seems like the slower wakes will be a big enhancement over my 206. Those that have made the jump, is that consistant with your experience?
2. What model years of the 200 are best to look at?
3. What model years of the 200 are best to stay away from?
4. We are at 4500 elevation, which engine should I look at? Seems like a minimum of the 400hp engine is what I need.
5. Our 206 has been pretty much flawless, has the 200 seen solid reliability?

Any other perspectives are welcome...thanks!

[jpwhit]

Yes, the slow speed wake on the Nautique 200 will be way better than your 206. The only boat with a better slow speed wake is the 2014+ ProStar. I own both a 2019 ProStar and have owned multiple 200s and still own a 200. So I speak from direct experience. And the difference in the slow speed wake between the 200 and the ProStar is fairly minor. Both boats are great slalom course boats.

Keep in mind with the 200, there are really two generations. 2010 - 2018 is the original 200. 2019 and newer is the 2nd generation 200. The 2nd generation 200 coincides with the introduction of the Ski Nautique. The newer 200 is a little like when Apple sells the older model iPhone as the entry model. The newer generation 200 uses the exact same hull mold, so the ski characteristics are nearly identical with a few exceptions I'll discuss below. The main difference in the 2nd generation is a simpler interior to allow the boat to be sold at a little bit lower price point. Really, all that means is the newer 200 hasn't gone up as much as it would have with the original interior. Personally, I actually like the newer cleaner interior for use at a ski club lake where storage doesn't really matter. The biggest change is the newer 200 no longer has the large saddlebag storage compartment on both sides of the boat for ski storage. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the new Ski Nautique, so if I were buying newer Nautique ski boat, it would be the 200.

Here's a list of some of the changes I think are more significant by year. I think I have all the years correct, but no guarantees.

2010 - The first year boat - they changed the driveshaft angle the following year. Personally, I'd avoid the 2010 just being first year and the driveshaft angle change
2011-2012 - I think these are best years for the 200. I still have a 2012. It's been a rock solid boat from a reliability point of view.
2013-2014 - They changed the throttle lever to a new design that most people really hated including me. Enough so, I would avoid these years unless the boat had been retrofitted with the older throttle lever
2015 - New throttle with electronic transmission shifting. Better usability, but unfortunately the electronic Throttle Base Assemblies have been notoriously unreliable. Livosri Marine, claims the latests TBA have been improved to be more reliable.
2016 - New generation single puck zero off - new direct injection engine options
2018 - last year or the original generation 200
2019-2020 2nd generation - These years were built by Bryant Boats which has just been acquired by Correct Craft. Build quality suffered and there years also tended to be heavy so personally I wouldn't buy one of these years. The weight on these years will have the biggest impact on slow speed wakes.
2021+ - 200 Production was moved back to the Nautique factory in Florida. If I were buying the 2nd generation, these are the years I would want.

On the elevation and engine choice. Even the 5.7L in the 200 setup has always been a very strong performing engine. The 5.7 in the 200 is way stronger than the 5.7 in the ProStar. I have 5.7 in both and I've never wanted for more in the 200. In the ProStar I do wish I had the 6.0 or 6.2L. Since you're not planning to ski 36 I think the 5.7 may be adequate even at your elevation with the 1868 prop. But of course, the bigger engines will be even stronger. Because the 5.7L preformed quite well, it may be hard to find in older 200s.

On the 5.7L, the1868 was the standard prop for the 200 originally. Somewhere around 2012-2013 they switched to the 654 as the standard prop to lower RPMs some. Most people I know have switched to the 654 on older 200s at lower elevations.

The Dual Puck Zero off prior to 2016 is more or less no longer supported and unless someone has done some fairly complicated updating of the GPS pucks. This version of Zero off will likely have surging issues. Zero Off's recommendation is to replace the dual pucks with the new single puck. The new puck is $800, but the installation is little more complicated than being plug and play. And you have to have the right eCom or Rhinda Diacom setup to reflash the zero off head unit. So, buying a 200 that has already had the Zero Off upgrade taken care of is a plus. If you want more details on the GPS issues with Dual Puck Zero Off, I'm posted a lot more details here in other threads.

To sum up. I really think the 2011-12 are about the best years, but getting much older now. Personally, I'd be fine buying 2015-2018, but I'd want to know it had the latest TBA installed and I'd probably keep a spare TBA on hand so I could fix the boat quickly if I had a problem. TBA is around $800. I'd buy a 2021 or newer of the 2nd generation 200 as well, but these boats still have a TBA as well.

Probably not a popular thing to say here, but in the 2015+ range the ProStar is a very nice boat and in my experience a more reliable boat overall than the same year Nautique's. But the Nautique does track much better in the course so it's an easier boat to drive well in the course up until the 2021 ProStar design update. 2021+ ProStar's also track very well in the course. If all your drivers are experienced drivers, and they like a lively feeling driving experience, the 2015-2020 ProStar should not be ruled out. I don't recommend the 2014 ProStar because again it was a first model year boat, they changed the transmission ratio the next year to improve performance with the 5.7L. But at your elevation, I think the 6.2L engine would be what I'd want in a ProStar.

