Any input on this 1993 sport nautique?

I have been wanting a "poor man's" wakeboarding boat for quite a while now, and have grown fond of the nautiques. My budget is about 12000 so I have been looking for a 90's sport nautique. I found a 1993 sport naituqe locally, and it looks really good, but it has 1608 hours which kinda scares me.This is a 1993, is it the same hull as the air nautique? I have read different things, some say it is 94-97, some say its 93-97. Can you guys tell from the pics?


Anyone familiar witht he 13th floor towers? Are they any good?

It has a new motor, but he said it has the stock trans and hasnt been rebuilt. The extra power and tq of a modified motor kinda concerns me on a stock trans, especially with 1600 hours. However... the asking price is $9000...

Any other input or things I should check, if I go look at it, would be greatly appreciated.

Here is the content of the listing:

"
1993 Sport Nautique
13th Floor Wakeboard Tower
Pioneer Stereo
Apline speakers
Memphis subwoofers
New stroked 351 engine now 392 with new GT40P heads
4 Blade OJ Prop
New 13th floor bimini top
New Sunbrella boat cover
boat has 1602 total hours with 30 on new engine
runs and drive great
"

SNobsessed wrote: Looks great! Who did the engine build? If they are credible, I'd jump on it. Worst case you have to do the tranny down the line; figure $1K if you pull it yourself (which is a piece of cake).

I asked the guy who built the motor and he said:

"A guy I know who has his own shop. Wes Hardin. He's built a few motors for me. One of them puts down over 650 at the tire. The one for the boat wasn't dynoed, but Wes said 400hp conservatively."

Seems Sketchy. Usually when someone besides a marine shop or folks who hang around here do engine work or mods it isn't done right. Get engine photos and everyone here can weigh in.

I went and checked out the exterior of the boat today. I wanted to get in it but wasnt sure if the owner was cool with it (he just told me to go check it out in the parking lot of his furniture store. I didnt talk to the guy in person yet). I will try to run back by this afternoon and check out the interior a little more, and get some pics of the engine bay, etc...

The hull ID is: CTC34073k293. Is this the same hull design as the super air?

Here is an album with a ton of pics: https://plus.google.com/photos/103956328804038432798/albums/6040079335448858705


Issues I noticed:
--The trailer is in pretty terrible shape:
----paint is faded and chipped and has rust all over
----missing the fender on the right side
----missing the side step on the right side
----missing side step wood on rear left side
----fornt left side step wood/carpet isnt screwed down
----lights and wiring look pretty terrible
----not trailer tires, would have to be replaced
----wheels and tires look too wide or something, it looks like it is cambering or bent
----the trailer or bunk appear to be bent or somethin, the front of the boat doesnt rest on the bow stops
----unsure about hub assembly
----bunk carpet is pretty terrible and even showing metal and wood under it
----bunk wood looked pretty rotted
----wench is in bad shape and is rusty


--The boat itself is questionable
----gel coat is oxidized, yet has nice SAN vinyls over it. You can see old AIR vinyl marks through oxydation and pressure washer marks ;)
----large scratch down the left side, in the red gel coat
----light scum/tinge on bottom of hull
----the side interior upholstery looks decent, just a little dirty.
----bottom upholstery looks chem bleeched or sun faded
----spider cracks at tip of bow and along the permiter of the top of of the hull, above the rub-rail
----the pass co-pilot seat felt a little lose when lifting up, and damper didnt work
----handle in rear above "rukus" has paint chipping, and possibly looks like rust dripping down the fiberglass from where it mounts into the hull
----speedo sensors and all little plastic covers under the teak look white or faded/dry rotted?
----teak looks really dry
----rub rail looks pretty oxidized/dry
----the right board rack looks oem, but the left board rack is universal and mounted higher, on the cross tubing
----concerned about the bemeni. doesnt look like it would open wthout running into the tower
----front right dash mounting hole is ripped out, so the dash is obviously loose
----captains seat bottom upholstry unstapled from bottom of seat, and rusty stable holes showing
----one of the bottom tracking fens has a slight ding in it



Overall thoughts:
Trailer looks pretty bad and I dont even know if I would feel comfortable pulling the boat 4 miles home, much less an hour and a half to the lake

The gel might actually clean up ok with a wet sand but the spider cracks bother me, though thry are all on the top of the hull, out of the water

Upholstery and carpet really arent too terrible, other than the seat bottoms


What do you guys think? I am relatively mechanically inclined and could tackle some of the stuff myself, and wouldn't mind doing so if the price was right.

phatsat67 wrote: What type of cash is he asking for it? If you really want it because of the hot motor that is one thing. If you can spend a few thousand more and get something that is pristine and later spend money on things like the tower/speakers/etc and do it your way then you may be better off. Boats are one thing that usually the "you get what you pay for" thing is completely true. Sounds like you have you head on straight and noticed a lot of things right off the bat most people do not.

