Opinions on the Ski Nautique 200 wake

[Casey Folson]

I am currently looking at purchasing a 2011 Ski Nautique 200, but have heard of a 28 off bump in the wake which concerns me. I currently ski behind a Moomba Outback, ProStar 197 and occasionally a SN 196. I've never had the opportunity to ski behind a 200... what are peoples opinions/thoughts on the 200 wake and overall performance?

[Gloersen]

I ski behind an SN 196 and SN 200 exclusively. Hundreds of 28's behind each; personally I do not notice a difference or feel any "bump" behind the 200.

 

If anything, the 200 provides more consistently successful passes at all line lengths likely due to it's better tracking making a mediocre driver relatively good.

 

You will be happy with your choice of a SN 200

[kfennell]

No way there is any problem at -28 behind that boat.

[MISkier]

Regarding 34 mph, I haven't seen any bump at 28 off or 22 off. I don't know about any other speeds. But, I don't think you can go wrong with a 200.

 

With any boat purchase, you need to ski it and drive it (if at all possible) before you hand over the cash.

[6balls]

The first time I drew the CC200 at a tourney I remember thinking it was the best wake I had ever skied -28 to -38. I hear it's great both longer and shorter than that range as well. Tracks like a train, too.

[alex38]

SN's tend to be nice at slower slalom speeds as well (for the up and comers)

Imo

[thager]

I skied behind an exception this spring. Hardest jolting wake I can remember in many years. Driver claimed the trick wake wasn't engaged. I don't know if it was weighted or what but I was really surprised. All other 200's I have skied were BUTTER. Try before you buy!

[SkiJay]

@Casey Folson‌ I own a 196 and a 200 and the club boats were 197s until this year. If you are okay with the wakes behind the 196 and 197, you'll LOVE the 200.

[ozski]

Sorry but I ski behind a 200 3 times a week and there is certainly a bump at -28. I don't notice it until I watch the video back or watch another skier. Much better at -32 -35 IMO.

[jayski]

There's a bump @28 and between 200's there can be a noticeable difference between the size of it ...skied behind 7 different ones from January on, twice two different ones on the same day and could tell there was a difference easily...you get used to whatever you ski behind though...I dislike 28 behind it but from then on its good and live able but I like others better

[ozski]

I would be interested to know how the new Mastercraft compares @ -28

[I5boi]

Welcome @Casey Folson‌ where are you? Hopefully you are not looking at the 200 I am going to see tomorrow... So by the quick several responses, 1 in 7 200's is the one you want. I'm still patiently awaiting the formal CP review from @Horton‌. Hopefully it happens soon!!

[jayski]

@ozski new MC is better, skied both in a tournament and the MC was noticeably better, reminded me somewhat of the '03 196 I had that had a non existent wake and super soft pull

[GOODESkier]

I have noticed, if I am skiing well and stacked, every boat and wake feels good. Leave that range of good skiing, and every boat has a bump.......

[DanE]

@Casey Folson Like @thager said, Ski before you buy.

I have skied behind a 200 when coming from a 196 the 200 28 off wake was downright annoying.

However after just a couple of tournament sets I got usef to it.

[EricKelley]

The 200 is excellent as far as wake. It is fantastic for the kids skiing at slower speeds. It is also fantastic at 38 and shorter. At the ultra short line lengths the trough behind the boat is minimal. The trough is much more disruptive than wakes. My Neurosurgeon can vouch for this. The issue for several of the 200's with more of a tail at 28 is the hydrogate. I have fixed two of these. The gate is mounted too high and when deployed does not go down far enough. For those who know or have one, look at the gate and compare it to a good one. It is likely that it doesn't go down as far. A little depth means a lot(just like our fins.) The notch can be modified instead of redrilling holes.

[walleye]

@casey I would not be concerned with any of the wakes of the big 3, all have eleminated concerning wakes. These boats are friendly to kids and slower speed skiers.

 

My concerns & questions with 200's are gas consumption, RPM and trailers to fit the boat.

 

1. To flatten the wake on a big boat takes alot of channeling water which requires larger motors = to much gas consumption.

2. To push these boats RPM's are to hi. It will be interesting how many of these motors make it to 1500 hours

3. I see Ramlin trailers under these 200's, this MFG. trailer does not fit a 200. My small world where lake levels change, pitch of ramp change makes it difficult to load. Distribution of weight has the bow riding on the front roller. There is an adjustment on this roller but how does a guy not void any warranty if he starts tweaking. Anyone else done any adjusting on this roller, if so please comment what you have done.

