Wakeboard/Ski boat under $10,000

What would be a good open bow wakeboard\ski boat for under $10,000? Something that could fit at least 8 people in it.

Good luck....for that money and open bow is going to be tough. You'd probably be looking at I/O's for that money. I don't think OB ski boats really hit until 92ish and those boats are still holding pretty good value yet. Keep your eyes open on the traders though, season is basically coming to an end most places and a lot of people will be unloading boats. You could get lucky.

Eric

Thanks, how about a boat that is still open bow that can fit at least 6 people. What brands to look for. I have found some Supra's and Ski Supreme's from the late 80's early 90's that have been close to $10,000.

Late Supra's are good (Saltera I think) and roomy. Perhaps a Nautique Excel or a Malibu OB should be possible.

I was in the same situation two years ago. Malibu sunsetters in the late 80s are dd with an open bow. Check those out. They run about 10k. I cannot think of anything else in your price range thats an open bow.

I traded my '92 Prostar 205 (all fiberglass hull) for my new SSV, and the dealer asked $9995 for it, and got it. It was an inboard though, and would get pretty crowded with 8 people and gear.

You can find inboard boats under $10k, just have to keep your eyes open.

Open bow, seats 9:

Nice.
At least someone's trying

Yeah Nathan, I forgot about those earlier supras...there are 1 or 2 only in my area. One was on the lake last night and was throwing a pretty killer wake. Didn't see it up close to see if he had weight in it, but they are very large boats and heavy too. I'd say best bet is to keep your eyes on the boat traders and set your goals on how far you might drive to get one. I went 700 miles to find my boat.

Eric

What about a mastercraft tristar 190? We were gona buy one for 7 grand. The seller ended up backing out though. The open bow isnt huge but I heard they throw a nice wake.

we have a 1991 mastercraft maristar with a 454 chevy. that we bought 5 years ago for 10 thousand. it is 26 feet. so there is boats out there for cheap. we are not selling ours though. it is worth alot more now. like 20 thousand.

$10,000 including trailer? I bought my 1992 Sunsetter (with 310 hrs!) last year for about $12k incl trailer and TT&L. Added a Monster Tower and a couple of sacs and never looked back.

That boat would have sold for just over $10k without the trailer and before tax.

I just bought this 1991 Malibu Sunsetter Euro f3 in Dallas for $8900. It has 275 hours and has been garaged it's whole life. It needed a pretty good cleaning (deep vinyl scrubbing, etc.) but it was in great shape. I added a Titan Series I tower for $950 delivered to San Antonio, and installed a built-in ballast system. With 2200 lbs of ballast it throws a pretty nice wake now.

[img]http://www.fototime.com/2B1322C52E3418B/standard.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.fototime.com/CC441979573DBD4/standard.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.fototime.com/EE08FF397801454/standard.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.fototime.com/1B81B53413E746C/standard.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.fototime.com/5713CC1AEA93839/standard.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.fototime.com/B9525F4C3E82FDA/standard.jpg[/img]

I like the air aluma tub.

Beauty, Sam. Great buy.
Nicely done/kept.

Thanks. Nathan, there are others out there. When I was looking a year and a half ago, they were impossible to find. But I found a few more this year. You definitely have to be willing to drive though. I got lucky to find a boat only 4.5 hours away.

Thanks, Sam. That is a great looking boat. I just I hope I can find one in that condition.

I got a 1986 Malibu Sunsetter for 4900, tower for under a grand and a few fat sacks. Great wake for the money, very roomy and has an open bow. I called the guy the day after he listed it on boat trader. We used it this season and in the off season I am going to do a new floor and interior and look at some ballast options. I will still be well under 10 grand

I just sold my 88 ski supreme, open bow, 550 hours for 6k. the boat ran very strong and threw a decent wake. It was a little underpowered w/ a full load. you could fit 8 people in there it was rated for 10.

Sam, with 2200lbs, do you have a problem getting up on plane?

Doug-
It's definitely slower, but to be honest it doesn't feel too bad when you are the boarder. It bothers me most as the driver. I am ordering a new ACME 10.5 pitch prop tomorrow, so my problem should be solved by the end of the week!