He is asking $9000 which is pretty cheap. the low retail NADA value with bemini, trailer, and tower is $8750.

skutsch wrote: Find out what components (Cam, rods, lifters, pistons, etc) he used in the Motor rebuild. The guys on here can then give you a feel for the quality of the parts, which will give you an idea of where the guys head was at that rebuilt it. If the guy can't give you a list of the parts, then I would really be suspect... I wouldn't worry too much about the oxidized gel coat, staining, etc. There are very few people that care for their boats like the people on this site. I am always shocked at the condition I find correct crafts in and the lack of care by most people (again excluding the folks on this site). Yes, you can find "prettier boats and trailers" but you really have to look hard and they generally bring top dollar. Definitely get an on water test, especially with your concerns on the motor. If it passes that test, then I'd make him an offer a little below the NADA value and then you have to decide how much above that your willing to go. Good Luck!!!

He said he doesnt have the documentation from the new motor. He asked the builder though:

"He said it had a scat crank, rpm rods, and probe pistons. Everything internally balanced, and it got new ford Gt40p heads, and comp cams reground the stock cam. Also new exhaust manifolds. He said all the parts were forged."

You can confirm the GT40P heads by inspecting either end of the head. Should be 4 bars cast into it. If there aren't 4 bars, you may want to question his other mods.

Maybe post some more pics. Your album link requires permission to view it.

I am sure you could pick up something much nicer for the 12 ish range. That trailer is roached and like stated above if you have no other option (unless you get lucky) besides new you are looking at 3k right there.

Like said, you need to weigh how much the tower means to you, the motor, etc. You can get yourself some pretty decently priced towers and install yourself on a nicer boat and probably be way better off IMHO.

That's a lot of work if you want it to look nice in the future. Move on if that is you. If you just want a runner and don't care about how it looks this boat might work out for you. If I had $12K to spend on a wakeboard boat, I would not buy this one. There are pristine, low-hour boats out there within your budget. In another month the internet will be crawling with them. Be patient and a great deal will come your way.

Just my two cents (and I purchased a hammered-on boat so I speak from experience).

Ok the guy said he would take $7000. What do you guys think about that?

I agree with Zach and Kroundy. I'd keep looking if I were you. Have you taken it for a test ride yet?

I am trying to source a trailer and add up other possible costs and weigh out my options. Will this work? http://memphis.en.craigslist.org/boa/4541486308.html

skutsch wrote: Maybe some closer up pictures, honestly in the pictures it doesn't look that bad. Also depends on what you want to do with the boat. If you want it to be a head turner and have everyone walk up to it, then I would pass. If you are looking for a good old workhorse that over time you can put some elbow grease into it and have it look pretty good,(Elbow grease meaning probable wet sand and re-upholstery) then it sounds like it is time for a test drive. $7k is still a lot of money and you still need a trailer (The $900 trailer would probably work but will still require additional dollars - need to build bunks, etc.) Check the Craigslist thread their was a trailer on there that seemed like it was listed forever, don't know if it is still around. Ultimately you have to be honest with yourself with how nice you want your boat to look and how much work you want to put into it. Also the 1 month old is going to be a factor for a lot more then just this summer. Actually factoring that in, maybe pass on this boat and befriend some local CCF folks, generally we are always willing to share rides, and if you show up with a 5 gal tank of gas everytime you could probably get your ski fix that way until that 1 year old gets older. Let us know where you live, and we can probably steer you in the right direction for fellow CCFers

Did you see the picasa album I posted above? There are tons of pics in there.

It didn't look too bad til I got to the pictures of the bow cracks along the entire length of the bow. Yep, move right along. Try to make friends with a CCF bud, then buy them gas. Way cheaper til that baby of yours gets a little order. Set the $7k aside in a boat fund, and keep adding to it.

I found this trailer. It is about 4 hours south of me:

http://bham.en.craigslist.org/boa/4539632428.html