 

We have been kicking around buying a zo boat. I truly love my 98 bubble butt GT-40 but I want zo. Repower is not an option for me. IMO the bubble butt red with silver, bar none is the most classy boat ever put on the water. The power whine and look when I see that boat make a turn into the slalom course is a thing of beauty, makes chills up my spine. No boat to date has that classy look. Please Nautique bring it back with zo and I will buy one. Otherwise 1500 hours and counting I will drive it till it drops.

 

 

 

[Than_Bogan]

I believe I've skied behind three 200s and they have all been fantastic from -28 to -38.

 

I'm actually quite surprised to hear people noticing a bump. When I first skied the 200, I was amazed that wakes could still get better after the TSC2 hulls.

 

Sounds like maybe a handful of them were not made quite right? Eric Kelley's post above seems very important.

[9400]

I skied behind one that surprised me a little at -28. All the other 200s felt like a duck wake.

[SkiJay]

My experience with different 200s making different 28 off bumps is that the 6Lmakes a bigger firmer hump than the 5.7L.

[The_MS]

I agree with @jayski, the wakes at -28 on the 200s tend to be different. I wouldn't say that they are big but some tend to be hard on the ankles. I have skied a few where you don't even notice a bump and it feels like going through bubbles.

[walleye]

@MS still waiting for you to grace our lake. We are warm no bump at -28 and PP soft as a babies bottom pull. Lake use looks light for this 3 day weekend. I will cook and supply the beer provided you bring the Mrs, Sunperch and her can watch us ski and be rope B's hee hee.

[LeonL]

Not all 200's are the same. That's a shame as it indicates a quality control problem. As @Eric Kelley said, some, maybe lots of them, have the hydrogate mounted too high. Again a quality control problem. Some brands that will go unmentioned, in the past obviously had inconsistent molds. Some good hulls, some not so good. Hopefully that is not the case with CC. If you have a bad rooster tail, do do as @Eric Kelley recommended.

[swc5150]

We must be running a good one, as the -28 wake is non-existent. As far as fuel economy, swap for the latest prop and you'll see an improvement (I forget the model # off the top of my head, but someone here will know). Test out the boat, and I'd venture to say you'll be driving home with it.

[Wolfeie]

I own a 2011 200 5.7 open bow which was a former promo boat. There is NO bump at -28.

Everyone at our lake that has skied behind it has said nothing but great comments about the

wakes.

[sunperch]

@walleye‌ I will volunteer to be the rope handler for you as you like to fall on your openers. That would be an easier job than being your beer opener. Having to pick u up mid course does get a bit tedious, but I like that you can do any bouy adjustments as needed before it is my turn to ski. I like the contestants to be 10 cm out of the water.

[GOODESkier]

@OB same as I was saying above...... like skiing behind an MB..... makes you stay on edge or it is over.

[ForrestGump]

What Eric Kelley said. It's also possible that the hydrogate is binding a touch crooked in the slot. I've seen that before.

[Texas6]

I ski'd a set behind a 95 Malibu Sunsetter today - enormous ramp at 22, large hard wide bump at 28, hard but flat at 32 & 35, had a great set yet completely incomprable to the wake of the 200. The 200 is an awesome boat by any measure, the wakes are stellar, but your splitting hairs when you talk about a bump in its wake at any length behind that boat

[The_MS]

@walleye I would love to come down and warm up but its tough to get away from job during prime boat buying season.

[h2oski]

We had a issue on a 200 once. The screws holding the hydrogate to the hull were loose, causing it to tilt back slightly. The resulting wake was similar to running in trick mode.

[GAJ0004]

I have got into 35 off behind a SN200. There is no wake, no bump at all. When I do cross behind the boat I feel a slight air pocket. There is no bump behind a 200 for me.. My 1994 Ski Nautique has a bump, especially if you hit the wake with a flat ski, but even then it is not bad..

[ozski]

How much with Nautique even consider -22 -28 performance as the focus compared to owning a record @ -41 / -43 ? We all know what is going to sell more boats.. The majority of skiers want the bragging rights... The 200 is designed for and aimed at high end skiers.

[6balls]

There does seem to be some variation from hull to hull...I would ski before you buy so in the end no buyers remorse. My guess is promo boats are more dialed by year end figuring the minor adjustments out before you get the boat. Bottom line you want to be happy after spending the $$ so go drive it and ski it prior to purchase.

[Ed_Johnson]

I own a 2011 200 6L and no bump..My ski partners have 2012 200's, one 6L and one 5.7L, no bump there either..Both 6L's seems to track better than the 5.7 and run smoother, no difference in wakes..Also, we put a 422 prop on the 5.7L and it significantly lowered RPM's.

 

However, years a go I skied behind one of the first 200's when they first came out and it had a big bump at 28...I waited for the 2011 for that reason.

