Need advice on 1998 Natique |
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cjmesk
Newbie Joined: February-26-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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Posted: February-26-2006 at 12:09pm |
I am looking at buying a 1998 ski Natique Closed Bow. It was a rental boat and has 2000 plus hours but the price is less than 9 k.
It has all the service records and appears to be in great shape for a rental. Obvios dings and such but it was out of the water and underneath it looks great. Compression is still good on the motor too. I have never owned a Natique before I have an 1987 Malibu Skier that now has dry rot so its time to move up. Should I be concerned about the hours? Based on my research I could replace the engine in a year or two and still have a boat with good value. Is the boat all glass? I don't want dry rot issues down the road. Is there any good websites to find out about the 1998 for skiing? Good wake ect... I have heard nothing but great things about Natique. Any experience with owning one would be appreciated. Thanks in advance any help would be appreciated. Chris |
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M3Fan
Grand Poobah Joined: October-22-2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3185 |
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It's all glass, and that year hull (97-01) has one of the best wakes of any ski boat ever made. Some say even better than the current nautiques. The hours are very high. If the compression is still good, you may get a few seasons more before a rebuild. I've heard GT40's can go for a long time. Sounds like a decent deal- that's about half what you'd pay if the boat had lower hours (say, 500 ish). A new GT40 is around 7 grand- so even if you put a BRAND NEW engine in there, you're still in decent shape. A rebuild will be even less than that (2000.00?).
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jbear
Grand Poobah Joined: January-21-2005 Location: Lake Wales FL. Status: Offline Points: 8193 |
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cj; I've had 6 C/C's and my '98 was by FAR the best. As M3Fan said, no wood in these boats. As to the wake, ride, room, performance, fuel consumption, any way I could rate it, it was the best.
2000 hrs is a scary number. You gotta be lookin' at a rebuild or replacement soon. But if you have legit records maybe it was well taken care of. For the asking price of "under 9K" I gotta feel it is a good deal. Remember, only my .02 worth. john |
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"Loud pipes save lives"
AdamT sez "I'm Canadian and a beaver lover myself"... |
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David F
Platinum Member Joined: June-11-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1770 |
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I agree...2000 hours on a rental boat is 2000 of the hardest hours possible. You just know the renters ran the engine at full throttle for extended periods of time.
But to me, a rebuild is no big deal and not a deal killer usually. |
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81nautique
Grand Poobah Joined: September-03-2005 Location: Big Rock, Il Status: Offline Points: 5769 |
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Sounds like a lot of hours to me as well but last time I rented a boat it was governed back quite a bit. Probably to protect the boat and to protect a renter from getting over their head on an unfamiliar boat. I would ask and see if it was governed back.
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You can’t change the wind but you can adjust your sails
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cjmesk
Newbie Joined: February-26-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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WOW great feedback thanks.
They have 2 1998s 2-1999s I will get to drive all 4 and see all the service records. Great question on the governer. I will be asking for sure. I was concerned about the hours too, but if I can do a rebuild for 2 to 7 k then I think its worth it. Sounds like the rebuild will be the way to go. I hope it works out I will post my results. Once again glad to hear everyone loves thier Natiques! |
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David F
Platinum Member Joined: June-11-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 1770 |
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Not a big deal (at least to me), but do not forget the "U" in Nautique.
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bkhallpass
Grand Poobah Joined: March-29-2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4723 |
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I had a 98 and I loved that boat. One of my favorite ski wakes, and real treat to drive. The only significant knock I could put on the boat is that it is a mediocre wakeboard boat at best. But hey, that's not what it was designed for.
One thing that changed from 98 to 99 was the dash. In 98 it was black, in 99 it was white. Not a big deal, but if you live in a hot weather climate as I do, that black gets darn hot in 100+ temperatures. On hours, my $.02 for a well cared-for, well-maintained engine, I'd expect to get 2500-2800 hours. That's a lot of years of enjoyment if you are at 2000 now. Of course, a rental boat is not the model for a well cared for engine. BKH |
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Livin' the Dream
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jbear
Grand Poobah Joined: January-21-2005 Location: Lake Wales FL. Status: Offline Points: 8193 |
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BKH; I love that white dash idea also. I think I am gonna paint the dash on the '80. You know how tough it is in these warm weather areas!
john |
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"Loud pipes save lives"
AdamT sez "I'm Canadian and a beaver lover myself"... |
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mars88
Senior Member Joined: November-06-2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 104 |
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Cj- where are you located? These seem like a good deal if all goes well...have a family on our lake that is looking to go inboard and i'm pushing them to correct craft! Plus i'd get to ski them too! Let me know if you have some info.
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mars
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cjmesk
Newbie Joined: February-26-2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3 |
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I live in California. Sacramento area.
The place I am looking has 8 Ski boats for sale. Email me and I will give you more info. cjmesk at yahoo dot com. Chris |
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bkhallpass
Grand Poobah Joined: March-29-2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 4723 |
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Cj, you might check with Larson's in Norcal.
I know they usually have 1 or 2 boats which go to a summer camp. They come back with 400-500 hours, but are only 1 year old. Obviously cost more than 9K, but still good deals. If you don't mind, email me hallbriank@comcast.net. I might be interested in looking at another boat myself. Thanks, BKH |
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Livin' the Dream
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Nautique2001
Grand Poobah Joined: June-14-2004 Location: Massachusetts Status: Offline Points: 2832 |
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9K seems great. If it aint broke, don't fix it. How does the transmission feel? Is the interior in decent shape? You can always get the scratches and dings fixed. The graphics can be replaced too. Who rents Nautiques? Must be expensive!!!
Ken |
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64 Skier
Senior Member Joined: February-08-2004 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 415 |
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2000 hours and still has good compression. Just guessing, but it's probably been rebuilt already. How much compression did she have?
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