[dski]

@Jpwhit!! That is literally one of the most thoughtful and thorough responses I have ever received on a forum. Thank you so much!!! Really appreciated and certainly helps me focus my search. We buy boats and own them for 10 years and so I have wanted to stay Nautique based on my experience with my 206 that has been amazing. Do you feel that the quality and reliability has been stellar with your Prostars?

[CincinnatiCC]

I have a 2016 SN 200, and it has been very reliable (we previously had a 206 as well). We are nearing 700 hours with no issues. Several members of a club where we ski have SN 200's too, and none have had any issues with them. Years are in the 2012 - 2016 range.

Wakes are definitely better at all speeds in the 200, including the ones you mentioned.

I agree with jpwhit that single puck zero off is a big deal, if only because of the cost to update when the double puck has issues.

One thing he didn't mention that we have liked is that the DI engines seem a bit more quiet to run. We were pleasantly surprised by that when we moved from our 206 to the 200. Ours has the 355 engine. We don't run it at elevation, but it does have a ton of torque and I think you would be happy with the power.

I would also look for the pre-2019 boats to get the saddle bags unless you just don't need storage at all. We have really enjoyed being able to stash 4-6 skis and other gear like ropes and gloves there to have them out of the way. It feels more spacious than the 206 because we are able to get more out of the way and in the saddle bags than we could in the rear trunk.

Good luck with your search.

[mlange]

Only one thing to add to jpwhit's excellent response:

2012 was the first year w/ the LINC 2.0 in the Team Editions. I would avoid 2011 boats with the older LINC. Actually, I'd try to go analog if at all possible.

[Interjon]

I'll add one additional consideration, having skied behind all of these boats and currently owning a SN 200 and 196. You may want to consider a 196. Acquisition cost will be much cheaper and you will get 95% of the wake quality, including slow speed wake. You can get a 196 with Zero Off for $30k. Repairs, and upkeep in my opinion, will be much cheaper and easier in a 196.

[jpwhit]

@Jpwhit!! That is literally one of the most thoughtful and thorough responses I have ever received on a forum. Thank you so much!!! Really appreciated and certainly helps me focus my search. We buy boats and own them for 10 years and so I have wanted to stay Nautique based on my experience with my 206 that has been amazing. Do you feel that the quality and reliability has been stellar with your Prostars?

I think from a reliability point of view the ProStar and 200s are equally extremely reliable up until the years of the 200 that went to the Throttle Base Assembly and electronic shifting of the transmission. And I wouldn't call those years of the 200 unreliable by any means. But the problems with the TBA, pretty much renders the boat dead in the water. The boat either won't start because it thinks the throttle is "in gear" when it's actually not. Or it it'll start but not go into forward gear. But I've seen enough of the TBA's fail not to mention it since you specifically asked about reliability.

From a build quality point of view, probably another unpopular opinion in the context of this forum, my experience is since around 2010 Nautique build quality has slipped some and MasterCraft build quality has improved. And it's not like the Nautique build quality is bad. Nautique and MasterCraft both stand above all the other manufacturers IMO. But I can't think of any build quality issues with my 2014 X25 Wakeboat or my 2019 ProStar. But my last two Nautique's have had annoying little build quality issues.

A good example is the rubber gaskets on the 200 saddlebag storage compartments and on the engine box. Every rubber gasket on my last two 200s have come unglued and fallen off. Another example is the screws falling out of the hydrogate on the 200. Nautique has also really gone "all-in" on lots of SeaDek. And SeaDek looks really great when it's new and clean, but if you haven't had the pleasure of replacing SeaDek when it's 5-10 years old and looks bad .... then you have a treat in store.

In contrast, I really love that in the same timeframes all MasterCrafts have gel coated interiors with snap in flooring options. I always get the snap in carpets and then put them away for when I plan to sell the boat. Then I buy Deckadence and cut it out and add snaps for daily use. Deckadence is fantastic for daily use. If the boat gets wet, it doesn't hold any water like carpet and it stays looking clean without hardly any work. Then when I want to sell the boat, I install the snap in carpets and the boat looks basically brand new.

[tmb]

We recently upgraded our 02 196 to a 2012 200 ob as the kids are now skiing so we need the room when we take all of them down to the course.

the 200 drives much nice and tracks a **** of a lot bettter than the 196. The wake on the 196 was probably better at all speeds (we recently changed to the 654 prop).

we spend a week each year at a ski school that uses all mastercraft. I’m a Nautique loyalist but I would be hard pressed not to buy a newer pro star. I didn’t drive so not sure how it handles but the interior layout is great, love the clam shell too for open bow, and the wake is better.

[dski]

tmb - You mentioned that you changed to the 654 prop while mentioning the 196 wake.. Did that negatively impact your wake?

[tmb]

We changed the 200 prop to the 654. It lowered rpm and improved the wake. I still think our 02 196 was a little better in terms of wake but nothing else.