Buying a 1998 Air Nautique... Any Concerns?

[zteg]

First time boat buyer, so I thought it would be appropriate to visit the Nautique community before I purchase.

I'll give a short overview of what I'll be using the boat for. We have just as many skiers as wakeboards, so we definitely wanted to get a direct drive. We want to favor the wakeboarders just a bit, so getting a boat that has a great wake is important. We are riding behind a pontoon boat right now with a 225 hp engine, so obviously we have outgrown this due to "skill".

I have been in talks with a seller for a 1998 Air Nautique with about ~600 hours.


Are there any concerns I should have with this year or specific model?


Let me know if more info is needed. Thanks!

[steve-o]

Everyone has an opinion so I'll share mine: I would find a v-drive. The benefits of a v-drive far outweigh the benefits of a direct drive.

[zteg]

Thanks for the response steve-o, but I didn't want to start another v-drive vs. direct drive discussion. I'm sure everyones tired of hearing about that. I was more asking if there are any big concerns with getting this particular '98 Air Nautique.

Is there something wrong with the direct drive on this model? I'd love to hear about that. The asking price is $15k; should this raise any flags?

No offense, I just didn't want this thread to go off topic.

[xlair]

The 1998 Air Nautique is a great boat. D-drives have many advantages of v-drives (better ski wake, easier to work on, drive better).

Things to look at on the 1998- 1st gen FCT tower is a bad design so if it still has this tower be prepared to get it replaced sometime in the future.
-The ballast system is just ok- the aerator pumps go bad eventually but are cheap to replace.
-I'd imagine seat skins will start to be going on a 12 y/o boat.
-If it has the gt-40 motor shouldn't be an issue.

$15k sounds like a fair price for that boat.

[Chexi]

I have a 1999 Air which is virtually identical to the 1998, except mine has the 2nd gen tower (which was added by a previous owner). The boat has been fantastic. It has the benefit of some additional storage over the 1997 and earlier models. I have to excho xlair's sentiments. There are some positives with a d-drive and some negatives. If you are looking for a very good wake (but perhaps not pro level wake) and can live with less seating space and storage, then the d-drive is the way to go, especially if you do have a number of skiiers in your crew. That said, this boat is not a 196 and will not have that nice of a ski wake, but it is definitely a decent wake.

Here are the things I would look for.

1. Vinyl condition. Having someone replace vinyl in that boat with top quality vinyl and all logos, etc., will run right about $5k. $3k if you do it yourself, but I warn you, having done it myself, doing it yourself is not fun. Test the feel of the vinyl. Is it supple or brittle? Properly cared for vinyl on a boat that was stored indoors can last and hold up for a very long time. However, if the vinyl is brittle and/or there are seams without threads, then the condition is going to get worse, and fast. If this is the case, I only hope the owner did not use magic erasers to clean the vinyl in order to sell it. Magic erasers on old vinyl will greatly accelerate degredation and promote cracking. How do I know? Guess.

2. Ballast system is not as good as the new ones for sure. My aerator pump has not worked since the day I bought my boat, and I have just used the scoop and motion to fill. Takes me about 5 minutes at 21 mph. I will be replacing with an impeller system (assuming I don't sell my boat). On the test-drive, I would try to fill the ballast tanks.

3. Check for excessive corrosion / rust on the motor. A little bit is normal, but a lot would probably indicate salt water usage and/or improper care.

4. Obviously a test drive is mandatory. You should have a little bit of noise in reverse coming from the prop. That is normal.

5. Xlair is right on about the tower. If it has the original FCT, the welds are prone to breaking. Figure a new tower at some point if it has the FCT1. New 2nd gen FCT's are $2500 or more, with the new dimensions one right at about $2k depending on color or bare metal.

6. Does the boat have perfect pass? If so, which version? To be honest, perfect pass on this boat is not as needed as it is on lesser boats. Mine holds speed so well, that I would not need to engage pp but for the fact that I bump it up and down for inexperienced riders while we find the wake and speed they want. Mine is a somewhat rare Perfect Pass Plus version, which is rpm based only; however, to my surprise, I found I preferred an rpm-based pull over a mph pull. Wakeboard Pro version has both. Check for a paddle wheel underneath the boat (unless it is stargazer).

7. Is the trailer a single or dual axle. That affects value. There are people who prefer a single axle for maneuverability, but most prefer a dual, which costs more. If you are moving the boat 50 yards, a single is fine. If you are moving the boat 100's of miles, a dual is a must.

8. Check the heater and shower if they have them, to be sure they work.

9. Is the bow center cushion included. it's amazing how many of them get lost.

10.. Check any other upgrades or add-ons (stereo equipment, batteries (no. and type), does the boat use a Perko switch or a better blue seas relay system, does it have flush-pro)? These are not essentials, but they are things you might want to add, and also are coincidental indicators of how babied the boat might have been.

$15k is a very good price for a 98 Air, assuming it is in good shape.

[chris196]

The benefits of a v-drive far outweigh the benefits of a direct drive.

Not if you're skiing, which the OP said he did quite a bit.

Sounds like a good boat for your intended purpose.

