Question on used SPN

That's a high quality looking interior job. 2 years in the water isn't a big deal. The boat does look very nice, owner obviously knows how to tie it up well!

It does have the ProTec ignition but there is a carburetor under there, so all you'd every have to do is get a distributor.

I would definitely not be paying anywhere near $12,800. 10k seems much more appropriate.

The boat DOES have wood stringers.

SN usually means Ski Nautique to us. SP or SPN would clearly indicate Sport.

All gen1 sports are wood but that wouldn't deter me. It is not one of the more desirable cc hulls though, even 10k seems quite high. Make sure you ski it first to make sure it meets your expectations. No EFI until '94, that boat will be carb'd. Pro Tec is an ignition and engine protection system only.

Tower is subjective. To me it subtracts value.

There's definitely a carb there, as Tim said it would't be original without one but I can see it.

We're not just a CC community, savvy members with all makes and models come here for the truth!

There are 2 1997 sports for sale in my area. 1 with 1345 hours is $9K, the other is asking $15500 with only 471 hours. Keep in mind these are all composite.

I agree with TRBenj in regards to the $8K price tag.

Wood stringers definitely do not help value. That said, worrying about the structure in a cradled SN is completely unnecessary, IMHO. Especially one that appears solid and well taken care of. You wouldn't believe the mushy boats held together just fine by that cradle. It's actually quite amazing. Don't be scared!

Thank you guys! I started to hint to the guy that he was asking waaay too much (without trying to offend him).

My budget was around 12k (maybe a bit more depending) so if I can't swing the right price on that boat I'm still hunting for another CC, MC or Bu bowrider.

BTW - he just dropped to 10,500....


EDIT: Oops MC not MS... boy have I been screwing up abbreviations today!

He seems like he is his willing to come down...

If I haven't mortally offended him yet, I'll probably be test driving tonight.... I threw the 8k number at him (very gently) so I'll probably end up around 9k as you stated Air206...(he stated he was lowering to 10.5k OBO on Monday then next step would be to turning it over to a broker).

definitely dependent though on how the boat feels to me upon inspection/ride. It seems to fit what I am looking for...so unless I don't like the ride or something weird in the condition I'll probably jump on it...but I'm not afraid to walk away otherwise...

I don't normally do any pricing over email but he was soo high in his price I didn't want to waste each other's time...thank you all for your expertise!

I purchased a 92 Sport this past spring for $8,500. My interior is a little more used then yours but still not bad. I love the wake for wake boarding and Wake surfing but, like these guys said, if you're into skiing I can understand where it might not be the best wake. The only thing mine has that this one doesn't is a nicer roswell tower and perfect pass. I'm not sure if this helps in the bargaining but it is a great boat. Mine also has more hours.

I did a lot of shopping before I bought mine. About 6 months worth and I got a good deal for $8500. Oh, I also have wood stringers. I've tested them by torquing down the engine bolts and they still seem solid. I wouldn't worry about them. If you're handy at all mechanically you can replace them yourself if you ever have trouble.

Every Excel has wooden stringers (oops did I say that out loud?). I have seen soaked Excels with severely disbonded stringer fiberglass and heavy with soaked foam that had NO evidence of issues - No waterline gel cracks - nothing. There is so much good glass (and gel) in those boats that an engine cradle distributes the weight of the engine and the rest seems fine. It's shocking to look at how good the outside is and how bad the backbone is. Like Tim and HW said don't let wood hold you back too much..........

Going to go look at it today sometime, I work about 10 minutes from where the boat is (every other boat is a minimum of 1.5 to 2 hours away) and if we work it out and I like it might get it done today too!

So, I ended up going through with it! Just have been too busy with the logistics of and having fun with the boat! Ended at 9750 and think that was a fair price after checking it out and riding/driving the boat.

Used it all weekend and it was awesome. I didn't do any skiing but got to wakeboard and I felt better/stronger/less tiring wakeboarding behind this boat than I did behind an I/O even when I was 10 years younger. What a world of difference. Hopefully I'll get in some slaloming before the end of the season. Pulled the kids and some friends around in a triple tube too. All around very happy about it!

So...now for the "happiest days of owning a boat part"/my to do list:
1 - As I already knew, the hull was reaaaalllly grimey, I took it to a car wash immediately and got a good chunk of it off, but I'll be needing to scrub it with some chemicals (toilet boal cleaner/acid). Then buff/wax the hull. I may wait to do this until I'm done with it for the season.

2 - I clogged up BOTH speedo pitot tubes... Since there hadn't been a boat on that side of the dock for some time, the weeds were really bad and after making them into chopped salad the first couple of times, both previously working speedos stopped. I'll get in there with a small drill bit and clean 'em out. Lessen learned and shouldn't happen again (plus probably not good for the water pump/intake). impeller replacement will be done this fall regardless.

3 - The drivers seat is loose in the front from the floor. The guy always sat on the back of the seat when pulling wakeboarders and loosened it up :(.... Any advice here? I'm thinking either oversized screws or bolts or ???

4 - Fuel gauge is erratic, probably have a sending unit in the future, but this is low priority.

5 - I backed off the idle rpms a bit (they seemed high for my taste [1k RPM]). I backed it off to about 750 RPM with the boat not in gear, is that about right? It ran fine at lower rpm but didn't want to go too far while still playing around with the boat.

6 - The trailer... TBH, and it's my fault, this was the one part that I didn't get to inspect (the trailer was 25 minutes away at a marina). I probably could have gotten another 250-500 off the price based on it but ah well... It hadn't been used in 2.5 years. So...it has one bad wheel bearing (i'll probably replace both along with seals). It has some surface rust on the fenders and on some of the supports around the fenders (i'm sure from gravel chipping). Going to recarpet the two forward bunks (marginal). Also, not sure if there is supposed to be a hand crank to crank the boat onto the trailer, but there is a large ratchet strap there instead. My guess is there is supposed to be a crank at the bottom of the front stop support with the strap running through the guide (that is there) at the top of the support (I can see a spot there that looks like a mount?)?

Sorry for the mega-post, and some of this should probably be moved to another part of these forums?

Also, here is a pic of the kids in the driveway :) (after hosing down at the car wash). EDIT: Hosing down the boat not the kids ;)

Thanks MechGaT, you too ;).. Hopefully I can get my hull looking like yours!

That is an original correct craft trailer. Cc didnt sell off their trailer business to Ramlin until ~1995.

Thanks guys!

I'm the same way... Primarily going to wakeboard behind it, slaloming on occasion just for fun :)

3 - The drivers seat is loose in the front from the floor. The guy always sat on the back of the seat when pulling wakeboarders and loosened it up :(.... Any advice here? I'm thinking either oversized screws or bolts or ???

This is the biggest possible issue. As this boat had wood used in its construction quite likely that is what is under those screws and is now rotting. Might be able to do a relative small repair in the off season. Trbenj did a relatively localized repair on his 90 SN that was documented here many years back ... best bet is to tackle it sooner than later and keep the boat as dry as possible in the mean time.