Around here a 20 year old boat is kinda cutting edge technology 

He got himself a boat that doesn't have a carburetor or a distributor

I figure he'll be along to post some pictures etc. before too long.

I think he had to borrow a tow vehicle that would handle getting the new boat home.

Meanwhile, I think he should go on a quest to find himself an old project boat that might need a Quick Fuel carburetor and a DUI distributor 

I'm not sure, but I think I gave enough hints about who it might be.

A new stallion comes to the Quest Ranch:

2003 Ski Nautique 206 Limited

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The Good:

PCM ZR6 power

Fresh water cooling

FC Tower

PP

Heater

450 hours

Absolutely mint condition (dude was serious OCD with this boat)

The Bad:

Faria gauges with the dreaded Gateway box

Pitot speedos

No bow "crash pad" on trailer

No shower with fresh water cooling (I know...First-World problems)

Everything works, but I've been researching all the issues associated with the Gateway box and formulating a plan in case it takes a dump.

This new bad-boy is only 450 pounds heaver than my Bubble-Butt 2001, so the new F-350 Power Stroke may struggle towing in the hills.  

No distributor.  No carburetor.  What's this world coming to?  What's next?  Cordless phones?

JQ

Awesome boat, congrats!  You'll love the extra room and comfort.

So a ZR6 was available in 2003?  Or was it repowered?

I think if I was worried about water in the Gateway box, I'd probably plug those speedometer tubes before they enter the box and replace the speedometers with a couple of GPS units at least as a stop gap measure.

Just to be sure Jonny...............nobody's telling you to go out and buy a RED speedo 

Mark:  I wasn't really looking.  I had been thinking recently that a 206 would be a lot more family-friendly, but I didn't start a search in earnest.  I was at a boring function with Mrs. Quest and I got my iPhone out to kill some time.  Just for giggles, I did a search for "Ski Nautique" on our local on-line listings and this boat popped up.  The ZR6 and low hours caught my eye.  After a walk-around and seeing the mint condition and nice upgrades, the decision was easy.  Now I have 2 Ski Nautiques...for a little while anyway.

I really love my little 196 SNOB.   She is a slalom beast.  The GT40 engine is strong and the StarGazer PP is outstanding.  The slalom wakes are some of the best around.  However, with grand-kiddos now at the boating age, the little slalom tug can be a bit of a challenge.  The 196 doesn't have a tower, so nobody sits in the rear seat when someone is skiing.  It's really a 4-person boat.  The open-bow access is a dash board climb-over, so that's not super convenient.  No convenient storage in the little 196.  All First World problems, but there you are.

The new-to-me 206 provides upgrades to several concerns with walk-through open bow access, FC tower, rear storage lockers, more room etc.  The 6.0 Vortec GM engine seems to be bulletproof, not to mention 375 HP, so that's a nice.

I rebuilt the 2-axle trailer that's under the 196, so I wasn't too keen on giving it up.  The 206 has a nice, comparable trailer, so no step backwards there (except for the lack of a real bow stop).

As KENO suggests, my winter project will be removal of the pitot pick-ups and lines feeding the Faria Gateway box.  I'll add 1 GPS speedo and see what the PP needs.  I may give PP a call and get their feedback.  I may need to brush-up on my Canadian first.

JQ

if you start at page 1.18 in the link, you'll find everything I never wanted to know about your vintage Gateway system.

Since it's your system, you'll probably want to know more about it than I want to  

They pull really hard and keep pulling to 6,000 RPM.   The engine design is a major upgrade over the 351W or the 350 GM engines.

I look forward to your take on the ski wake and how well it drives.  The 196 always feels like a go cart they handle so well but like you I sure wish I had more room in our boat when I take out the grandkids.

JQ

You free ski at 39.5 off?  That doesn't sound relaxing to me.  But then I'm a hack, ski at 32-34 at 15 off.  One of the challenges of my '98 Sport is that 22 off is the worst, almost un-skiable, so the jump I need to make is from 15 off to 28 off, and honestly I'm just out there having fun and happy I can still hold on to a rope so not sure that's gonna happen.

I skied quite a bit on a friend's 206 and it's not quite the same as my Sport, hard to describe but at the long rope length I actually felt like the lightly loaded Sport had better wakes than the 206.  Wasn't much of a difference, could have been just my being used to one more than the other.  Neither compares to a '97-up Ski Nautique obviously.  At your rope lengths I'm guessing the 206 is quite a bit better than the Sport from what you describle.

The ZR6 motor is awesome.  It uses the platinum tip spark plugs so they SAY they last longer, but don't fall for it.  If the motor acts up at all - like bad gas, it's missing or runs rough AT ALL, replace the plugs and it's all perfect again. This engine is really plug-sensitive (at least ours is). You will also come to love the closed-cooled motor. I didn't expect much benefit from closed-cooling but it's nice and the draining is so easy!  Enjoy!  

Well, today was the maiden voyage of the new Team Red 2, and she did not disappoint!  This is my first experience with the ZR6 engine and, damn, that is one fine piece of Chevrolet engineering.  Let's just say that full-throttle ski starts may dislocate a shoulder or 2 if one is not paying attention.  Even at 4,400 feet of elevation, I could easily bump 5,000 RPMs and that's with an ACME 668 prop (basically a 422 with a bit more cup).  The PerfectPass is a paddle-wheel style and I originally considered swapping it out for a newer GPS "Star Gazer" model.  After today's voyage, I may re-think the PP upgrade and stay with the paddle-wheel.  For what I do now, the PP is more than adequate.  Everything works as it should and we were all smiles and giggles.  

The only down-side from today is that I don't like that there is no bow crash-pad at the front of the trailer.  This trailer is very particular about how far to back-in for proper boat loading.  No worries, though -- she's a KEEPER.

JQ

 The 99' I bought a couple years ago originally had the paddle wheel installed by the previous owner. They upgraded to the Star Gazer model which I benefitted from. Not sure if the original Paddlewheel model had trick ski mode or not but the GPS model does along with jump (which I don't use) and Wakeboard settings. I've use the Wakeboard and trick skiing modes so I'm glad whomever did the upgrade. Might be something to consider if you've got kids or grands that you might need the other options. 

 

I'm considering pulling the trigger on the Z-Box upgrade as my neighbors and I are all into skiing the course.  Even converted a Surfer into a Swerver to the point where he bought a 2010 SN 200 and has his Moomba Surf machine on the market. So in our little cove we have ALL 3 196 models plus a 200 to ski behind. If you decide to upgrade to GPS model. Keep the paddlewheel hooked up as you'll still get water temp readings on your display. I found that out on another forum and reconnected the wiring to the "Brain Box". Nice to see the water temp this time of year as water in Lanier is a cool 57'F. Wet suit for sure and a Rick Flair .......Wooooooooooooo when you step off the platform.

I think the technology exists out there to let you put crash pads on the trailer 

I concur, if the old paddlewheel system gets glitchy and not trustworthy at all, just get the stargazer upgrade, dont hesitate. 

JQ

The GM LS engine is an amazing engine and has proven to be super durable, not that the 351W is not durable but the LS does it while making 100 more horsepower.   

Keep us posted on the ski wake comparison, I know you still like to hit the course.

Mark