Best open bow boat for skiing

sunvalleylaw

I am a long time skier, and have skied for years behind outboards. Originally a puget sound thing. Then it was just what I had. Looking to upgrade. Has to be somewhat family friendly, and have an open bow. Also has to be used and a decent value. I would prefer not to have a tug boat though. What open bows have good slalom wakes? I might even consider a used outboard mastercraft, just because I am use to the handling of an outboard, and because I am on and off beaches where we ski. The wake should be more for skiing though we will do some wake boarding. No wakesetter boats for me. Also, no I/Os. I have not been a fan of Nautique wakes in the past.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance :-)

Nick Sullivan

Your really opening a can of worms here......Any of the following boats are great. Mastercraft 197, Nautique 200, Malibu TXi or LXi. Can't go wrong with any of them.

Check out the tab at the top of the page for the Promo boats that are for sale. Great deals on a slightly used boat.

buechsr

sv law, please check your private messages.

swc5150

I'm guessing you haven't been behind a Nautique since '89? Like Sully said, they're all great.

sunvalleylaw

I was behind a Nautique in the 90's but I don't recall the year of the boat. But you are correct that I have not been behind more recent Nautiques. My favorite comp boat wake I skied behind was a 90's Malibu euro F1. I liked some Mastercraft wakes. My brother's early 00's Tige' wake is ok.

Sounds like the Malibus are pretty popular here! How old is that LXi/TXi boats line?

east tx skier

Not sure on your price range, but in the value end of the segment, for under $15K, you could get a TSC1 S.N.O.B. or 92--95 Pro Star 205. Both are excellent slalom boats. I'd probably give the edge to the SNOB.

swc5150

Thought so:) With the introduction of the NWZ hull in '90, Nautique never looked back on developing great slalom wakes.

Lieutenant Dan

Of course I am biased since I own one, but the '99 - '04 Malibu Sunsetter LXI is a great overall boat with an excellent slalom wake. The wake may be a touch big, as this is a big boat at 21 feet 8 inches long and 93.5 inches beam, but it is really soft....especially at the longer line lengths. Very family friendly...it can easily hold 8 people for a full day on the lake. With the wedge and a bit of weight in the center ski locker they also can be a decent wakeboarding boat. They can be had for the upper teens to low twenties.

Brian_M

@sunvalleylaw A Mailibu Response LX (different than the LXi) may be an option for you. Only caveat is that it's a step-over open bow, not a walk through. Great wakes.

Be sure to check out the ski-it-again link at the top of this page.

The_MS

CC206

SDNAH2OSKIER

Both the responses I ski behind are open bows, 99 and and a 2006, the 06 being a notably larger boat. But I am with @lieutenantDan that the sunsetter is a good choice and can be found for 15K in good to great condition.

DW

Many people feel the 03-06 LXi Malibu is a great boat, it is a walk through design with a 93" beam. The newer ones are very good, but not a barefooters choice. The LX is also well respected, walk over OB and a 90" beam. All have excellent slalom wakes. I would try before I buy to make sure you are happy because they are all different.

travnews

@sunvalleylaw Drive down to Burley and take a Moomba Outback for a test drive, not a bad boat and it's significantly less in price. I'm sure they would let you ski behind one if you were interested. They also carry malibus and can get any of their used inventory from their boise store (IdahoWaterSports) also.

lathompson

Love the wake on my 2006 SN196, but I usually get more buoys behind a neighbor's '92 Prostar190 (both have PP Stargazer). Loved my '92 SNOB for 14 years, but wake was not as good as either of the above boats.

sunvalleylaw

Ok, modifying my query. I have looked at a couple boats while up at the lake this weekend, and we as a family are actually considering a purchase as a goal. That said, our budget is going to be more in the range of a 90's boat. Realistically, mid 90's. So I am looking at a SNOB, a MC (but I am not sure about a 205, was there a 190 OB model?) or similar era Malibu. Thoughts?

Saw a nice '94 SNOB across from where we ate tonight. Went up and looked, not for sale, but still. (drool).

@travnews, thanks. I will give those guys a call.

