Opinions on Nautique Ski/Wake Boat

Cant go wrong on a Ski Nautique.
I studied all the ski boats and the other two in my sights were Mastercraft and Malibu. I was going to go Mastercraft but my son was only interested in soccer and said so. Went 180 degrees at that point with a Donzi.

 

I've had a few ski boats. One of the guys I have skied with regularly for the past 10 years had a Nautique and loved it. I had a few Mastercrafts. Now we both have Malibu's and LOVE them. You'll like the build quality of the Nautique. It is a fine boat. I'd investigate the Malibu as well.

 

Malibus are great too.
Why are you going new instead of something a couple years old? You'd save some money

 

I have a mastercraft x45. We like the the pickle fork bow. It allows for a large seating area up front that every one enjoys.

 

Hmm...the name Malibu has kept popping up in recent years. How is the power wedge feature? Is it a 'replacement for displacement' in making a nice wake? I lived most of my life in Orlando so Nautiques are a pretty familiar sight on the lakes (a few friends own them as well). Thanks.

 

You need to look at a Promo boat. Often has less than 100 hours and you will easily save 15-20k that were given to pro wakeboarders and skiers. What is the primary use of the boat? Many people buy a wakeboard boat for 15k more when the simply will never be able to use the features like intended to be, this coming from a wakeboarder. We have had 3 Malibus and have loved everyone. We looked pretty hard at the Natique for the money and the hull inefficiency it wasn't worth it. There modern slalom boat uses 30 percent more gas then the other comp ski boats.

http://www.ski-it-again.com/php/skiitagain.php?topic=Search&category=Promo_Boat

 

What level of water skier are the members in your family? A true wakeboard baot will have a bigger boat but to the average person it will feel the same. We are a comp water ski family so we have a comp waterski boat. Also if you plan on getting a lift for the boat you NEED a vertical lift as a normal lift will not work with a boat that has a tower unless you fold it down everytime.

 

We are also a combo ski and wakeboard family. I bought a 99 Malibu Sunsetter VLX that was a demo with 20 hrs on it in 2000. It has the Callaway 365hp Hammerhead motor (awesome!). It is the traditional ski hull but with the engine in the back and the V drive it makes a great boat.

Lots of room without the motor in the middle. Good wakeboard wake with the extra weight in the back and the slower speeds wakeboarding. Good ski wake at ski speeds but not if your are competition minded, I'll call it a notch below. We were all happy in 2000....

Fast forward to 2010. Water bags, perfect pass, snap out carpet, nicer operator seat etc on everything else on the lake. I wanted a new boat.....$60-80K yikes. I took it in added the wedge and perfect pass, the boat was transformed, it only has 411 hrs on it today and for the $3K investment our family has a boat that will last us till the kids are all past 18yrs old.

The wedge allows the kids to wake surf and perform the larger tricks they have learned wakeboarding. We also live in a freezing climate (-30 in the winter) so there is one less thing to winterize and go wrong without having the water bags. The perfect pass is another great option for precise speed control.

Overall this Malibu has been an outstanding boat and is a miser on fuel, $125 for four operational hours on the lake and a family of five in the boat. During our ownership the only service items were fluids, water pump impeller and an ignition module. The depth finder has failed and one of the speedometer pick ups fell off

Neighbors have Mastercrafts/Nautiques/Tige. The only one I've heard complain was the Tige owner, he had repeated fuel issues.

IMHO any good top line boat is like buying a Chev, Ford or Dodge.....they are all good choices. Buy from a reputable dealer with good service or independantly and ensure your local dealer provides great service. Having a knowledgable and fair local dealer is your biggest asset.

 

+1 on Malibu's. Have been skiing behind them for last 25 yrs. Mastercraft prior to that during college. Currently own a Response LS. Obviously I'm old so have a more traditional viewpoint in that I grew up skiing (slalom) vs boarding. Therefore I would rather have a hull designed for slalom and compromise on the boats boarding appeal. However the wedge and a pole extension is all that is required to make a reasonable wake. This past weekend we had a boarder performing inverted tricks with ease. A simple pole extension gives similar pull as a tower, but without the mass, and allows seating in the back which also enhances the wake.

Another thing to consider is draft. Our dock area is subject to low water and so the low draft of the Response hull works whereas a heavier boat would create problems.

 

I have a Malibu 23 LSV. Love it. The wedge throws an amazing wake but to get it to be a surf boat you will probably want to add some fat sacs to go along with the ballasts tanks already built in the boat.
Our local ( Dallas) dealer has a twice of year dealer appreciation day on the river where they cater food and show all the new toys to their clients.
I know Mastercraft and Malibu are known for their customer service and giving back to the wakeboard community by sponsoring riders ( my son was ).
If you will be driving while pulling surfers/wakeboarders, be sure and invest in the camera system- it is nice to be able to not have to look back all the time.
If you will be riding, I recommend riding all three and seeing which wake you like the best. I like the MC and the Malibu, but the Nautiques wake was different- more of a plateau in the middle- not as steep a wake.
Another recommendation. If you or the kids are planning on riding competitively, go with a 21 ft boat. The wake is not as wide . We bought a 23 ( also has a wider transom) and the wake was very wide . When my son was younger and learning to clear the wake, we had to shorten the rope a lot.
Once the kids hit 15 or so, the bigger boat is nice. Seems we always have 4-6 kids in the boat and the extra space is nice.
And don't skimp on the stereo. We initially went with the less expensive stereo only to have to spend $6k the next year to have one custom installed.

 

I went though this in 04', it ended up being a coin flip between the Malibu and the Mastercraft. I ended up with the Mastercraft X-10. I just did not like the Nautique, they seemed behind in features, but that was in '04.

I think if you are a skier and a wakeboarder I would give the nod to the Mastercraft.

I paid $50k OTD, including the tower w/ racks, decent stereo, ballast system, Bimini top,
and a nice trailer. Never needed anything except regular maintenance, sold in 4 years later after the kids stopped using it for $35k.

Here is the model: http://waterskimag.com/ski-boats/2004/12/22/mastercraft-boats-2005-x-10/