thoughts on 97 SN

rebel skier wrote: Ski it again has a python powered SN from this era. That will pull you barefooting all day. I posted the link in the craigslist section

That’s one of the coolest boats on the market.

If footing speed is priority #1 the older hulls were pretty fast.
My 78 Nautique with the 351W, only modification was the heads, small chamber 289 HP Heads ported and polished with larger valves. Probably not as good as the newer P heads available from the factory.
We ran a 13 x14 prop in that boat and it pulled barefooters with ease.
My buddy liked to one foot at 42 MPH, his 1982 2001 model could barely get him to that speed wide open.   My 78 could do it with a lot of throttle left over taching about 4,100 RPM.
I think the old boats are smaller and lighter making them faster but you give up interior space and ride comfort.

We have a Lake Geneva here too as well as the town of Geneva. The joke here is “it’d be called a teeth brush if it wasn’t for Geneva”. Then there’s the Geneva Motel on opposite end of town. Kind of motel that’s open from 9am-10pm, lol not helping the Geneva name any.

Goldcup101 wrote: and Lake Geneva (the real one).

Last time I checked the one in Wisconsin was real too,boats float on it and it's wet

samudj01 wrote: Nice looking 97 and wow what a setting in the background. Is there a lake back there...how about some pics!

Not near Annecy are you? My daughter honeymooned there. Loved it and the lake and said she saw a ton of Nautiques on the lake.

Calum, those are the numbers I was expecting to see. I just couldn’t imagine 8 mph loss at WOT. Being carb.

1997 Bubble back

I've got the 285HO with a carb. The Holley was nothing but hassle (old and probably not rebuilt properly so not the fault of the carb per se). Changed it last season for an M600 QFT and, other than the obligatory throttle pump when cold, it runs like a sewing machine.

WOT looks like 47-48 but I can't verify that accurately.

75 Tique wrote: A 176 would be great

There's going to be a really nice 176 for sale in Indianapolis soon. Clean, low hour boat with a fresh motor built by a reputable CCFan we all know and love. If you can't figure out who the seller is shoot me a PM.

Thanks John That was bugging me. I was thinking MA, so that was the only state I checked. If I had done NH and ME I would have found it. I had the K, but that was taking me to Ken, not Kyle.

TRBenj wrote: while relatively reliable engines, they are 20+ years old now, and more complex- with some part availability challenges.

Don't be scaring Larry Tim, what parts are challenged so that I can horde them   

only ruled out post 98 because of price climbing. If the deal is there, we'd be fine with newer.

Desire for EFI didnt apply to the 176, I understand they move along pretty good with the base engine. Been trying to think of the guy up in NE that had the GT40 176. Cant think of his name to save my life, tho I can picture him clearly. Getting old....memory is 2nd thing to go, but I remember his boat was a screamer.

Actually I'm not excited about EFI as if it goes bad, I'd be completely lost. I dont have much understanding of carb/ignition love and care, but I have been getting by.

Efi 176 would be exceedingly rare, most were carb.

Why no 99 SN? Same hull through 01.

Carb engine isn’t the problem on footing, it’s the non-HO. While all those were carb, there were carb’d HO that would also get the job done. New carb or prop could be minor expenses/headaches relative to potential GT40 issues... while relatively reliable engines, they are 20+ years old now, and more complex- with some part availability challenges. Pick your poison there. Acme was not a factory prop until ‘01 so I’d be bookmarking an upgrade on any early TSC boat anyways.

We pulled the plug on the blue boat, even the seller said if we were interested in a decent footing boat, that probably wasnt it. General feed back was a carbed engine probably should be good enough if tuned right or would not be good enough. We didnt want to have to think about dropping big bucks on a new carb and or propeller. The interior was replaced and not logo-ed, but that didnt concern us. Todd said it looked OK, even if not original. Overall, boat was in decent shape. Many thanks to Todd for making the trip to check it out.

Appreciate everyone's input, now you can still help.

Any leads on the following description would be great. Looking at CCF, ski it again, boat trader, all-of-craigs daily, but we might miss something so dont hesitate to mention. But maybe you know of something in your area that isnt in the ads.

Wish list
97-98 Ski Nautique
EFI
within 6-ish hours (not a rigid requirement for the right boat)
15,000 or less

We spotted a 176 in OH but it literally sold the day I reached out to buyer. A 176 would be great

A Malibu Response fitting same criteria would work too.

Let me know.

Thanks.

Orlando76 wrote: man0seven wrote: What about this one? If I weren't knee deep in mine I would seriously consider this one. '97 SN Ugh, purple. Only a real man could drive that.

Thank you! I’ve recently parted ways with my purple SS but at least it proves my manhood while it lasted!