Older Boats Questions

I am looking at buying an older boat to get my feet wet so to speak and I was wondering if anyone had anything I should really look out for when test driving/looking at a boat that is 10+ years old or older. I have looked a a few Ski Nautiques 2001's, Mastercreft's, Supra's and I am really open to other brands. I guess I am trying to compile a list of things to stay away from. I am mechanical so doing maintenance and fixing most things wouldn't be a problem for me. Any help or ideas are very much appreciated.

Thanks

For any older boat wood rot might be an issue. There is a great article on how to inspect for it on either www.the2001.com or www.planetnautique.com, post on either of those sites and somebody is likely to point you in the right direction. Watch for cracked exhaust manifolds, that indicates that an engine may have been overheated. Gelcoat blisters is another bad one.

Andrew, Take a look at the older Sangers. They are really nice and have a great wake.

Nautiques, Mastercrafts, Malibus, and Sangers in my opinion are the best way to go in older (1990 and down) boats. Mastercraft was the first to use no wood, which is a great thing to have. Open bow tristars are put out a nice wake and have decent room. You can't go wrong with a Nauty 2001 either. They put out an impressive wake. They are small on the inside, though. I have a Malibu skier. It is well made, trouble free and throws good wake (not as big as a 2001 though). I have heard nothing but good things about sangers as well, but I don't have any first hand experience. Be careful when looking at older Supras. Several of people I know owned these back in the 80's and had alot of trouble with them. Stay away from Centurions if you are wanting to wakeboard. They put out a great slalom wake, but you will sink the boat before you get a big boarding wake. The main thing is to find one that has been pampered. Most older boats have wood in them, so you need one thats always been stored inside and kept dry when not in the water. There are some great older boats out there, you just have to be patient and find one.

Older Mastercrafts are great. Mine is a '93...check profile..you can pick one up for a very resonable $$$$. Great for starters. Mine used to be only for skiing but as you see we don't ski much, only about 5% of the time.

ive got a 1995 mastercraft ps 190. pretty good wake. boats in this year range are gonna run you about 10k-15k. if i were you id get a look to see whats out there in your price range then come back to us after youve narrowed it down and we can give you opinions on what you have selected.

sorry i didnt really read the post. stay away from boats with shallow sides(you cant weight them down as much)& wood floors. as drake stated be patient.

Thanks guys, I do apprecitate the help!!!