Old boats, so hard to choose

OK so me and my buddy have been inthe market for an old inboard for around 8k max and thorugh all the questions i have asked on here, all that i have read, and what i know. I still don't know what the hell i want.

supra= open bow/lots of room good wake, but notorious for stringer rot

2001= Good wake, lots of people are fans, but no room

mastercraft= not a great wake, not much room, but all glass construction

Malibu sunsetter= open bow, good price usually, but hard as hell to find and a mercruiser engine.

SO i think to myself, do i really want more than 6 people on my boat? Will i really even know what a good wake is? We have only wakeboarded for a season and wanna get something to progess on. We'll probably go through all this trouble to find an awesome boat and then just upgrade next year lol.

Were gonna look at this mastercraft this week and there is a 86 nautique 2001 that just poped up in the area for $6k.

http://www.actionwater.com/inventory_detail.asp?formname=new&from=search&curr diid=478054&tab=&site_type=dealertemplate&navigate =true&searchtype=AN&isIFRAME=false&reqStyle=&Site_ cid=&Lead_source=&isPreview=&isAdmin=

What do you guys think is the best time to buy a boat, i don't want to regret not buying some of these boats we have seen. But on the other hand i know there will be alot more for sale in the beginning of the season. I just don't know if there will be more buyers to outbid us.

Take a look at the older Sangers too. They have a great wake and more room that the CC.

AS long as you check out the supra and get one that is in good shape/well taken care of stringer rot will not be an issue. I have an 1985 the stringers are as solid as any other boat I have been on.

I have an 86 2001 and it's got rotten stringers. But I love my boat and it was paid for. If you put a tower on the 2001 with racks it clears alot of floor space. And you dont need a ton of wieght to give it a good wake. But I still load mine down....For those that can rip....unlike me of course.....lol

I have an 86 Sunsetter and I have really enjoyed it. It needs a new floor, but I am selling it this summer. I haven't had any problems with the Mercruiser and I got rid of the points (seemed to run better after that). Sunsetters are kind of hard to find in my experience. I stumbled across mine the night the guy put the add on boattrader.com and went and looked at it a few days later. The best time to buy is probably now (after the boat show, people are buying new stuff, getting rid of the old stuff) and at the end of the season (August). The SN2001 for 6000 is a pretty good deal (I don't know why people charge so much for them). I don't know where you are from, but Sanger's are pretty rare on the east coast. Good luck.

(Message edited by srh00z on February 26, 2006)

whats wrong with a mercruiser engine?

I didn't mean to say it like that for the merc engine, its probably a good thing cause more people can work on them and there will be more parts floating around.

What do you guys think about engine hours, that prostar has a rebuilt engine with a new block because the old was cracked as usual. It has a one year warranty on the engine. I know that not the same as a brand new engine but how close. Is it better to find a engine with 500 original hours on it or is a rebuilt better?

(Message edited by jpshaff01 on February 26, 2006)

Old 2001's, and I've seen some old Super Sports out there for <10k. The old Supra wakes are huge, but you can also keep an eye out for '95-'97 Prostars, 190 or 205. Don't be afraid to make low offers. People listing older ski boats for what I sometimes see are kidding themselves. Good luck and enjoy your new to be found wake.

(Message edited by rmcronin on February 26, 2006)

I don't recall a thread mentioning a prostar 190 as a good wakeboard boat. Anyone have good experiences with them?

School- believe me i'm not afraid to make some low offers lol, that mastercraft has been on boatrader for about a month and a half so i'm wondering why no one wants to buy it. The 95+ mastercrafts have to be out of my price range though, it would be awesome to have one of those or even an older 205

EWATER- they are refering to the 1995 plus hull which is practically the same as the current X1 hull i believe, someone correct me if i'm wrong

Schooled,
I want to know where you've seen a super sport for under 10k. I haven't seen an Excel/Barefoot under 12k. The lowest I've seen a SS was in the low 20s(unless it needed some work), otherwise I would own one.

Don't let the amount of space in a 2001 fool you, or at least what everyone says about it. If you are only going to ride with another rider or 2, you'll be fine. Start off with just a 5-600lb fat sac in the rear and a little weight up front. It will be plenty to get you started. Just make sure you get a pole or tower to get the boards off the floor.

As for the PS 190, you'd have pretty much the same configuration as a 2001 minus the wake (It is an excellent slalom boat, however).

Hey Jon, we looked at that PS too. We decided against it, but it looks like a good deal. Rebuilt engine is fine, but 1300 hrs on the original tranny. Be careful with that. Also, those colours are unique for that year. Did you know it was a U of Tennesee boat in its earlier days?

Hi,
Have you tried Brandon at www.centralkyinboards.com we have sold him several older trade-ins over the years, he brokers several older boats too.Great Guy.

Mike- i thought that boat was the one you guys were talking about, how many hours are the transmissions rated for. Is it the same as the engine

Hey Jon - yep, that's the one. Boat looks good, but I was a little worried about the tranny. I'm sure the U of Tennesee take care of their boats, but 1300 hrs is still a lot. It could still be perfect, or it could need replacement as soon as you buy it. Unfortunately, you never know.

I still might even take a run at it if it's still around when my Moomba sells. But until that happens, my hands are pretty much tied. Let me know how it works out for you.

the way prices have fallen on 2001's lately def. look into those. I have ridden with about 6 people in the boat. Yes it gets cramped a little but not bad. And the more people the better the wake.

That mastercraft is pretty clean. I have never seen one that color before.

Well we bought something today, give me a second and i'll put a pic up, Its a 1986 Supra comp. 500 hours on the engine and trans, new stringers floor and carpet in 2000. Pretty spotless interior and it has a tower. Got it for $6400 and now it went directly into storage. Should be an awesome first inboard though, it was taken care of.

Congrats Jon. Have fun with the new ride. Let's see some pics of this bad boy.

The gel-coal just needs a good buffing and its pretty much good to go. I don't know what i'll do with all my money this summer haha, i guess we'll have to get a sick stereo in there. It pretty much has all we need. No pics of the interior yet, these pics are from the add. The interior was better than i thought it was gonna be since the ad had no pics of it (assumed it wasn't great). But it actually doesnt have any cracks or fading.

The decals will probably be taken off cause they arent in as good of condition as the picture shows. We'll probably replace them with something more modern looking.


http://server5.pictiger.com/img/121436/picture-hosting/supra-11.jpg

http://server5.pictiger.com/img/121473/picture-hosting/supra-22.jpg

Congrats John, nice pick up and you will have tons of fun with it.