2003 Ski Nautique 196 Project

[fsts2k]

Yep, EFI. This was the base engine on the Signature Edition boats. Pretty rare engine, but from what I hear, it does just fine in a 196. I am actually kind of looking forward to running it. Maybe it'll save me some fuel.

Just throwing this out there... you have said you want a 196 with a Python.. What about pulling this and dropping a Python in?

I know.. probably not in the cards but one can dream??

[beamons]

In regards to the ZO and PP have you ever considered RideSteady by Hydrophase? It is a servo type but I was really impressed with its performance and ease of use. Worlds ahead of any PPs that I have used. Also less $$.

[NautiqueJeff]

I would consider it if I wasn't building this boat with serious course skiers in mind. I want to build it as close to what they'll be skiing behind in tournaments as possible, so that's why I am probably going to go with Zero Off.

[Teddy57]

I concur with the PerfectPass path. The latest version set up is easy and with the zbox option gives a pull similar to the newer boats. The calibration function in the latest version is amazing and so much easier than what was available.

[Interjon]

Although I will likely never be a good enough skier to tell the difference between the two (running 22 at 32), Zero Off will be worth the premium.

[NautiqueJeff]

Boat has been at the gelcoat shop for a few weeks now, so I went over today to check on the progress.

These guys are not cheap, but they seem to be going above and beyond other places I have used. They are even filling the holes from old bimini tops with fiberglass instead of just filling the holes with gelcoat. This boat is going to be beautiful when they are finished with it!

Here's a current picture:

[NautiqueJeff]

Most of the interior came back today. I think the color change on the interior was a smart move. This will give it some color instead of the pure white that it was originally. I will add the dark blue pinstripe to the outside to accent the gray, and that should match this interior perfectly.

[MN Ryan]

Ooh, sexy!

[bionaraq]

That boat looks amazing, gives me confidence in what I am doing with my 216.

[srock]

The blue is much better than the red but as a Florida guy, I love white for practical reasons. I had those blue lines on a boat and they would burn after soaking up the sun including my blue piping. The colored areas are also the first place the vinyl cracks after some aging.

[NautiqueJeff]

The speaker panels just arrived, and I am amazed at how they came out. From the factory, these are vinyl-wrapped, and they used a vinyl vacuum machine to attach the vinyl to the panels. As you can see in the picture below (it is the best BEFORE picture I have), the panels have vinyl missing from the tops where it was ripped away somehow, and the speaker covers are worn out and have tears.



My vendor wasn't able to re-wrap them in vinyl due to the required vacuum process, so we came up with a plan to try to restore them another way. These panels are unobtainable from Nautique now, so finding a way to restore these was important.

He removed the old vinyl and cleaned off the glue. He was able to repair the cracks and chips in the panels using bondo, and then sanded them smooth. He found a textured paint product that closely matched the original vinyl color, and had them sprayed. He then reupholstered the speaker openings. Check out the results! The textured paint looks very similar to the original vinyl.

[ScooterMcgavin]

That did turn out really nice! Great work around

[SANonTellico]

They look great.

[fsts2k]

Love the speaker panels, I may need to do the same

[NautiqueJeff]

Got the windshield frame and vent covers back from powder coat today. They came out great. I'll probably reassemble the windshield tonight.