A friend Of mine had a 2000 that he just traded in on a new Lightning. It did not have a tower but I felt it was an OK ride with about 1400 lbs in it. I assume with a tower and 500lbs more weight, it could of been pretty solid. It was hard to get him to let me load it up since he is a rank beginner rider.
He is getting the lighning so he has built in ballast and a tower for a little more a month.
heres a link to the site with his boat for sale if you care to see a pic.
http://www.chessiemarine.com/usedboats.htm