700 Hours Maintence

[ozarkhampton]

I wanted to check with the groups depth of knowledge. My wife and I are hunting a Sport Natique 200 2011-2019. We are from the Pacific Northwest and are used to seeing boats with fairly low hours (under 200). Now, living in the South Central US (Arkansas). The used boats down here seem to have varying hours up to and over 700ish. If I do the math 70-100 hours per year which seems reasonable.

Should I be aware of any quirks or issues with a "higher" hour boat? I'm mechanically inclined so water pump impeller, fuel filters, oil filter, water separators, fluid changes are all normal wear items that will need to be serviced. Hopefully the experienced Natique owners can share a few items to verify and check? This will be our first Natique and we are looking forward to finding one that checks all the boxes.

Appreciate any insight y'all can provide!

[Rednucleus]

My 1st priority would be to see the service records owner has been keeping vs what should I be doing now. If well cared for, 700 hr is just about broken in!

[bturner]

Lower hour boats, to a point, are more desirable, but that's me. That said 700 hours for a well maintained boat should not be a concern. Having records, as stated above is a wonderful thing but if the current owner is like you (and me) there will probably not be much in the way of a paper trial on the service records. I'm personally guilty of this. I keep no yearly logs or records of work that I've done on my boats other than keeping receipts for upgrades, major work or work done by a dealer that I couldn't handle myself. I also personally don't put a lot of stock into logs or great record keeping as seeing the oil change records while nice, means a lot less to me than seeing a boat that has obviously been well maintained.

I've looked at numerous "dealer maintained" boats with full service records, that you could tell were beat to death. Instead of records I go almost entirely on condition, it seems to have worked out for me over the years. I honestly don't care if he has a stack of records if the bilge is filthy, there's no brake fluid in the brake actuator or the boat hasn't been detailed before the owner put it up for sale.

What I do when looking for a well maintained boat is look for the smaller things that someone who actually cared for the boat would do that the non enthusiast wouldn't. Here are some of my places to check.....

I like to start with the trailer as to many this is a necessary evil that most non enthusiast will quickly ignore.

• As stated above, check the brake fluid.
  • Is there any? On an older boat you'd be surprised how many times I've found none.
  • If there is, use a piece of paper towel and dip it in the reservoir, what's it look like? I've found a lot with water or the reservoir completely corroded.
• What does the trailer look like? Is it clean, faded or rusted? It doesn't take long for a trailer left in a field to get beat up.
• Look at the tires/wheels. Are they still serviceable or are the tires out of date or the wheels rusted or bent? Bad tires on older boats are the norm for the average used boat.

If the trailer is being neglected, believe me the boat is being neglected too.

On the boat...

• As stated above, has to boat been detailed prior to putting it up for sale? If not, it probably wasn't much or if ever during his ownership.
• Check the bilge, same as above. Is it clean or filthy?
• Lift all the seats. Is the fiberglass under the cushions relatively clean or does in look like someone was doing their high school biology project there?
• Is the engine detailed or look like it's never been touched? A dealer typically won't detail an engine when doing maintenance, an enthusiast will.
• Has anyone hacked an accessory into the boat? I've seen everything from swinging cup holders to fish finders screwed into the dash on expensive newer boats

While these are not exclusive items to look for, these types of items will give you an idea of how the boat lived it's life prior to your visit and the care that was bestowed on it. A high hour boat that has truly been maintained well by an enthusiast will be highly detailed where you can see it as well as the areas you have to open hatches to see. The engine will be a jewel and point of pride. It will have a clean, functional trailer that looks as good as the boat. Be aware that these boats typically demand top or above market value pricing and typically don't last long. The last 3 boats I sold went for asking price and to the first person that came to look at the boat. I always sell in the spring and they have never gone more than a week of listing.

[ozarkhampton]

bturner great information and insight, I appreciate it. Do you want to sell me your Sport 200? I'd give it a great home in Arkansas!

[bturner]

I got a screaming deal on basically the one I described. It was a pretty beat up, 500 hour boat with tons of dealer documentation. Took me 2 years to get it back in shape. I've got probably 40 hours into wet sanding, polishing and fixing dock scratches and faded gel coat alone. I did get lucky though as the dealer put a complete new factory interior in the boat. Looks like new now.

I will say I bought the boat thinking flip but after using it the first season we decided to keep it. It's a great size for us now that the kids are gone and only come out on weekends. It slaloms, tricks, wakeboards and surfs (with plug in bags and a shaper) very good. Nothing great, but for us it does everything very well. It's also very easy for one person to handle boat on the water and on the trailer. If this is the kind of boat you're looking for I would highly recommend it,

[ozarkhampton]

bturner what wave shaper are you using. The one I'm currently looking at wasn't optioned with the factory plumbed bags, it does have two 400lb bags with the "drop in lake" type pump. My wife and I primarily ski or wake foil at this point so surfing will be 3rd priority. Thanks again for the info, your boat is gorgeous.

[bturner]

I'm using the Mission Delta II shaper.

On the piggyback system, I measured the height/width of the locker then went shopping at Wake Makers. They set me up with the bags and the plumbing to use the pumps already in the boat. It works good but I really watch the bags when filling and emptying. The first sign one of those tank is going belly up and I'm putting bags in. Mine is plumbed in series with the hard tanks. All it took was some tubing and fittings. I used their quick disconnect fittings for the bags which lets me remove the bags at the end of the season for storage.

[ozarkhampton]

bturner we picked up our 13' Sport Nautique yesterday and I have begun the process of updating the service records. I'm planning to order a Mission Delta 2 shaper like you recommended. Where have you found the best mounting spot is? Thank you Sir, hope your summer is going well!

[bturner]

I'll see if I can't get out to the boat take a couple pictures, if it ever stops raining. I pretty much place it as far back and as low as I can get in without going over the spray rail (for a better term). This places just about perfect for depth. I have the shaper set up so the taper faces forward and the section cups are behind it. A picture will certainly help.

Past that where's the pictures.....

[bturner]

This is how I plumbed in my ballast tanks....

[ozarkhampton]

bturner a couple photos from today. Got it in the water. Ordering all the service components to freshen up the maintenance. Fuel filters, oil change, spark plugs, water pump and thermostat. Best part of the deal was the guy I was buying it from owned it since new, his son used it at their lake house. He said it had 688 hours, actual hours 68.8. Not sure where the confusion came from but the boat is in great shape.

[bturner]

That is really nice! Some people get concerned about low hour boats like this but not me. I'd rather have a time capsule any day. One option I added to my boat was the center filler cushion for the center panel of the rear deck. My wife and girls love it. I also went to GPS on the digital cruise with a Nauti logic conversion kit.

https://www.nauticlaugic.com/nl4-nt_2022b_packages.html



I'd also suggest checking the date code on the tires and flushing the brake fluid on the trailer. The trailer always seems to be the area that gets neglected and both those items age out regardless of hours.