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Diaries | Details
This boat's story has been posted by the owner. Please contact the owner with any questions. You may use the form below to send the owner an email.
Updated:
9/23/2021 (3 years ago)
Originally Posted: 9/23/2021
Total Views: 354
Owner: Ryan Millan
Location: Austin, TX
Model: 1991 Ski Nautique
Length: 19.5
Engine: Ford PCM 351
HP: 240
Hours: 1031
Modify this Diaries Listing
Location: Austin, TX
Model: 1991 Ski Nautique
Length: 19.5
Engine: Ford PCM 351
HP: 240
Hours: 1031
Modify this Diaries Listing
This is my 1991 Ski Nautique. I bought it immediately after graduating from college for very cheap without knowing much about it, but just wanted a way to ski again after my family sold the boat I grew up with.
Modern wake/surf boats don't really appeal to me, especially considering they've turned the lake I learned to ski on into something similar to the rough seas just outside the jetties of a shipping channel. Lucky for me, the simplicity and clean lines of 80s and 90s ski boats have always caught my attention - and I didn't have to choose between a house or a boat to afford one. (Nautique's G25 Paragon is $328,213 at the time of this writing).
Now, on to my humble hunk of fiberglass. It was a craigslist find from a family, similar to my own, that didn't have the time for it any longer. From what I gather, the boat was used as a private lesson platform for either a summer camp or a private marina on a neighboring lake for most of its life. Needless to say, it was ridden hard and put away wet.
The interior was hastily replaced at some point in its history; an amateurish job that probably only served to limp the boat along for a few more seasons. The swim platform was likely replaced at some point as well, however it must be from an entirely different make of boat. In my first picture, you'll see a pressure treated 2x6 carved in a crescent shape to make up the difference in the profiles of the sterns of its new and old owners. The gelcoat is in fair condition, generally faded and scuffed all over with signs of small spot repairs. The floor, thankfully, is mostly solid with only a small soft spot in front of the observer's seat. The steering is rough, probably due to a slightly bent rudder (which is strait, but askew to the prop), and the middle skeg under the boat is bent as well.
Immediately after purchase, the original electronic ignition failed and required me to revert back to a points distributor. Other than that, I've done nothing else but replace the impeller at scheduled intervals, winterize it, and give it a deep clean every once in a while. Considering all of the negatives I mentioned above, the boat is bulletproof and the wake is perfect. Unfortunately, however, I don't get out on it nearly as much as I should.
The year I purchased it, my friends and I were out on the water almost every weekend of the season. Sometime later, I became swamped with work and generally demotivated about bringing the boat back to its former glory. It sat in covered storage for 3 years until the start of this season 2021, when a career change gave me the time and money to do get out on the water again and begin tackling some projects.
I've been an outside observer of this forum since purchasing my boat. Seeing the useful tips and advice here, I'm hoping to gather enough information to do a lot of the work the boat needs myself. That being said, I'll update this story with progress as I move along. I've really gleaned a much greater appreciation for my generation of ski nautique, and I'm hoping I'll never outgrow it for something new.
Modern wake/surf boats don't really appeal to me, especially considering they've turned the lake I learned to ski on into something similar to the rough seas just outside the jetties of a shipping channel. Lucky for me, the simplicity and clean lines of 80s and 90s ski boats have always caught my attention - and I didn't have to choose between a house or a boat to afford one. (Nautique's G25 Paragon is $328,213 at the time of this writing).
Now, on to my humble hunk of fiberglass. It was a craigslist find from a family, similar to my own, that didn't have the time for it any longer. From what I gather, the boat was used as a private lesson platform for either a summer camp or a private marina on a neighboring lake for most of its life. Needless to say, it was ridden hard and put away wet.
The interior was hastily replaced at some point in its history; an amateurish job that probably only served to limp the boat along for a few more seasons. The swim platform was likely replaced at some point as well, however it must be from an entirely different make of boat. In my first picture, you'll see a pressure treated 2x6 carved in a crescent shape to make up the difference in the profiles of the sterns of its new and old owners. The gelcoat is in fair condition, generally faded and scuffed all over with signs of small spot repairs. The floor, thankfully, is mostly solid with only a small soft spot in front of the observer's seat. The steering is rough, probably due to a slightly bent rudder (which is strait, but askew to the prop), and the middle skeg under the boat is bent as well.
Immediately after purchase, the original electronic ignition failed and required me to revert back to a points distributor. Other than that, I've done nothing else but replace the impeller at scheduled intervals, winterize it, and give it a deep clean every once in a while. Considering all of the negatives I mentioned above, the boat is bulletproof and the wake is perfect. Unfortunately, however, I don't get out on it nearly as much as I should.
The year I purchased it, my friends and I were out on the water almost every weekend of the season. Sometime later, I became swamped with work and generally demotivated about bringing the boat back to its former glory. It sat in covered storage for 3 years until the start of this season 2021, when a career change gave me the time and money to do get out on the water again and begin tackling some projects.
I've been an outside observer of this forum since purchasing my boat. Seeing the useful tips and advice here, I'm hoping to gather enough information to do a lot of the work the boat needs myself. That being said, I'll update this story with progress as I move along. I've really gleaned a much greater appreciation for my generation of ski nautique, and I'm hoping I'll never outgrow it for something new.
