Model 2001 Ride Quality

I have an 89 2001 that I bought a couple of months ago. I had it out last month on the main channel of a pretty large lake with some decent chop- I was actually impressed with how it handled being an inboard ski boat. My stringers are original but I know they are solid...the boat and hull itself felt really solid as well going through some pretty big wakes and chop. Have you checked your stringers? I'm sure others will chime in with opinions.

Your driving a flat bottom 30 odd years old tournament ski boat,one of the best of its day. When was the last time you saw a competition skier taking on 1 foot waves? They were not made for that anymore than a Donzi was made for tournament skiing. It is what it is.
Rod I know you know but for others in the future coming across this thread,not all 90's vdrives are deep vee's,just the Excells and their variants.

Appreciate the info guys. I was planning to redo the stringers this winter, but decided to hold off until the following winter, unless it really needs it now. Sounds like I'll probably be good for another season.

One other question regarding gel coat cracks. It has them all over the hull bottom and sides below the waterline, but they don't run longitudinally as is common with bad stringers. The cracks run in pretty much every direction and appear more like stress cracks than flexing due to weak or broken stringers. Anybody seen these before? With the beating these things take in even moderate chop, I wouldn't necessarily be surprised to see stress cracks on the bottom of the hull like this after 30 years of abuse.

TRBenj wrote: If you think Sn's ride poorly in rough water, you've clearly never been in a similar MC, supreme, etc. SN's are hands down the best riding flat bottom tournament ski boats made (2001+).

Agreed. Our '87 American Skier Advance would knock your fillings loose in heavy chop. We took it up to Lake Winnipesaukee one year and could only go about 18mph max in afternoon traffic. 2001s were always much smoother and had better cushioning in the seats.

Put trim tabs on it

With all of this said, and being a long time Muscle Car owner, the 2001 is a rocket ship off the line and ton of fun to beat around the lake. Even though it fills the bill for wakeboarding at lower speeds, I also enjoy the solo 47MPH run around the lake near sunset when the lake is calm.

I also love to see the ear-to-ear smiles on the faces of my buddies when they drive this boat after having driven outdrives for 30 years. Truly classic!

to each their own, These boats def aren't for everyone.
They are purpose built and do only but a few things perfect, a few things well and anything else you have the wrong tool for the job.
That being said its tough to beat the reliability and low maintenance of the 2001 hull driveline and other mechanicals.
You couldn't pay me to own an I/O, even if it only saw freshwater use. i dont care how good the ride is or isn't.

It's a lot smoother ride in the back seat......

The old boats are like old sports cars. They offer unique things you can't get anywhere else.   If you ski on a rough lake you bought the wrong boat. I only use the Nautique in smooth water to water ski. That is what I do and the boat is perfect. If the water is rough I don't wish to ski so the boat stays parked.   
There are many boats with deep V hulls that will cut rough water like butter.   A old Nautique will not do that but will pull a skier nearly as well as the most modern ski boats. A deep V can't do that.   Decide what you want and buy a boat that matches your needs.

Labor Day weekend or any summer holiday weekend in ANY boat and you'll take a beating. As stated before, you bought a Competition Ski Boat it's for pulling skiers on calm water through a course and bottom line it's a Tractor on water. It's not for cruising, loading up with 6 of your friends or family and hanging out on the lake all day.

All that being said, I am talking about older Correct Crafts. Times have changed and so have the needs of the modern day boater and have for the last 15 years. More people spend all day ON the lake and want room for their gear, coolers, friends etc. Boats that will not be affected as much by busy lakes and monsoon waves.

I cruise Lanier in my 88' SN and 72 (16 ft) Mustang all summer. I know that in either boat I'm not going to get anywhere fast and I will be dodging 40 ft yachts and their wakes all day. I accept that and it's just part of the game. Yes I got to get out early or stay late to get decent water to ski on but I also have a group of fellow Slalom skiers (that are mostly Nautique owners) to hang with.

Nothing skis, pulls, or looks better than a Correct Craft in my opinion ( however NautiqueHunter has a couple Supra's that have awesome slalom wakes) and I will never own anything but a CC.
If you are wanting to cruise the lake on busy weekends, cut through chop and miniature tidal waves then something other than a 2001 model is what you're gonna need unless it's a Barefoot hull. An SAN or something larger is gonna be better suited for rough water but even then you won't be doing 30 + mph in rough seas. About 20-23mph is suitable in the 88' SN but it's still a rough ride. Even slower in the 72' Mustang.

Teaching someone how to ski, wakeboard or anything is gonna be practically impossible in rough water and especially on a busy Holiday weekend. Get out early or on at dusk when the water is calmer and you'll have better success. Good luck and be patient.
Many of us own these old boats because of the Coolness factor and because they're fun to play in/on/behind.....Well, when the water is glass!

You can buy a working older I/O for the same $ as replacing stringers + interior.

I/Os have deep V keels by default.

If you just want to ride on a wakeboard (as opposed to doing air tricks) then this might be a better boat for you.

I know I am committing heresy here . . .

Fixed!

I own a 1989 2001, I love my boat. It is a great boat. I have also owned an outboard or two and an I/O(never again) even with these boats riding in 1-2 foot chop is not comfortable and can be just a rough as my 2001. If you have to cruise in rough water, as others have stated, you need a deep V hull but even so don't expect the drive through rough water to be all that smooth.

PS sorry if I should have started my own thread. Didn't mean to take yours over. Hopefully in same conversation. Let me know and I will start a fresh one.

Another option for your boat that needs repairs, would be to sell it and buy another that is solid and does not need any repair or at least nearly no repairs.
From 1993 and newer all Nautiques have fiberglass stringers and these can never rot out.
A very nice upgrade from the old wood stringers. If Wakeboarding is your choice then you might look at the open bow boats.   I will remind you that once you drive a Ski Nautique all other boats don't measure up. A Nautique will turn and drive perfectly while other boats never seem to have the formula correct. Drive a few and you will see this is a fact. I had a Malibu Skier, looked great, actually had a slightly better ski wake than my Nautique but it turned terrible.   Turned pretty well with 1-3 people on board but if you had 5 people it was almost scarry to turn.   In the Nautiques you cant feel the difference 1 person or 6.   They are just better built boats.
BTW:   I am in to old cars also,