Late 90s Sport Nauti vs. late 90s MC Prostar 205

Well, I've sold my Malibu and am researching my next boat. I want a boat that will do it all (or at least the closest thing to it). I have a wife and 2 young kids so I need an open bow with storage. It looks like a late 90s Sport or similar vintage MC Prostar 205 may fit my needs as well as my budget. I realize that I'm posting this on a CC site so I know the responses will be somewhat biased, but what do you guys see as the advantages of the Sport over the MC (other than the fact that it is a CC of course) or vice versa.

Right Kapla, I get that. I lean toward the CC, I drank the koolaid too, but seriously the 205 is a good boat too.

bkhallpass,
Thanks! that's the kind of opinion i'm looking for. Also, can you clarify this for me? Is the Sport hull 98-02 the same hull as the SAN of that era? Just with a direct drive?

P.S. One thing I did not like about the CC sports 93-98 is that they did not have true walk through bow areas. Instead they had kind of a modified playpen configuration. That would be +1 for MC in my mind. CC went back to a true walk through bow in 99 if I remember correctly.

BKH

You want to speak to "The Dude". He has one of the earlier Sports and also regularly skis behind a 205. "east_tx_skier" also had a real nice 205 he sold for a Ski Nautique. I'd take a pull behind a 205 any day of the week. If I could only have 1 ski boat at a time there is no question it's going to be a Correct Craft.

your right. no, i don't need world class anything. another question. will the sport accomodate a boom ok?

I am a new owner of a 98 Sport (coming from a 64 SN). So the interesting thing is it is a TSC hull and it does have the play pen. The play pen is less then ideal, but it does work with the kids. The TSC hull does throw a beautiful slalom wake.

We plan for a tower next year but have done some wake boarding off the standard pylon. While that (Std pylon) is less then ideal, if I have two guys in the back seat (approx 400lbs) it throws plenty of wake for beginner to intermediate. The trunk in back is awesome, a great place to hide more ballast and store stuff. From a ballast perspective, I think if you added another 400 to 600 lbs (total 800 to 1000lbs), you could throw a pretty good wake, again just my humble opinion.

No experience with the 205, I have skied behind a 190 of the same era, slalom wake, pull is about the same. I am just a dyed in the wool CC fan, I don't believe you can go wrong with the Sport.

Ive never been behind either boat in question, but from what I gather the Sport/Air will have a superior slalom wake. The 205 will likely have an advantage when it comes to the wakeboard wake. Not sure how close you can get the CC by adding weight, etc. Like many here, I wouldnt turn down a pull behind any boat- but Id never want to own a non-CC.

Hollywood wrote: You want to speak to "The Dude". He has one of the earlier Sports and also regularly skis behind a 205. "east_tx_skier" also had a real nice 205 he sold for a Ski Nautique. I'd take a pull behind a 205 any day of the week. If I could only have 1 ski boat at a time there is no question it's going to be a Correct Craft.

I have never skied behind a sport, so I can't really comment on its wake. My 205 was a 93 (I know your post said late 90's), which was the first generation of that hull. Wake was comparable to the 190 of that era, but a bit taller. In other words, it was a very good slalom wake---narrow and just a bit firm. The open bow was true walk through and large enough to cram two people into. I had a jump seat because I always preferred having passengers in the cockpit so I could see and so the wake wouldn't be any more firm.

The 95 and forward 205 is a nice boat (though I don't care for the 99's). There was no "Death Star" hull change, so this is the last incarnation of the hull. It feels, drives, and is bigger than the sleeker first gen hull. The spray is reduced, but the slalom wake is larger, especially at longer lines and slower speeds. Bow rise on take off is apparent. Tracking is good if you've never driven a SN. :)

From what I've experienced and read, the engines were pretty reliable in the 90's MC's. The 351, apart from the Holley 4010, is solid. The TBI GM 350 is a great little motor with a nice bit of mid range torque. The LT1 , apart from some thermostat issues, seems to be a nice motor, too. I don't know anything about the LTR, LS-1, or anything that came around in the late 90's. My father in law has a 350 Vortec MX TBI in his 98 205 and it has to be the most bullet proof thing I have ever seen. He does not concern himself with the maintenance issues quite so much as the rest of us.

For all of those nice words though, I'd trade any one of these engines for a GT-40 six days a week and twice on Sunday. If the sport tracks anywhere close to the SN/196, that's another nod in that direction. I'd bet the wake is comparable or better than that of the late 90's (second generation) 205.

Wish I could offer up more of a comparison. But I've spent a lot of time behind both generations of 205. I've often said that had I wanted an open bow, I'd not have sold my 93. But since I wanted a closed bow, my choice when I found my 98 SN was an easy one.

Hey Hollywood! Glad you haven't forgotten the Dude.

My sport and the 205 I ski behind are both 95s.
205 has a better ski wake until about 32 off then, I don't notice a difference. (and that's about as far as I've ever gone). The sport has less spray. The sport has a way better wake for boarding, but I have never weighted the 205, so can't compare with ballast.

The 205, I think, turns better and handles (driving) just a little bit better. I have to agree with BK that the walk through is a bit nicer in the MC.

Having said all that...I'd buy the sport a million times over for quality and power. My motor (proboss 5.8) out performs the 205 (350 indmar) at every level--hole shot, top end, and acceleration from any rpm. Plus, it's way tighter. After almost 15 years I have fewer rattles, fewer broken parts, a stronger windshield, tighter dash pod, better connections at almost every level.

In addition, the 205 is not running right now and mine fires on the first turn of the key every time. I like some things about the 205, but I would pay more for the sport every time and still buy it.

Of course, that's a little biased, but there are a few things about the MC I like better.

I used to ski behind a 96 205 every now and then but haven't had any experience behind the sport. I thought the wake was pretty nice but seemed much harder than our 88's. When driving the boat I found it hard to track and seemed like it rode really high in the water. CC all the way for us!