MattP

190 MC I don't think was ever an open bow. The 197 is though. 205 is still a good boat, that gives you more room.

SDNAH2OSKIER

Both the responses I ski are ob. We bought a 99 low hours for 12k and put another 1500 in upkeep and it's a very nice boat.

sunvalleylaw

Thanks guys. What do you guys consider to be low hours, or more properly, how many hours would cause you to pass on a boat?

sunvalleylaw

Also, what do you guys think of the 1990 and early 90's Malibu Euro f3's?

balsamcutter

i love the step over boats rather than the walk through. seem to more solid construction, and have better seating throughout

SDNAH2OSKIER

Hours can be very misleading. I have bought TWO responses with low hours for their age, one had 250 and was 15 years old and had a bad trans. (The trans cooler was full of impeller bits, shocker) The one we bought last year, 99, I think has around 300, and we had several smaller issues with it. On the contrary, the 06 was a club boat and had 750 hours and that thing hasnt missed a day yet. So, my thoughts are the higher or normal hour range for the boat, the more likely it saw adequate service, and the more it saw regular use, the more bugs got worked out. I always think I am buying a hull, motors are easy to replace and they are "reasonably" priced. I might pass on a boat with 2000 hours but anywhere from 500-1200 and assuming the boat looks a feels like it has been cared for, I would be comfortable with.

east tx skier

@sunvalleylaw, the early 205s were pretty close in hull design to that era of 190. The later generation of 205 was a bit more of a departure from the 190. In 1999, you could get a Sportstar OB (later redubbed the 195), which was a 95--97 ProStar 190 with a bow cut out.

sunvalleylaw

Here a a couple local ones for sale: http://boise.craigslist.org/boa/3126920635.html

http://boise.craigslist.org/boa/3042462592.html

I personally think I would choose the red one with a lot fewer hours.

I just need to know I would like that wake. I like a smaller, firmer, flatter wake rather than humpier and soft. The wake I liked best back in the day was the old 1991 closed bow Malibu euro f3. The SNOBs intrigue me a bit.

I really wish this very local boat was an open bow. http://twinfalls.craigslist.org/boa/3075555598.html

Edmund

I would recommend a late 90's SNOB. I have a 1998 SNOB and I love it (and the wakes.) They are hard to find, however.

ForrestGump

The 205 has as good a wake at the higher speeds as the Euro F3, from what I remember from way back. It digs a bigger hole in the water at slow speeds.

sunvalleylaw

@ShaneH, could you tell me what you mean about lower speeds for the 205? I don't care if the wakes are bigger if I am pulling a wakeboard, but would rather not have too big a wake at 30 or so.

gregy

I ski behind a 94 MC PS 205 regularly. They have a good wake at 28 to 30. They throw up a descent wakeboard / trick wake as well.

escmanaze

Ha ha!! This is funny. We're both running our posts and looking for almost the same thing. My wife actually might be willing to budge on the walk-thru vs. step-over thing. The clear consensus seems to be that a post 1997 SNOB is great, but have you heard anything good or bad about the 91-97 SNOB? There is a 94 for sale down here in Utah, but I'm just not familiar with the wake to know where it lies in relation to the response/echelon lx and the 205. We also have a couple of centurions for sale down here in Utah, but I can't find any info anywhere on how good those slalom wakes are.

sunvalleylaw

@escmanaze, HaHa! Yeah, that is what I thought. I may end up shopping down in your neck of the woods. Some deals come up in Boise, (I am near Sun Valley), but I bet there are more boats in your market. But I am just in the research stage right now. Have to still get the dough pulled together. Probably a purchase sometime in the next year.

About the SNOB, I guess I was thinking that as long as you 93 and forward, you were good. The hull was good for wakes all through the 90s, according to some above, but in 93, they started using fiberglass stringers instead of wood.

I know a lot love the late 90's SNOBs, but they are still out of my price range, and I am still not sure of the difference. I also still need to understand the difference between the Malibu open bows. I like the idea of a step-over with underneath.

sunvalleylaw

Also, I thought I read that the Centurion wake was pretty good, in one of these threads.