so, an X star or wakesetter are out of the questions. recommendations for reliability and a big wake?

Old Supra Marauder or Beast. Check for soft floors, but they can be repaired if necessary.

Old nautique 2001's throw out a pretty good wake. <BR> <BR>I had a 1990 Supra Mariah that had a nice wake as well <BR> <BR>just try and find one with low hours and go for it

Get on old Malibu Skier. They can be weighted down pretty good to throw a solid wake, and you still have the reliability of a Malibu. I'd look at the 88-90 year range.

90-92 Ski Supreme TS or MS. No wood in the boat except for the teak and they are always down on the money. There are a few available on Traderonline.com right now that already have towers installed. Wake is perfect when weighted and looks very similiar to our nautique's unweighted wake... <BR> <BR>(Message edited by h20jnky on April 24, 2005)

i got my 88 nautique 2001 for about that. never been more satisfied with a purchase

for that cash you aren't going to beat a SN 2001. Thats what I was looking at before I found a smokin deal on my 94 MC PS 205. I don't even use the open bow as much as I thought I would, so don't make that a selling point unless you always have a crew of 6+. Throw on a monster tower and a few hundred bucks worth of sacks and you are in great shape.

my advice is be patient. deals are out there to be had. i purchased my 95 ps190 for about 8k. sounds like mark got a great deal on his rig too.

For that price, Correct craft Nautique 2001 will have the best wake. Unless you run across a killer deal on something else. <BR> <BR>My cousin found a 97 outback Moomba for $9500.00 <BR>Last year.

I agree with a Nautique 2001

<a href="http://www.whitelake.com" target="_blank">http://www.whitelake.com</a> has a 1996 2001 for sale. <BR> <BR>"Has Monster Tower with tower speakers, board rack, &amp; tower lights: stereo w/CD player, amplifier&amp; subwoofer; fat sack; and boat cover. <BR>420 engine hours" <BR> <BR>

its an 86. still a good price on the boat.

420 engine hours, theres your sign.

Like Mark says....find an early 90's Mastercraft, weight it down and fun is to be had. Mine is a '93. The closed bow is great when you have a skate, surfer, kneeboard and skis. I carry 700lbs. of lead while local and fatsacs on trips. My wake is more than enough to keep kids THRILLED. Good Luck....MC's do hold value..and the MC's have no wood.

Oh ya...i have 1200 hrs. and all is good...just keep up a good maintance scheduel...

i agree on either a 2001 or ski supreme. <BR>i had my hands on an 86 2001 until the guy sold it out from underneath me. so i bought a ski supreme instead and love it. the wake is very nice and comparable to a 2001. my 2nd and 3rd's are very good riders who can do all the big tricks off the wake(im not to good yet.)they also have the same powerplant that all the big name boats do just not the big name or price good luck!!!!!

Don't be afraid of engine hours, I have the PCM engine manual, The engine and transmission are designed to run at 1000 hours a year. The worst thing for a engine to do is sit in a garage. Also I paid 8 grand for my boat and is worth every penny.

Can't go wrong with the 2001. There have been several threads about this same topic and the answer is always the same - Nautique 2001!

Check <a href="http://www.correctcraftfan.com" target="_blank">www.correctcraftfan.com</a> They have tons of 2001's for sale. Remember one thing being that you are looking for a boat this close to summer you are not going to find the best of deals. If you can wait the summer without buying a boat you will get a better deal in the off season. However there is a possibility of not getting ripped off now. I would advise a few things about buying a used 2001 becasue I did and it was a good boat. <BR> <BR>1. make sure the stringers are good <BR>2. make sure the floor does not flex when you stand on it <BR>3. have a mechanic do a complete check on the boat including a COMPRESSION CHECK and a full transmission check no matter what the seller says it is worth the 200 dollars the mechanic will charge you to do it. <BR> <BR> <BR>other than that happy buying

DOWN PAYMENT!!