The good, the bad, and the best ski boat ever
Written: Oct 14 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Does everything a ski boat should...
Cons: Not a boat for cruising, entertaining, camping, fishing, ocean going...
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| RONinPC's Full Review: Ski Nautique Ski Nautique Open Bow |
I grew up with ski boats. My family had a relationship with Evinrude that allowed us our pick of engines. Outboards, you'll notice. My brother and I skied constantly... until my parents divorced and the boat went away.
So from that point forward, I skied behind everything and anything... and got a really good feel for what I liked in a boat. (I will not list those items here, they will follow). So, to let you know, I have driven other inboards (Moomba, Mastercraft), Outboards, I/O's...
Now, I have to give some disclaimers:
First, I am a terrible speller, and a horrible typist. I write very long reviews. If you are easily offended by poor typing, poor spelling, the combination of either or the reluctance to improve, please do not continue. Secondly, I cannot say that I can compare the ski nautique to EVERY hull, or EVERY brand and model. I have never driven a toyota, I hear they are very nice.
But let me tell you about my nautique.
This summer, one of my clients gave me a 1998 ski nautique. I do not know if I will have it forever (the title is in his name) but I did have it to use for the summer, and presumably for next summer as well. Not a bad way to get a 30k plus boat. I have really been able to get a feel for the boat, and it is this impression I am going to deliver.
I am going to start with the bad. It is important that you know that I am not going to just give a glowing review without stating what you are up against with an inboard like the nautique.
First impressions? Driving an inboard is like driving a bar of soap. Very slippery. They are very difficult to maneuver at slow speeds. Ski Nautiques props rotate right, and the boat pulls left (or whatever, they pull to the side. Mastercraft props rotate the other way, for the opposite results. In either case, making the boat go straight while going slow is astonishingly difficult. It is funny to me that I used to watch people drive inboards up to the dock, or onto the trailer, and I would think "geez, what is wrong with that guy?" I have since learned. Because outboards and I/O's control the direction of pull as it relates to the boat, and inboards control the direction of thrust (where direction of pull is a constant) the two behave very very differently. Inboards respond much better to direction changes while at speed than while going slow... and in reverse not at all. I/O's and outboards respond very well at slow speeds, and are less responsive (my opinion of course) at speed. (want to know why? it is because inboards leverage the boat from two distinct points, the props driveline and the rudder and I/O's and outboards leverage the boat from only one-the transom, and therefore I/O & outboards require that the hull act as the second point of contact, wich must be IN the water to work, whereas inboards can maneuver with minimal wetted surface).
OK enough physics.
So steering any flat hull inboard is tough at slow speeds. Any other gripes? Yeah rough water sucks. I am not kidding. In Lake powell we letterally had to tail behind the big boats just to stop our teeth from rattleing loose. The nautique hates rough water, and will make you regret ever going out in it. Again a function of that flat bottom, added to the weight of a big 5.8 litre engine stuffed right in the middle of the boat. The boat rocked and bucked so badly I thought my dog was gonna puke. I will never venture out into the chop again.
Ski stowage sucks. At least on the open bow, I have touble carrying two slalom skis for me, a wakeboard, my sons skis, the "pair", a fat slalom ski for guests, and the dreaded kneeboard.
This is not a boat for taking guests out in. We do, and you will also... But if you are going to ski agressively, they need to sit forward of the pylon. That cuts out three seats. So you can seat two in the forward passanger seat, plus the driver makes three, and three more can sit comfortably in the bow right? Well no, not really. As much as I like having three bodies in the bow (makes for a really flat wake) At least once a day those people are going to get soaked. I mean flooded. It is just one of those driving things that when you return for a downed skier, you are going to cross one of your own wakes at slow speed... and the bow is going to fill with water. All three of those guests will complain that their towel (camera, cell phone, shorts, whatever) is soaked,and that somehow it it your fault for not warning them. It is no use reminding them that you DID warn them either.
