[UPDATE: January 2007 I bought a ’94 Sport Nautique and sold this Martinique to my brother-in-law in Augusta, GA. It was a fantastic boat for us and we will dearly miss it, but will never forget it.]
I have dreamed of owning one of these since my early teens when my best friend�s uncle bought one and pulled us. Late summer �03 timing was finally right, and my wife and I found this one on eBay in Indiana. It had been meticulously maintained by the same family since the early eighties. They spared no expense and had all maintenance done by their Correct Craft dealer. The cylinder heads were replaced, but I don�t know if they are upgrades. They upgraded to electronic ignition and replace the carburetor with an original NOS. The interior was replaced in the nineties with very tasteful color changes and was very well done. The exterior graphics were also replaced with vinyl.
This is my third boat, but my first inboard. I love tinkering with it every chance I get and it therefore gets exceptional maintenance. Since we purchased it we have added a stereo system, a hot/cold shower, a depth sounder, and a volt meter (in addition to the ammeter). We also upgraded the Teleflex speedometer to a NOS AirGuide. I�ve replaced the lifters to keep the engine quiet on those cold starts. I�ve replaced the alternator, starter, fuel pump, rudder and driveshaft gland packing, fuel lines, fuel filter, and belts. I found and removed ALL play in the steering. I�ve tried three props and I really love the current 13X12 � hole shots are incredible, and top speed is still good too. I�ve added the oil-drain hose kit from SkiDIM and love the extra convenience.
<#photo2#>We are especially proud of our addition of the teak swim platform. I found a real steal on a beautiful platform and I made my own brackets with � X 2� flat bar and 16ga. 1� tube. I removed the lower ladder step and installed the platform in approximately the same location. I haven�t seen any others mounted like this, but it really came out great! It helps to maintain the original look, and the original rails make great handles for climbing out of the water.
This Spring I plan to build a big garage and if I have time, I�ll do some more work on the Nauti. I probably won�t ever be �finished�. My trailer is a tandem axle ShoreLine that works fine, but it�s REALLY ugly, so that�s one project in my future. If I come across a good original CC trailer, I’ll buy it instead of fixing mine. One day I hope to add PerfectPass. I also want to remove the spotlight, and all snaps and repair the gel coat.
We taught all three kids (4, 6, & 8) to knee board behind it last Summer and they have been tubing since �03. We really like to do-it-all behind our Nauti! We tube, kneeboard, ski, wakeboard, ski-skat, and last Summer I even learned to barefoot � what a blast! We have also let the kids (very carefully�) do some fishing. We get together with family often. They all have nice new I/O�s and of course, my vintage inboard out-performs �em all (and they�re really jealous of the sound). We don�t live on the lake, but we try to spend at least one day a week out during the warmer months, and we also burn-up the vacation days camping at the lake. There�s a restaurant near the dam we go to for supper and we really enjoy our �midnight cruises� back to the ramp (or campsite). We put about 150 hours on it this season, and I just can�t get enough. WE�RE ADDICTED CORRECTCRAFT FANATICS!
�When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.� Isaiah 43:2
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