Hull changes 2001vs2002vs2003 air nautique(not superair)

[SHARPEBOAT]

I am look to purchase a 2002 air nautiqe, and have not ski behind it. I currently own a 1984 mastercraft close bow and it is time to trade up to a Nautique. I love the wake behind the Mastercraft for skiing. As for wake boarding and barefooting I hate the wake on the Mastercraft. I have skied behind a 2003 216 Nautique and was not very impressed. I would like to know how the 2002 Air Nautique compairs :?: to the 216 Nautique? Anybody know about the hull changes?

[brodie]

I ski behind an 02 frequently, and at faster speeds it is pretty good, however, in no way will it rival the MC wake for skiing, nothing this size will. The 03 might be a touch better (I have not skied it) than the 02, but still a long ways away from a MC closed bow. The spray is non-existent on the AIR, which is horrible on my 190. The AIR wakeboard wake is great when weighted up. I am also trying to decide between the 02 or 03 hull, and I also have a 190 that I am used to skiing. I really like the versatility of the AIR and I am willing to give up some slalom performance to gain extra room and boarding quality. At 28-30mph the bump is pretty big, but I ski at 34-36mph 28+ off, and the wake is barely noticeable, as long as you don't load up the boat with people.

[coloradonautique]

Guys,
My 2cents. I upgraded from a 91 SN CB to a 01 AN with tower and tanks this year. Personally, I think the 01 AN has a flatter and softer wake than my older SN did. My wife also thinks the slalom wake is better. Equal year SN vs. AN is no comparison, the closed bow will always win out.
With the '01 AN, once you get more bodies and ballast in the boat, the wake degrades faster but that is to be expected. I am running the course at 30-32mph and my wife is at 28-30mph. The wake is barely noticeable if the boat is not loaded. I love the storage and extra space on the Air, it is worth a slight trade off to me. We run usually run the course in the morning then fill up the tanks and goof around on the wakeboard/wakeskate/surfer the rest of the day.
We almost bought a 216 after skiing behind it at a dealership many years back but had a lifestyle change so we stuck with our '91 until late last year. I thought the slalom wake on the 216 was admirable but never got to run it in a course for comparison so I cannot give a solid review.

Good luck,

Lorin

[SHARPEBOAT]

Guys,
Thanks for your input. I have purchased the 2002 Air Nautique and it is being shipped from the west coast to the east coast next week. I know that there going to be a trade off of extra room (bigger Wake) vs. closed bow (smaller wake), just hope it is worth the trade. From your input it sound like the trade-off will be worth it, thanks for your input.

[coloradonautique]

Congrats. I think you will be very happy. It is smoking hot this week and we are hoping to get out on the water several times over the holiday week. Safe travels for your new boat. Let us know when it arrives and if you have any questions/issues.

We have had to attend to some minor maintenance issues the previous owner neglected therefore we are now very familiar with '01-'02 AN.

Where on the East Coast? I am a Boston native (skied on Quinsig) but have also spent time on the waters around Annapolis, MD.

Cheers,

Lorin

[SHARPEBOAT]

The boat made the trip from the west coast to the east coast and is now here at Badin Lake, NC. It looks great. Overall the boat is in very good shape, however ther are a few issues that I was not aware of. The tachometer and speedometer are digital and you can not read the LCD screen. I will have to replace them both. I also want to add perfect pass to the boat. Any suggestion on replacement of tach & speedometer?
Thanks,
Don

[MHayes]

Don, you will find many posts on here regarding the replacement of the Teleflex gauges to either new Teleflex gauges or to the Faria analog gauges. I believe that you can get the Faria gauges at a discount from CC given that they are known to have problem, however, I'm not quite sure if this applies after the original ower...hopefully someone else will chime in on that.

In the meantime, here are a few threads on the topic:

http://www.planetnautique.com/index....light=teleflex

http://www.planetnautique.com/index....light=teleflex

http://www.planetnautique.com/index....light=teleflex

[coloradonautique]

Don,
When I purchased my '01 AN last fall, the gauges had already been replaced with Faria analog and PP digital pro was also already there. If you install a perfect pass paddle wheel then you can get the Faria analogs (I believe they run off the paddle wheel) otherwise you will have to use another gauge that still uses the pitot tubes. Here is a terrible shot of my dash but it is better than nothing.

Speedo at center left , Tach at center middle, PP dig Pro at center right.

- Lorin

[SHARPEBOAT]

Thank you guys for your input, I will check with the local nautique dealer. Don