Nautique Vs Air Vs Super Air

To me the biggest advantage of the v-drive is the interior layout. It's fantastic with lots of people, or even with just a few people, there's just so much more room in the super sport / super air layout than with the direct drive even with the same hull underneath.

But the ski wake is terrible, if you're a slalom skier.

Orlando76 wrote: Peacock wrote: What is the difference in wake's from what I have "Nautique", to an "Air Nautique", to a "Super Air Nautique"? Thank you :) What’s a “Nautique”?

You don’t want one of those, you’ll break your leg!

This summer I sold my 1983 Ski Nautique and bought a 1995 Super Sport Nautique. It’s basically a Super Air without the factory tower or ballast. I was concerned reading about how it would handle compared to a direct drive, but it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. It’s noticably worse but it’s also a much larger boat. It doesn’t get squirrelly like an I/O does at low speed. It just doesn’t get on plane as quickly and that affects slow speed maneuvering a little. I still trailered it just fine first try.

But I notice Ski is the first thing you mention. V-drives command a premium over direct drives right now. I wouldn’t spend the extra money on one if wakeboarding is only a sometimes thing and you don’t wake surf. You’ll find much better deals on direct drives and have a better ski wake.

SNobsessed wrote: OK, just to clarify I drove a guy's SAN & it didn't respond to steering nearly as quickly as my 2001. He drove my 2001 & said it was like a Ferrari.

I would not dispute that. But the AN/Sport/216 will be sluggish compared to the 19 foot ski boats as well.

If you really want to feel sluggish, go drive a maristar 210. Biggest 21 foot pig I've ever driven.


BKH

Many of the VDrives handle much differently than direct drives because they change the hull shape (often v hulls) or because they are huge. But, when the SANs and ANs had the same hull, they handled similarly. Maybe not identically, but similarly.

BKH

Just look at a brochure in in the reference section. I'd say year 2001 or 2002 would be good.
Will be pretty obvious the broad differences.

BKH.

My Nautique 2001 has a velvet drive transmission. Love the way it shifts.
Direct mount to rear of engine, shaft strait out rear into water and prop.
I did not know that they were using "V" drives. Isn't that where the engine is mounted backwards?
Which one's are using the "V" drives now?

Still looking/shopping for a new Nautique (New to me).
We ski, we tube, we wakeboard every now and then.
What is the difference in wake's from what I have "Nautique", to an "Air Nautique", to a "Super Air Nautique"?
Other then wake, what other differences are there?

Thank you :)