Air Nautiques
 

I just sold my Supra 21v and am looking at going with a little more of a skier friendly, less maint. boat. Looking at some older (late 90s to early 00s) Air Nautiques. Anyone have any experience with these? I know Nautys are solid boats. Are the wakes surfable? Ski wake I assume is good. Anything I am not thinking about?

Loaded down 02 was nice, never surfed it but I think it would be easy

Ive got a sport nautique which is almost identical to the original air nautique (direct drive). The surf wakes are fairly good if you know how to load the boat properly. I keep a bag in the storage locker and then load down the side and back corner and back of the boat with about 1800 lbs. with two passengers in the passenger seat. If you weight it properly you should be able to drive in a straight line. The ski wakes are really good too, although the wake is a little on the harder side, it is really mellow compared to an old ski nautique 2001. The wake is also really good for wakeboarding if you load them down. It's just a lot of work moving a bunch of bags around. I feel like you would be downgrading going from a v-drive to a direct drive, especially if you are looking to surf. I hardly ever surf because of the effort it takes for the amount of time I enjoy surfing for.

Well it is a little bit of a downgrade, but as I said, we have reverted back to skiing most of the time, and I am looking for something that is easier to clean. Are the hulls different between the sport and the airs?

Paul, I have the 211 cross-over. The consensus of opinion of the handful of people who slalomed behind it was ... (by the way, all were good, and two being former and dedicated 3-event competitors) ...

skier friendly = dd.

If you're ever in Branson I'll give you the opportunity to test that opinion.

Im in Shell Knob every weekend during the summer. I know DD are the way to go, I just want a little more room than a closed bow 196.

ummm, let me see if i got this right...

you are looking for a more "skier friendly" boat, but you want a "AIR" nautique and want to know how the wave is for surfing... what am i missing here?:confused:

If the 211 puts out a similar ski wake to the air nautique I would really think you would be better off with the 211. From other's reviews/comments it will throw a very nice wakeboarding wake, surf wake and a decent ski wake.

Well I am trying to see if the hulls between the sport nauty and the air are the same and if not, if the ski wake is still good. We also like to surf and board, just not as much as skiing. Kind of like the MC 205. Same hull as the X1, but in DD form the ski wake is still really good.

211 is more than I want to spend.

I would say try and drive one and determine if its acceptable for you.

After looking at a number of boats people have complained about, I found the wake to be fine for what I need after a test drive. The opposite has been true a few times as well, some boats that people rave about failed to impress me.

About the only boat I have found universal appeal for is the 2000-2006 Super Air Nautique, and used prices reflect that.

A lot of posts I have read complain about the Pro-Air, but I am going to look at one myself in the next few weeks, as I have learned opinions differ wildly when found on the internet. My advice, test drive all the options before buying.

info on nautiques can best be found at plantnautique.com

i own a 2001 pro air and it is hands down the best crossover i have riden behind. When loaded properly i get a great surf wake and wakeboard wake. The ski wake is a little hard, but I run the course at 34 15 off and its great. If your looking for a nautique that can do everything I would definitely suggest you look at the Pro Air (DD)

I'm on the fence with Travis' comment above. I also have owned a 2001 pro air for 3 summers now and i would have to say that the boat is great for our level of wakeboarding. If you're skiing mostly I would NOT recommend the pro air as opposed to the regular Air Nautique hull. The pro air hull was designed with chines in the bottom that change how the hull sits in the water during wakeboard speeds.

The wake is OK for slaloming but it's a lot bigger and firmer than the regular Air hull at slalom speeds. The rooster tail also is more distinguished further back on the Pro Air as compared to the regular Air so it makes it more difficult to run shorter slalom rope lengths without running through the rooster. We also do a fair share of surfing and while the pro air hull is definitely not comparable to bigger v-drives, we have no problem loading it up and having a good time.

I also ride a 2005 Super Air Nautique and the slalom wake sucks on that boat, IMO.

MC 205 is the best discipline crossover boat. Why not just go with it if you're looking that direction?

The interior on the '00 205 was a lot better than previous years. Since they stopped building them in '00 I am having a hard time finding one that isn't a thousand miles from me. I use to have one before my old XStar. Sold it in 2002 for far less money than I should have! I may just go back to the 205V hull. We ran the course with it a lot. It was no 190, but it was still good once you got above 34.

I think the 205V- the old XStars, a few years it was the X2 before the pickle fork came out ,and also the new X1, Have the Same Hull

Yes, they have been the same since 1996.

^^ Not exactly. 205 is beam of 87" up until the DD was discontinued, the 2001 Xstar/205V was 90" beam. Not sure when it went to 90"

My 2000 205DD had a beam of 90"

Ah, just looked into it because I saw the1997 was at 87". The hull stayed the same but they increased the deck by making the gunnels narrower.


"1999 saw the first major changes in the 205
direct-drive in three years. While the hull was identical, the deck and interior saw significant
changes. The deck was now higher with the sides becoming thinner and more rounded.
Changes to the interior included a smaller, two-part motor box, addition of a rear ski locker, larger
walk-through to the bow, and a larger bow interior."

yes, and that is 1 man's interpretation of his findings. I believe them, but also note that the boat is somewhat larger