[Chexi]

I forgot, also check for hull blisters. A few hull blisters might not mean much, but it could also mean major problems ahead. I personally would not buy a boat with any hull blisters, but that's just me.

[zteg]

Thank you guys for helping me out. Gives me a great idea for what I need to pay attention to.


1. Vinyl Condition is pretty weak at best - I wouldn't say this is too big of a concern for me, as I'm willing to take ugly/old for a price drop. However, once it becomes unbearable down the road (5 years?), I'm happy to know I have a price to go off of (~$5k). Please let me know if I am misunderstanding how "bad" vinyl can go to "super bad".

2. I do not believe the boat has perfect pass. As you said Chexi, I believe with our riders, we will be varying speeds quite often so it's not a necessity.

3. Personally, I am the wakeboarder of the crew, so obviously I'm a little biased. As far as wake is concerned, will I find I need to upgrade fast? I am a pretty experienced rider (clearing wake on our old boat), but I haven't started doing "tricks" yet. I'm assuming this boat will be a huge step up for wake compared to a pontoon boat.


Thanks again for everyone's input.

[Chexi]

1. Technically, you could live without vinyl. It is an aesthetics thing. Before I replaced mine, I just covered the bad parts with beach towels. Now I cover the good parts with beach towels (if someone will be sitting on them with sun tan lotion on). The thing you have to watch out for is rodents nibbling on exposed foam, so once you have vinyl that is missing, that can be a problem, and foam is expensive. $5k for a complete skin job on that boat is a good rule of thumb for the high-end. It can be done for less. Note, if you have it done by Christine's in Orlando, it would be less, because their labor charge is pretty low compared to others. I'm not sure where you are though.

2. You can always add perfect pass later.

3. I would ask for a pull on your test drive to test the wake, but the thing that most of us CC (and other nice boat) owners hate to admit is that 99% of wakeboarding is the skill of the rider and 1% is the wake. A highly skilled rider can do inverts with no wake for heaven's sake. You can get a knee-high clean wake on this boat, although it does take more playing around with to get right than the SAN or SS. In my experience, with the weightings I have tried, my boat does not have much of the tell-tale nautique trough before the wake, which some consider a good thing and some a bad, but in either case only slightly either way. Your skill should not outpace this boat, since the better you get, the less of a great wake you actually really need. The advantages of the v-drives really come down more to better seating and storage with it being easier and less cluttered to get the perfect wake. The cost of the v-drive is not as good of handling, harder to work on the motor yourself (if you are into that), more expensive to replace the vinyl (more pieces), and poor ski wake. The reason why a lot of people recommend the v-drives is because a lot of people who ski who then try wakeboarding give up skiing and convert to wakeboarding, and the v-drives' plusses outweigh the minuses when you are doing only wakeboarding and surfing. But, if your ski crew has tried wakeboarding already and prefers skiing, then they will likely always prefer skiing, and as such, you may be in the sizeable minority for which the sport is the better choice.

Ask the seller what he recommends for cleaning the seats. If he says "magic erasers", then you know bad will go to really bad relatively quickly. I used them once to clean up the vinly on my Tige, which was just dirty, and the next summer I had several pieces that had significant new cracks. At the same time, I used them to clean up my Air. Looked great, but by the next season the vinyl had become noticeably stiffer. I could tell that new cracks were just on the horizon. This was before I replaced all my vinyl and adopted a strict 303 regimen with no magic erasers.

[zteg]

Everything sounds good to me about this particular model. I just hope the test drive proves the boat is worth it.

One thing that no one touched on was the number of hours on this boat (~600). Is this of any concern? Judging from the responses, it doesn't seem to be, but I'd like to hear some opinions on that.

I'm not very familiar with the "wear and tear" that is put on an engine after 600ish hours. Or does a Nautique's motor hold up better than most?


Chexi - Just realized you're in the Dallas area. I'm in Houston myself. Go Rockets. :P

[Chexi]

600 hours on a GT40 is barely past the break-in period. Mine has 690 and still purrs like a kitten. PCM engines in general are built to last. A properly taken care-of GT40 should last well in excess of 1000 hours. There are members here with over 2000 hours and still going strong.

I'm originally from Wisconsin, but I'm not really a basketball fan anyway. :P

[chris196]

I have a 98 Ski Nautique with the GT-40 with about 750 hours.
Runs strong.
You never said what engine, but I'd guess the GT-40. It is considered one of the best inboard engines made.
If the engine was maintained properly, shouldn't be a problem.

[zteg]

Good to hear. I'm actually not sure what engine this boat has (exposing my noobness). I'll ask the seller and report back.

[Chexi]

I thought you said it had a GT40, but that is definitely a question you want to ask. The non-GT40 pro boss is not a bad engine, but it does have only 265 HP (I think) versus the 310 of the GT40. This is significant in the values people place on these boats.

[swc5150]

My ski partner's boat has 2,000 hours on it, and it runs sound and solid. 60 hours per year is the national "average", so 600 is on the low side for that boat. I wouldn't worry at all, if it has been maintained well. You'll get a "gut feeling" after driving it, I'm sure.