501Brandon Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 Do anyone know off the top of your head the weight of the MC tower with bimini and mirror when added to the boat? I might start shopping soon and have a tower on my LXI and love the fact I can get things off the floor yet I am curious of how it would ski without the added weight... My next ride will be a PS 197 at some point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GAJ0004 Posted April 25, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 25, 2012 I have slalomed and tricked behind both the PS190 and 197. The 197 had the mini tower. The extra weight made it a slightly better trick boat. The slalom wake was just as flat, but the 197 with the tower had a slightly harder wake. The 190 without the tower had a softer slalom wake, and the trick was was a little softer. The difference between the two is marginal. I am not sure if Master Craft still does the mini tower and full tower for the pro stars. I have never skied behind a Malibu so I can't compare.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooSPX Posted April 25, 2012 Share Posted April 25, 2012 @GAJ0004 do you know the gear ratio's of the two pro star's you compared? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GAJ0004 Posted April 26, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 26, 2012 I am not sure on the gear ratios. I think both of them had gear reduction trannys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooSPX Posted April 26, 2012 Share Posted April 26, 2012 Hmm, I can see the added 100-200 lbs making the wake a little harder... Interesting comparison, thank you! What era PS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GAJ0004 Posted April 26, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 26, 2012 2007-2008. The difference between the two is so marginal. The tower actually makes the trick wakes better, but has almost no effect on the slalom wake. I am used to a 1994 Ski Nautque and I keep everything on the stock settings. I have never messed with the rudder or the prop. I would still get it without the tower since it gets in the way most of the time. It is useful for kneeboarding though. I keep a boat for decades, and I am not sure how good the Ilmor engines are since they are so new and have not been tested over time. Jason, if your boat has the same hull as the 1993, then you will like the new Master Crafts. It has the same soft wake, except they have flattened out the rooster tail. When I practice for tournaments I try not to ski on the same boat two days in a row so I don't get used to skiing on only one boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller_ RichardDoane Posted April 27, 2012 Baller_ Share Posted April 27, 2012 @GAJ0004 - Ilmor builds an impressive engine, every bit as good as PCM or Indmar, IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ForrestGump Posted April 27, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 27, 2012 Mueller told me they're seeing about 25% of the warranty returns with the Ilmor's in comparison to the Indmar's at his dealership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCskiFreak Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 @shaneh the whole ilmor program has been great for MasterCraft. The engineers like them better, the dealers like them better, and most of the owners seem to like them better. @GAJ0004 ilmor has a much better engine program than either PCM or Indmar imo. Due to their racing, and offshore background they have far more engineering resources when compared to the other inboard mfg. The MV8's have been going into a lot of very high end non water sports boats since they were introduced and have had great success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ForrestGump Posted April 27, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 27, 2012 Good point, Matt. Illmor has been engineering and building very high performance engines for 25 years. PCM and Indmar are nothing more than marinizers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GAJ0004 Posted April 27, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 27, 2012 I did not know the Ilmor was involved in boat racing. I like PCM. Mine has been very good. I will have to take a closer look at them. I am probably going to have to replace my boat in a few years. I am closing in on 2000 hours and it may need a major overhaul by then. I have about 1600 hours on mine now. I had compression check run, and the mechanic said the numbers were good for a boat of it's age. I would like to get an SN 200, but that may be more than I can afford, and the nearest dealer is 4 hours away. I would probably end up going with a master craft today if I had to replace my boat. There are two master craft dealers within an hour's drive of where I live and where I ski. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members PT Mike Posted April 28, 2012 Members Share Posted April 28, 2012 @GAJ0004 I always considered myself a Mastercraft guy; still have my 96 PS 190 but have you skied or driven the late model SN196? I made 4 trips to FL. This winter & finally spent some time driving & skiing the 196. It's quite the slalom tug & you can probably get in one under 30K Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GAJ0004 Posted April 28, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 28, 2012 I have slalomed behind the 2002-2009 Ski Nautique 196.. Loved it! I still have not had a chance to trick behind one. It is not the slalom wakes that you have to sell me on. The 3 boats I have tried (carbon pro, PS190/197, and the SN200) all feel very similar. The only two considerations left are the trick wakes, and the boat's reliability and ease of maintenance. Based on my experience and observations of other boat owners on my lake I have found PCM to be more reliable than Indmar. Each of the 4 boats has features I like. If I could design my own boat. I would design a SN200 closed bow with the dash from a 1994-1996 Ski Nautique. I like having the speedometers in my line of sight since I also barefoot and pull barefooters. I also like having the cruise control display in my line of sight. I would like to have the boat as light weight as the Carbon Pro. I like the transom saver on the master craft teak platform. I still like the teak platform. The other considerations I have is to make sure the boat will fit in the garage, and that it will fit on my boat lift. If I were to demo a new boat I would bring my trick ski along. That is the most important test(all of them already pass the slalom test as far as I am concerned). