Opinions needed for a 1998 Sport Nautique please....

[Mitch]

I am seeking a used Ski Nautique and a 1998 Sport Nautique has come up available to buy. I just slalom ski myself and want a nice ski wake. Please give me any input regarding this boat.

Thanks a bunch!

Mitch

[NHcrossfan]

RE: Opinions needed for a 1998 Sport Nautique please....

" I just slalom ski myself and want a nice ski wake. "

196 might have a better wake

[brodie]

For the size of it, the 98 sport has a decent slalom wake. @34+mph it flattens out pretty well, but definetly larger than the 196/ski. If you are a course skier, you will prefer the ski/196, but if you want more room, than a 98 or newer sport/air is a good choice. 98 was the first year of the tsc-1 hull for the sport which had a better slalom wake than the pre-98 hull. I regularly ski behind a 99(same hull) and I don't mind it, just make sure you stay on edge through the wakes. Also @ 28 off and shorter it gets even better.

[ltk]

I'd highly recommend getting your hands on a 4 blade CNC prop. I bought one from OJ Props and it was the best investment I made for my SN. I expected to lose some top end, but after bolting it on I only lost about 1-2 mph if that. The hull shot and over all smoothness was a huge improvement. I have a 93 and slolam behind it, but never professionally. If you're not planning on competiting in the Master's then I'd say the open bow's slightly larger wake is worth having the extra room for people/gear etc. I use it for wakeboarding as well, and once it's loaded up it's almost as good as a SAN.

[jc]

Our 98' Sport is great - I course ski and the only real difference in wake compared to the 196 (tsc 1) is the hardness, not size. Also depends how fast you ski and rope length - faster and shorter is better of course. But I think it's a fair trade off if you need more room or like to board a little. But as far as hard core slalom boats go, the 196 is the only way to go.