looking for a correct craft.....

Am currently looking at a Ski Nautique 2001, 95 Sport Nautique, or a 92 Nautique Excel. The main thing that i was wondering is which produces the better wake?
Any inforomation about any of the boats would be helpful.

just a newbie trying to find the right kind of boat

not a high-level wakeboarder.. just a novice boarder

Excel94 wrote: Storm34 brings up a good point that CCs from 1993 on did not have wood stringers, which is a key selling point. Just from a "best wake" point of view you would probably be pleased with the Excel, even without additional weight.

and the additional space for not having the engine in the middle...

link for the 87 Ski Nautique 2001http://tulsa.craigslist.org/boa/1861499484.html

link for the 92 Nautique Excel http://www.onlyinboards.com/Details.aspx?ID=820253

link for the 95 Sport Nautique http://tulsa.craigslist.org/boa/1859830064.html

am looking for one that produces a decent wake for wakeboard and barefoot

Of the 3 models listed, if I were you, I would go with the 95 sport, especially if it has the gt40.

The stringer rot is a serious issue. Also, as a novice boarder, the v drive excel could end up hurting you, not that the wake is a tiny wake on the sport nautique though. A sport can make a very nice wake when weighted down, but do everything else as well, and that year won't have wood stringers, and hopefully the gt40. The open bow will really make it nice.

As far as the 2001, well, they are good boats, but are small inside, have carbs, and have wood stringers.

edit, I looked at the sport. Get the sport if you can. That one is clean, has low hours, the GT40, and has a nice tower with a stereo already in it. Looks pretty turn key. I may be looking to add a sport or similar next year, and one like that for that $$ looks very nice.

The excel does look nice, but is older, not a GT40, and despite having a tower and an open bow, and a V drive, I still would buy the sport over it.   Personally I think the excel is overpriced, and it still has wood stringers remember.
excel
sport

Hawktique wrote: '93/later excel or super sport. I'd love to have a V-drive for the space/wake.

I'm not picking on you Hawk, but you raised a point I've been thinking about. There is an assumption that there is more space in a V-Drive. It is a common assumption, but I just don't think it is true.

Given a VDrive, and a Direct Drive with the same hull, I contend that there is the same space available in each. The layouts are different, and a person may prefer one over another, but I can't see a difference in available space. The motor box and the transom on the Direct Drive take up about the same space as the motorbox and the storage hatches on a VDrive. The open bows should have about the same space in each boat.

True, many VDrive are bigger boats, but I believe if you built the direct drive just as big, it would still have the same available space.   

Just thinking out loud.                  

BKH            

I don't thing the space is any larger or smaller but pretty equal in actuallity, to me there are a couple main points for each, VD more storage space harder to work on the engine, DD less storage, easy access to engine.

It looks like that 2001 is already gone?

Either way, I'd go with the sport. Both owners are asking about the same amount and I think the newer boat (sport) should be more valuable.

The v-drive layout can be a little nicer, but the direct drives are a little easier to service. The engine is a little more accessible when it's right in the middle.

try that link cause he did lower the price for a day and took it off and went back to the older ad

I love my 2001, it definitely has the best wake with no or little ballast, but in this case I'd probably pick the Sport as well. Well, actually if I had 15K to spend I'd keep looking for a SuperSport.

TRIP wrote: I love my 2001, it definitely has the best wake with no or little ballast, but in this case I'd probably pick the Sport as well. Well, actually if I had 15K to spend I'd keep looking for a SuperSport.

It would have to be a very well abused super sport to go for 15k.

This is great info as I too am looking for an older correct craft. Actually would like to find a bit of a project boat. And close to my town too

-Shiny