Sam, I would be interested in seeing your ballast set up. I have some ideas on what I will do, but nothing is concrete and our boats are largely the same setup and hull (some minor differences I am sure)

I bought an 88 MC 190 open bow with 258 hours on it with trailer out side of St Luis for 10K. Still has original interior in it without a smudge or tear.

Could you post some pictures of boats you have bought in this price range. Before and
after pictures if you had to fix them up. I just want to get a feel for what I should expect while looking for a boat.

Go to boattraderonline.com and set up some saved searches under "My Marina" for each of the boat make and year range your looking for. It will send you notices via e-mail of when new matching ads get's posted so you can often get the first shot at the great deals. You can also do it at eBay which is worth it but you'll get a lot less boats.

Thanks, that's a great idea.

What are your thoughts on a Supra Mariah. It has 600 hrs and looks like it is in great condition.

We spent a few months looking for the right boat. We ended up with a 90 Mastercraft Marista 210, w a 351 indmar engine,386 hrs. It needs some heavy duty cleaning. Projects for the winter are the addition of Perfect pass and a tower. 9800 w dual axel trailer. Baots.com, and Iboats were the two big ones I used to look. I ended up finding this one 1 hr form home.
Good luck

flipsell.com has a sweet Correct Craft Martinique 1977 that is restored nicely. ProFlight tower and plumbed ballast. Looks awesome but might be a little small. Should throw a sweet wake though.

here's my 88 Ski supreme

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2488168323

How about this for 10k?

2002 SANGER BOAT V 210,, 2002 Sanger V210 Bowrider with 350 MPI Merc engine with less than 200 hours. Boat has tower and comes with Sanger boat cover, boat on tandem axle trailer. Boat is being sold as insurance liquidation do to boat sinking in fresh water at dock. Engine was attentioned and runs.

http://adcache.boattraderonline.com/6/4/9/76217649.htm

i think you will be chasing problems like guages, switches, wiring forever . but if you are a decent mechanic and like to tinker. i would maybe tackle it. but if your not i would stay away. because the time its gonna spend at the shop is gonna eat you up. is the tranny working? has it been drained? and refilled several times? how about gas tank? did it sink to the bottom? "nothing works on an old boat but the owner".

Sam,

You got a steal on that one. That's a very sharp boat.

I've got a 1990 Malibu Skier, and was thinking on adding a Titan as well. Did you have to reinforce anything? Did you install it yourself?

Also, defintely let us know how the Acme works. Also, tell us your top speed (with and without 2200 lb ballast).

David-
Sorry I've been out of town for the last 3 weeks and just got back to a computer. I instaled the Titan tower with the help of my wife; took a total of about 2-3 hours. I didn't need to reinforce anything. Very easy and straightforward. Just take plenty of time to measure carefully. The tower is ROCK solid. Absolutely no rattling or swaying at all. Also, the new ACME prop is amazing. The hole shot with 2200 lbs of ballast is great. I have no doubt I could easily pull up several slalom skiers from a deep water start. The hole shot is just as good as with no ballast and the OEM prop. I don't think I lost more than about 1 mph on the top end either. Acme is definitely the way to go. As far as what the actual top end is, it depends on what you believe from the speedos but I believe it is right about 40mph.

Sam,

You've got to post an updated picture with the Titan tower. I'm glad to know that reinforcement is not required.

That's good to hear on the Acme prop. I read above that it is a 10.5 pitch. Does it have a part number?

Oops, I feel stupid. You had already posted a photo with the tower.

David-
I think the part # is ACME #913 (but I'm not 100% sure). I know for sure for my boat that it is 3-blade, LH rotation, 1" shaft, 10.5 pitch. I called ACME and they told me exactly which part # to get. Then I called Wakeside and ordered the prop through them in order to get the MBO discount and free shipping. They had it drop shipped from ACME and it was at my house 2-3 days later.

Excellent!! Thanks for the info. A new prop is just one of the things on my list to get for the boat (Perfect Pass, custom ballast system, tower, etc.).