Updated: 4/1/2009 (15 years ago)

Originally Posted: 7/8/2008

Total Views: 2,303

Originally became hooked on Supras & Nautiques while working at Kramer Boat Company in Fox Lake, IL in 1989. After college, job, wife, a few kids, house, etc... I finally got my first boat in 2005 - a Mastercraft Prostar 205. It was my consolation purchase after losing an auction on a great 1994 Ski Nautique. Great boat actually, but not for wakeboarding. The following year I sold it and bought a 2004 Centurion Cyclone. A little more space for the kids, but frankly the wake left a lot to be desired & I just wasn’t hooked on it. The following Spring (2008), I found this 2001 SAN on this site. I looked it over several times and finally called the owner down in Georgia. It was exactly the colors I wanted, and sounded to be in good condition. After some quick negotiating we set up the deal & I drove from Minneapolis to Nashville to pick it up. Knowing it had original 7 yr. old tires, I brought 4 new tires with me & swapped them in a parking lot. The same parking lot where I discovered bearing issues & that the brakes didn’t work. I very carefully drove to Chicago after repacking the bearings as best as I could, to my parent’s house - where I replaced all of the bearings and got one of the surge brakes working. Eventually I got the boat home, cleaned it out, wet sanded and buffed the sides, scrubbed vinyl, etc... and ended up with a pretty clean 2001 SAN. I have been slowly working on it, added a second Optima battery last summer, new board racks, mirror mount, barefoot boom - and this spring I will be repainting the tower, windshield frame, and some various bits.

The boat has been great, much more room than the MC or Centurion, better performance (I can actually barefoot behind this one!), AWESOME wake (400# Center locker plus factory ballast in the rear works well!), and I think it looks fantastic. I plan to keep replacing bits here and there until it is *perfect*!