Guests also want you to beach the boat so that they may picnic. Now if I have my way, I start skiing in the morning and stop when I can't hold on any more. But guests want to "beach". Pick another boat. New props cost $375 and there is nothing between the prop and the bottom, and no way to change where the prop is. Remember that bar of soap thing? I learned right away that you do not want to hit the prop on anything. Once I had the trailer too deep in the water, and I came in too fast. I hit reverse and immediately bent the prop on the trailer support. Outboards never have that problem... and if you don't mind the effect of sand on your hull, you can beach without worrys.
Guests also want to drive your boat. The neat thing about this is that at speed, I will let anyone drive the nautique. My four year old handles it gracefully. It corners like a corvette, and reacts with confidence. However if you are going to let them "take it for a spin" that means that they have to bring it back to the dock... a guaranteed scratch somewhere on the boat. Everyone will tell you that they have been driving boats their whole lives too, like you are making up how hard it is to get this thing into a slip, or onto a trailer (you even think I am exaggerating don't you? Ha.. I will have the last laugh). My 22' sailboat is easier to reverse.
Last gripe. This boat eats gas.
But after saying all of this, This is still the only boat I will ever want to own.
Why?
1. It pulls like a thousand clydesdales. I have a four blade prop, with a top end limit of just 46 mph. But out of the hole, the ski nautique feels like it is a rocket coming out of the silo, and you do not know you have reached top speed until you are there, because the boat just stops going faster. Do I care that I cannot beat a Donzi? nope (ever ski behind a Donzi?) I weigh 205, and ski on a very short ski (a 65) and deep water starts are instantaneous. On my wakeboard, I am up before I finish saying "hit it".
2. It is stiffer than any ski boat I have skied behind. To the skier, that means that good driving is amplified to you... a straight pull feels like a straight pull. Now there is a negative to that too... a sloppy pull feels more like a sloppy pull also. To the driver, direction changes are immediate without an uncomfortable feeling of the hull contorting, and no reaction to the skiers pull. Now if you think that stiffness between boats is a minor point, ask anyone who has put a wakeboard tower on their boat if it did not add to the boats responsiveness... it is the stiffness that does that.
The appointments are solid and well built. Cheap boats feel that way.. you can feel staples under the seats, or there is raw fiberglass visible under the hull. The nautique is very well detailed... from the various cabin lights to the numerous wet-wells (for cold beverages)... to the (my favorite part) the hot shower available on cold mornings. I love that the drivers seat is adjustable, and that it has tilt-wheel. Even the stereo is amazing, with a six disc changer and subwoofer, the boat sounds better than most people homes.
The pylon is solid, with a perfect position for slalom skiing, and a not so perfect position for wakeboarding. I am only a marginal wakeboarder, so I have no real opinion on that aspect, but for slalom skiing, I rarely deal with the rope in the water, the wake is flat, and the boat is unaffected by my resistance in the cut. In other boats, I used to be able to feel my pull against the boat, and I would have to compensate for it.(there is a negative to the pylon position. The barefoot boom allows skiers to create excessive splash into the boat).
Value... Used ski nautiques hold their value exceptionally well (as do mastercrafts) this is not the case with supreme, moomba, etc.
Looks. The ski nautique does make a statement. it says "I am here to ski". Now I know that sounds shallow, but on a crowded lake, when you ARE there to ski, people tend to respect the rights of SKI BOATS to the ski lanes. That means that tubers and water weenies go chop up the lake somewhere else when you are in the lane skiing. I like that.
So that is my opinion of my ski nautiuque. I guess in retrospect I made a case for inboard ski boats in general rather than my boat in particular, but that is all I really CAN do. I have had no mechanical issues, I love the boat, and would buy another in a heartbeat. I will tolerate the "draw" (water depth limits), the social limitations, the performance quirks, and the gas milage. If you are considering buying one, I guess you need to ask yourself if you can tolerate the same.
If you are asking me? If you have the means, I highly recommend it.
and hey... thanks for reading my review.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
RONinPC
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Ron Shepard
Location: Park City, UT
Reviews written: 133
Trusted by: 136 members
About Me:
Skiing, Biking, Sailing and Hiking are the passions of this Park City Family.
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