[ForrestGump]

There are a few differences in the molds, also. Boats out of certain molds could use 1/4" of hook , 2 inches wide added to the passenger side at the stern.

[GregDavis]

I'm 99% sure, however all Molds should be exactly the same. they are lazar cut. In years past, ( with all boat manufacturers), molds were hand made, thus, inconsistency. My guess is, it's the hydro gate mounting, and adjustment. A very, very, very small difference in the extension of the Hydro gate could make a big difference. ( I am not an employee of Nautique, I only am involved with the Big Dawg. ) But, I'll bet this is the case.

[ForrestGump]

You can see what I'm talking about here. Certain boats tend to need to be weighted all goofy and this fixes them.

[Chuck_Dickey]

Just watching the Jr. Masters and some really good skiers! I see all of them bouncing on the 22 and 28 off line lengths. Not a huge bump but it is definitely there. They are on edge when crossing the wakes.

[kstateskier]

If the bump at 28 is bothering you then you aren't stacked in a good pull position behind the boat. plain and simple.

 

Or the trick gate is on! ha

[The_MS]

They are on a flat ski.

[brettmainer]

As a Nautique promo boat owner who is on my 3rd 200, I will say that the wakes can vary from 200 to 200, with the biggest difference being the hydrogate. Not only can the gate be mounted too high (I haven't had that issue since my 2007 196), but the screws holding it tight can loosen after a few hundred hours and lots of shifting. This is a super easy fix, as it takes longer to find a screwdriver and sit down under the platform than it does to tighten the exposed screws. I last had that issue with my 2011 200 that I had for two years and 400 hours. The wake at 28 was becoming a thumper, but the problem went away after 60 seconds of tightening screws. I have had no issues with my '13 and '14 promo boats. All of the 200s have fantastic wakes at 15' and Long Line and the lack of a trough at deep shortline is what makes the 200 the best slalom boat for my money.

 

The '14 boats with the new props are running much lower rpms (3750 at 36mph) than did the previous boats, which will help engine life. Our club boat is a 2005 196 with over 3500 hours and it still runs, drives and skis great. I have my doubts that another brand boat would have held up as well.

 

[gregy]

My buddy that's a SN salesman told me that a really good tricker had complained that some of the 200's had a bad trick wake that was different from the others. This when the 200's first came out.

 

 

[slalom frog]

I recently skied behind a 200 and then a 2014 Prostar in the same day. While the wake on the 200 is not big, I did not like it at all. I found that the water was too "turbulent" on the 200 and quite a bit "harder" in the prop wash. I suspect that it is because of the RMP's that they are turning the 200 at. Granted, I am not the smoothest skier around and I suspect that I could adjust to 200. However, given the option I would always ski behind a Prostar or a TXi before a 200. Obviously, this is only my personal experience, but for this amateur skier that gets into -38, I am not a fan at this point. As previous people mentioned, the best way is to ski behind it.

[dhskier19]

Casey--based on how you skied last time I pulled you......you should be more worried about actually getting to 28off than the wake! :)

[skinut]

I own a 12 200. Ski regularly behind a 196 and TXI. There is no wake at 28, same with the 196. The TXI doesn't have a big wake at 28 but it was more firm. The first time I skied the TXI I was surprised by its feel but adjusted quickly and now don't notice it. Can't go wrong with any of them.

[eleeski]

When people bash the Nautique wake, I wonder what is really going on. The 200 wake is awesome to slalom behind. Any differences in physical wake between the major manufacturers is trivial compared to other variables - wind, chop, ski selection, fin placement (did I really say that), skill and almost anything that affects your buoy count. A 200 will not hold back your slalom buoy count.

 

It is hard to bash the trick wake after Erika's performances but trick wake preferences are subjective. The 200 trick wake is not my favorite - but all the new boats are similar. My 79 American Skier has the optimum trick wake - but the slalom tradeoffs are massive. Some boat manufacturer needs to give me a modern boat to grind on to fix the trick wake (of course while preserving the slalom wake). I can do it! And that boat will truly have an advantage.

 

Eric

[ozski]

Watch the video of the juniors at the Masters, opening passes.. -22 / -28 Then report back.

[ForrestGump]

What's funny is I heard people talk about the bump at 28 off behind the 200 in our tournament yesterday. I didn't feel it at all. Felt butter smooth to me.

[ntx]

@ShaneH‌ did the people that complained about the 28 off wake run the pass? You see that a lot. Its the boats fault, it has nothing to do with the way I ski. If you want to see a bump, get behind a mid 80's nautique. Those boats qualify as wakeboard boats by today's standards.