2002 Ski Nautique Project

[NautiqueJeff]

Just picked up this 2002 Ski Nautique project boat on Kelleys Island in Ohio. Had to take a ferry to get over there, but it was worth it to get this boat. It was owned by a camp, so it needs a full wet sand and buff, new pinstripes, new graphics, new rubrail, new upholstery, and a few other odds and ends. It'll be beautiful soon!

This was part of a package deal that also included a 2003 Ski Nautique.

[NautiqueJeff]

Here are some other shots of it.

[NautiqueJeff]

First stop, ASAP, is always a tire replacement. I never try to tow project boats home anymore with the tires that are on the trailers.

These tires were from 2006, so sixteen years old! No way they would have made the drive from Ohio to North Carolina without blowing out.

Luckily the local Wal-Mart had the correct tires in stock, and had me all set within 30 minutes!

[Spud]

Wish I could find a project 196 like this down here in Australia!

[fsts2k]

Looks great Jeff, can’t wait to see what you do with it. Do the gauges work or will those be replaced?


I just ordered the remaining vinyl for my boat which should “finish” the restoration

[Scooter G]

I had to laugh at the picture that looks like the side of every Walmart tire store in America, "that looks like a Walmart".
Man that camp was rough on that boat for an '02, definitely got used. Nice find Jeff, how many hours on the engine?

And your wife said, really, you brought another boat home, lol.

[NautiqueJeff]

Made it home today with no issues from the trailer, which is great. Still can't believe the lights all work, and the brakes even work.

Gauges seem to work, but they may be replaced anyway if they don't clean up well. PP display will certainly be replaced and upgraded.

Hours are just under 1,000. Guages have been replaced, so I pulled the hours from the PerfectPass, which is original. Gauges show about 700, PP shows 980ish. We'll see how well the engine runs once I get an impeller. I want to replace that at a minimum before I run it on the lake.

[fsts2k]

Congrats on the trouble free trip home, both of the boats appear to be great candidates for a restoration. After working on my two Nautique's of this generation I am finding they are earlier to work on than I expected; I think doing another 196 would be a lot of fun. That gel coat should clean up well.

This looks like it has quite a beefy bimini mount installed.

[Scooter G]

1000 hours, just starting to get broken in...
Not bad really for an '02, my Supra had 1300 and is still running strong.

[NautiqueJeff]

Got it starting/running more reliably today. Thought I had a new impeller for it, but when I opened the package, it was a used spare that I had kept! Ordering a new one right now so that I can take this boat out on the water this week.

[Michael Crouse]

Do both have the pro sport in them, or do a the 02 have a gt40?

[NautiqueJeff]

The '02 has an Excalibur 330. That engine was offered mid-year 2002.

[NautiqueJeff]

Just picked up an impeller from my local dealer, and will install that this afternoon or tomorrow. After that, it is test run time on the water!

[NautiqueJeff]

Changed the impeller today. Glad I did. I just had a feeling that this one needed to be addressed before I even put it in the water.

I'll say this though. Impeller changes on direct-drives sure are easy compared to the same job on a v-drive!

[NautiqueJeff]

Took it out and ran it a little bit this evening. I am happy to say that there do not seem to be any super-serious issues so far. I ran it for about 20 minutes.

Tachometer doesn't work, PerfectPass doesn't seem to work, but may just need adjustment, blower doesn't work, lights don't work, heater doesn't work, steering cable is ready for replacement.

Most gauges work, engine starts well and seems to run nicely, no major vibrations in the drivetrain, feels solid.