Any input on this 1993 sport nautique?

That boat is really beat up and hacked together, if the motor repairs are similar to the trailer repairs I would be surprised if it runs at all. Who puts new stickers over oxidized gelcoat like that??

7k is too much imo, at 5k could be worth taking a chance on

IAughtNaut wrote: looks like the decals ghosted in to the gel are not original either, they look like 99 decals

Do you guys think I should be able to get those ghosts out of the gel? I figured I would have to do some work with the gel, but my cousin said he wasnt sure if the ghosted decals would come out 100%.

Ryan - yes, you should be able to get the ghosting out of the gel, it will probably require 3 step sanding, followed by 3M 3 step buffing and a good coat of wax, you might still be able to see the ghosting at the precise angle and the right light.

As an alternative, check this out:
94 Sport with Tower


Or with some good negotiation, pick one of these up:
96 Sport Nautique


93 Sport Nautique


93 Sport Nautique


and then save up a little more money and put one of these on it for $2100 New Dimension Tower

Or you could go this route; 90 Sport Nautique again with negotiations and add a tower.


The 90 has wood stringers, but look at it, it is in BEAUTIFUL shape (at least it takes really good pictures...) and you could afford to put the tower on right away.

Again this was a quick 10 minute search, I am not sure where you live, maybe in the south, but there are definitely better options that you might have to drive a little further. I think in the long run you will be much happier.

Please don't quote a [rather large] post without even making any references to it. Wastes space.

Ok, here is one on the edge of your drive time;

1997 Sport Nautique


Its only $7000 but it has a cracked block, so you drop in one of these:
Marine Crate Engine for $3000

A couple of finds near you. Some cash in hand negotiating could possibly get you one of them:

96 SNCB with tower

2001 Air

hebs wrote: Im not a purple fan either, and the air is out of my budget.

Offer $12K cash. You'd be surprised how much the price can drop with cash in hand. The answer is always NO if you don't even try. What's the worst that can happen?

Well the decision to buy the local 93 is out of my hands now. The guy that took it out for a water test today bought it for 8k. For some reason I feel like I should have bought that boat. Oh well. I guess I will continue hunting.

As for what I am looking for when I say "poor man's wakeboarding boat", I want something in my price range that puts up a nice wake, but that I can also take family out on and have a good time. I have been looking for the older boats, with hulls that put up wakes like the newer boats.

I originally wanted a 2001 but realized that I need more space, and would really rather have a fiberglass boat. I have settled on the 93-97 sport nautique, or possible if I found a killer deal, a super sport. I also cant keep the older mastercraft's (gasp) out of the picture, i.e. the 205's that are the same hull as the xstars.

Yeah... I think you owe all the posters a big thanks! They saved you a ton of money and may even have prevented you from hurting/killing someone with that Cheech and Chong trailer. That boat needs 5-7k at least and someone who knows what they are doing to be worth anything!

You asked for our advice.

AAM196 wrote: Well... the dude that owned that boat never hired a mechanic either... You are way underestimating the work this boat needed and the cost. This isn't a Subaru. Usually if you have a nice hull you are in good shape and most everything else can be dealt with accordingly... but you don't even have that in this case.    Something tells me in a week you can find the new owner and get this boat for 5k...

Yea I understand its not a subaru, I was just saying that I would feel comfortable doing most work myself.

The boat had a ***************load of hours and was in rough shape. I will find something else eventually.

Regardless of how mechanically inclined you are, if you are buying a boat to go boating, buy the nicest one you can afford. If you like to tinker in the garage, buy a boat that needs a lot of work. You can sometimes break even on a project boat- or maybe even a *little bit* ahead, and of course you end up with something that you made your own...
But you are not likely to beat the game significantly in terms of $$, an of course you're donating all of your labor. That's neither good nor bad but make sure you know what you're getting into. And make sure your family is on board! First boats are usually best if they can be put in the water and enjoyed immediately. Otherwise it can sour your taste for boating (and that of those around you) before you're ever on the water. Not good.

That boat had very little going for it from what you said and showed us. In cases like that, there are ALWAYS more issues than immediately obvious. It would have been a money pit and a terrible first boat. You would not have been running around for $9500 all in and 1-2 weekends of work, trust me.

If you have the time to fix up a clunker, you have a day or 2 to invest in a road trip to pick up a nice example. Expand your search area. This isn't a house, buying it just because it's nearby is silly. Getting the model you want with the right options in the right condition at the right price should be your goal... A few hundred bucks in gas shouldn't have you settling for a lesser boat. There are ways to vet a boat out prior to purchase withou seein it with your own eyes... And this forum is your best resource. I would slow down and listen to what people are saying!

I guess I shouldnt have said "i should have bought it". I guess I should say I will always be curious, since the first person to water test it bought it. Like I said, you guys are probably right and I will appreciate it later.

You have to remember, the guy that bought it probably knows as much about boats as everyone on this site knows in their little finger.

Very smart people buy huge hunks of crap on the reg because they have no clue what to look for.

That boat would have been a negative experience for you and your family no doubt.

Like said above, I know you have your mind set on a tower but I feel it is much more important financially and long run to buy a nice rig that hasn't been monkeyed with.

Buy a nice sport for 10-12 that is water ready and maybe needs a wax. Buy a $325 fly hi pole for a season or two and then buy the tower/speaker/etc set up you would really like to have. You will be money ahead without a question.

Everything adds up money wise very quickly. Boats nickle and dime you to death when someone who hasn't properly maintained them or has no clue what they are doing has owned them before you.

If you buy a boat with issues and don't get to use it that's all you will hear from your wife.

Since the season is 2/3 gone (at least here) I'd be inclined to just rent a boat once or twice to scratch the itch. Sure they're Bayliners but it's still a boat.    Then do some serious shopping in Oct/Nov when the anti-storage sales are hot.