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller 6balls Posted April 28, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 28, 2012 @GAJ0004, depends on how important barefooting is to you. The barefoot wake on the 197 and 196 is not so good, would be tough to get adequate speed from the SN 200. The Malibu Response had a pretty decent barefoot wake and the Sportster was better...have not footed a LXi. All have pretty nice slalom wakes. Can't comment on trick. All depends on what is important to you outside the slalom realm in terms of space/trick/barefoot/handling, near as I can tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCskiFreak Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 @GAJ0004 Ilmor has been involved with the high performance offshore industry for a few years now. The engines are based off of the Viper V-10 block, and they have developed their own drive as well. Several of the customers at the company I'm currently working for are huge fans of the Ilmor package. The version in the picture is their 710hp variant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DooSPX Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 @GAJ0004, Yes the 1991-1994 Prostar 190 is the same hull. I have heard that era PS190/197 has a very similar wake... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Triplett Posted April 30, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 30, 2012 We just got our 2012 PS 197 in at the school this week with the Ilmor. I will say this engine is way more powerful than our 2011 with the MCX. It has power out of the hole and solid in the course. Having experience with the MCX (indmar) and the PCM Excalibur (nautique), I would say overall this is the better motor. The engine seems better engineered as well. To discuss the tower on the PS 197, our 2011 has a tower and I will say it is way better in wind and for handling. The 2012 has the standard bimini and today happened to be windy so it was definitely lifting the boat a little bit, making it a little loose. I would for sure do the tower, adds weight and looks great. Puts the bimini higher which is nice and is was more versatile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GAJ0004 Posted April 30, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 30, 2012 The PS 197 is a good barefoot boat. The problem I have with the industry as a whole is the boats keep getting bigger. I prefer them to stay between 19-20 feet. The dealers near my lake sell Carbon Pros, Malibus and Master Crafts. I only barefoot recreationally, no good enough to compete. My 1994 Ski Nautique is still my favorite boat to trick behind. It has a flat turbulent free table, and hard defined wake crests. The PS197 is pretty good, but the wakes are a little softer than mine. Only 3 changes to the carbon pro. I would like to see a speedometer for driving manually, a snap down carpet, and a full removable back seat. If my boat's engine were to die, I would replace it with a PCM ex343. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
501Brandon Posted April 30, 2012 Author Share Posted April 30, 2012 @Triplett thanks! I have been curious about what some opinions are with everyday use. I am guessing the towers are 150-200 lbs with a bimini only? If it changes the wake in a negative way I wouldnt consider it. I really do like the bimini being up a little more and do know it appears a lot easier to sell a direct drive these days with a tower on it. I know @ShaneH would probably turn around and leave if he were skiing with us since I have a tower and wedge on my LXI... Altough I am baffled at the wedge statement as my wedge is clearly out of the water when the boat is on plane... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller GAJ0004 Posted April 30, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 30, 2012 A Dodge Viper engine in my boat would be so much fun.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ForrestGump Posted April 30, 2012 Baller Share Posted April 30, 2012 One of the Malibu promo guys is the one that clued me into the wedge being the reason for some of the malibu's having a fairly hard wake. He said they take it off and leave just the mount if at all possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TNh2oskier Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Was talking with a tower company yesterday that made the original zero flex mc tower. They said weight of a tower alone is around 40-50lbs. Bimini i'm guessing is 15-20 at most. So your not adding much weight with the aircraft alum towers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller Triplett Posted May 1, 2012 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2012 I am surprised those are only 50lbs, aluminum is an amazing metal. @klondike, it does nothing to the slalom wake, if anything it helps lift the back a little bit to shallow the draft of the boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCskiFreak Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 The current towers are considerably heavier. A zft3 loaded with speakers is nearly 200lb. Mini is about 80 iirc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller ForrestGump Posted May 1, 2012 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2012 I just helped my MC dealer friend r&r a mini tower. It was right at 80lbs bare, not including the plates that sandwich under the gunnel. So figure 110+ lbs with the bimini. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller rodltg2 Posted May 1, 2012 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2012 I had an 05 rlxi loaded with the tower, speakers bimini and wedge. Wake was hard so I removed it all and it was much improved. http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b265/rodltg2/buandtruckcoolijs.jpg http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b265/rodltg2/DSCN0770.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baller rawly Posted May 1, 2012 Baller Share Posted May 1, 2012 I have an X-7 which is basically a 197 with a tower and ballast sack.I don't notice the difference when I go behind a 197.My P.B. seems to be the same behind different boats and cruise controls.Check with Wolfie on this sight.He might be selling a clean X-7 for cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.webp.a30f66e5f4553a0ea06e4fe12520951c.webp)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now