Too few hours

[vtmecheng]

There's a 2004 Nautique 206 for sale with only 210 hours, or so the hour meter says. This is the third owner so I'm a little suspicious of the low hours. I haven't seen the boat in person yet but the pics make it look absolutely perfect both inside and out. If it does have only 210 hours, do you consider that a huge warning and would pass on the boat?

[6balls]

Nope. I bought a 10 yr old Nautique with 84 hours in mint condition. Was a huge bargain and I ski it today 9 years later. If you don't want that 206 and it's anywhere near me it might just disappear from ads.

[oldjeep]

Lots of people buy boats and never use them. If you are concerned you can have someone pull the hours from the ecm to verify.

[Orlando76]

I have a 2006 Carolina Skiff that I bought new. Still have it. There’s only 300 hours on it now and the hour meter has always worked. How that’s possible is beyond me because I use the crap out of it, do a fair amount of cruising but also spend a large time floating, sand bars, that dirty 4 letter word on here (fish). Amazing how few hours a boat can rack up when it’s not used for straight slalom skiing or trolling. Being a 206 maybe it wasn’t used as a straight tug boat but family float boat.

[Ski_Dad]

my buddy just bought a similar vintage Malibu with 300 hours and it runs like a top. I always suggest a compression test and lake test of anything you purchase

[vtmecheng]

It doesn't appear that the boat was used for skiing, more of a family boat. It's at the absolute top end of my price range so would have to be perfect for me to buy, and it doesn't have PP.

[Rednucleus]

My buddy bought his '03 Sunsetter LXI with about 300hrs - it was used as a family boat vs skiing. It's been a nice find.

[Orlando76]

Knowing how I’ve used my Skiff and given the honest condition I feel the motor is in, then I wouldn’t think much about the few hours over the 15 years. I would have to ask how did 3 owners seem to use the boat at the same rate though. @oldjeep Can you for certain pull hours from the 04 Excal’s ECM? I know you can with ZO, but I know you can’t with the GT40 ECM.

[oldjeep]

04 should be mefi, I know i can pull hours from an 04 malibu with my diacom

[vtmecheng]

The three owners is a bit of a turnoff. Guy keeps avoiding my question on why he is selling too.

[Brewski]

I have a 1993 Sanger, Just over 300 hrs. Still absolutely perfect. Do a compression check.

Our 1981 Cobalt had only 1100 hrs on it. Still perfect. Depends on how it was used and cared for. Sounds like you got nice boat~!

[sixball]

My 07 has 350 hours and runs and look nearly new. I also treat and maintenance the boat very well. I would have twice the hours if we did not ski a CC196 most of the time. We also have one other nice boat we run so two of us just don't put the hours on our boats as we ski. We often ski with just a driver and The 196 just can't be beat for us without weighting our boats for driver only. The 196 is coming up on 2,000 hours.

[dvskier]

Can definitely read hours through the ECM on a 2004 Nautique.

[The_MS]

What engine? Maybe easy ZO upgrade. 206 was great short line boat.

[vtmecheng]

It has a PCM Excalibur. The pic he sent of the engine is really fuzzy but probably enough for this group.

 

[oldjeep]

Three owners in 15 years is a turnoff? Why?

[Robbo5252]

@vtmecheng my Ski Nautique had the same engine & I got the hours pulled from the ECU. Gives you a breakdown of the hours in the rev range which is handy as well.

Mine didn't match what the owner said which just meant I lowered the price before committing.

 

Cheers

 

Robbo

[vtmecheng]

@oldjeep three owners means there's a better chance that at least one of them didn't maintain like they should. Also, it seems strange that three different people would own a 206 and not ski it but the boat is located on a large public lake so it's possible that's where it has stayed. The current owner has only owned it for a few years, he said it was purchased for his daughter and she is going off to college. I'm not sure how I feel about a high school kid driving the boat for the last few years either. I'm sure it seems that I am just trying to talk myself out of this boat but it's more that I'm really skeptical and don't want to ignore warning signs. A compression check would be a necessity for my comfort.

[aupatking]

overthinking. Do your standard pre-buy checks (as said earlier, compression) but 200 hours? Not a whole lot of time to even be able to neglect maintenance.

About 5 years ago I found a 1998 SN 196 with 137 hours. I RAN to go get it.

If you haven’t though, I’d ski the 206 before buying it. I’ve never skied one myself, so the only input I have is from an old, total prima-donna, ski partner who said it was a pretty harsh wake. Like I said, I have no idea, but I’d hate to be expecting a 196 type wake and buy it only to find something different.

[LeonL]

According to what use you plan for the boat. I have friend who owns one and he just doesn't use it for slalom. Always skis the course with another friend's 200. He's a 28, 32 off skier. Says it's not good for slalom, only uses it for family boating.

[vtmecheng]

I am looking at this as a family boat I can slalom a bit. For my weekly course skiing I have access to a private course and a 196 now, and a great group, so this is more for the family, teaching my kids, and my wife to ski and wake skate. I will ski behind it but probably not much course use. I don't expect a 196 wake and want something a little larger for the family.

[thager]

My experience with the SN206 is the wake is like a 196 but just a touch stiffer.

[The_MS]

From 28 in it is same as the 196. Better then the open bows that MC and Malibu had. If it starts and skis it’s a nice boat for right price.

[igkya]

@vtmecheng, I did a similar thing (traded in a 196 for a 206 because of family). As Thager and MS mentioned, the 206 has a great wake and very comparable to the 196.