SN 200 - 5.7 or 6l?

[rockdog]

I'm wondering if purchasing a second hand 200 and based on slalom skiing only 34 & 36, would most consider the 343 to be suitable? I understand that the 6lt is preferable but is the 343 more than adequate for the job? The only 200's I've skied behind are 6l, but the 343 in my 08 196 is magic no problems whatsoever.

 

I guess I'm asking if a great 200 came along with the 5.7 would you buy it or hold out for the 6lt in the hopes of MAYBE getting a similar good deal?

[DanE]

Compared to your 196 the 200 with a 343 will feel like driving an underpowered pontoon.

Slalom is ok though if your setup is long enough.

[EricKelley]

6 litre 200 one of the best ski boat packages ever. If at all possible go with this.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

The 5.7 in the 200 is "just OK" as long as you are at relatively low altitude, have decent setups and slalom only. The 6l is definitely a better engine.

[DavidN]

I upgraded from a 2010 Response 5.7 to a 2018 200 with a 6.0 early this year.

Even with the 6 Liter engine the 200 feels slow to me. Out of the hole it definitely lacks compared to my lighter Response. Top end is 43 vs 46+ in the Response.

I very much like the 200 but definitely wouldn’t want to have “just” a 5.7 in a 200.

[jercrane]

@DavidN my 2018 200 SN with 6L tops out at just over 46 according to Zero off with 3 adults in the boat. I guess thats with the hydrogate up. Maybe you are seeing 43 with gate down?

[DavidN]

@jercrane Yes, Hydrogate engaged and ACME 668 prop.

Top end was just for reference and is actually none of my concerns (rarely go above 34 anyway) but the lack of hole shot compared with the high RPMs while underway is something I don’t really like about the 200.

[scoke]

"it depends" Are you a tournament skier?

 

Reason I ask is the 200-5.7l with dual pucks is a fantastic slalom machine for everyday skiing at 34 and 36. The 5.7 with single puck, not so much for shortline. The pull will also be different from any tournament boat.

 

When it's swapped out to a Single puck, it completely changed the pull. The 5.7l with port injection couldn't keep up with the responsiveness ZO required. It was hard to create a rhythm and cycle on the boat as the engine didn't have the power then the timing was also off. The 5.3 and 6.2 didn't have the issue as those are modern engines which overcome the power/latency issue. The 5.7 with single puck is a great option but at 35off and beyond, the rhythm just isn't there.

 

Now the 6.0l, even though it's a mutli-port, matches up very nicely with zero off power settings giving a rhythmic pull. It's not even close to the same pull as the 5.7 with single puck. Many, myself include prefer the 6.0 as you can get a very nice consistent swing while working with the boat. Our current 2019-200 with the 6.0 is the best skiing Nautique we've had.

 

 

If you don't ski tournaments but just would like a boat, a 5.7 with dual pucks is a great machine.

If you're a fan of engines and into that stuff, the 6.0 is tried and true.

 

For reference we have owned:

3 200's with 5.7 dual pucks

Converted a 2014 5.7 from dual to single

Own a new "Bryant built" 2019-Single puck 6.0.

We train and do ski tournaments so it's important to us.

 

 

 

Regarding the "top end speed":

Every 200 we owned topped out at 34.2 or 36.0 :p

 

 

 

[jercrane]

Yeah I don't really care about top end myself either. Was just curious. The only time I use WOT is when I decide to take that one last set at the course and end up late for dinner and know my wife is going to be pissed. Even though I can basically watch the fuel gauge drop in real time.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

@rockdog if you have an '08 196 I would keep it unless there is some other compelling reason to get a 200. For a slalom only boat, the 196 is hard to beat.

 

https://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/21902/nautique-vs-nautique/p1

[rockdog]

Hmm I did suspect a big tick for the 6lt. @scoke thanks there’s some great insight you provided. I didn’t consider the 5.3 as there’s not many around for sale but may be worth looking at if I can find one.

Back in January I broke my tibia while training for my first tournament in 15 years on the very same week, so definitely aiming to do more tournaments next season. Sounds like the 5.7 probably should be avoided.

[Wolfeie]

I have a 2011 5.7 with 2 pucks (promo boat), my ski buddy has a 2016 6.0. We drive and ski behind each others boat. We both weigh about 180 lbs and ski 34 mph and get into 35 off. If you had your eyes closed you could not tell the difference in the course, other than the engine noise. The biggest different is that my ski buddy has a son that skis at 36 mph and jumps.

My 5.7 screams at 36 mph, so if I was driving a lot of 36 mph skiers (and jumpers) I would go with the 6.0. 95% of the time my 5.7 is going 34 mph or less and I have been super happy with this boat. I get many comments on how well it drives and skis. I t has plenty of hole shot and have never seen a need for the 6.0.

[Horton]

I have on occasion skied behind 5.7 200s that felt good. There is one at a friends house that feels pretty good. There is also one on my lake that feels really bad. One the other hand I have never found a 6L 200 that I did not like. At 32 off / 34 mph or shorter it makes a big difference.

 

I also did not really care for the 5.3L or the 6.2L in the 200. ( Seems like later versions of the 6.2L in the 200 had a different ZO version I think and were pretty good )

 

Bottom line is I am a MasterCraft guy but have nothing but good things to say about a 6L 200.

[brettmainer]

The 5.7L dual puck 200 is fine so long as you are not at altitude. I owned four of them and one of the current Bell Acqua club boats is a 2010 200 (5.7L dual puck) that has 2400hrs on it and is still going strong. Not a great boat for jump if you are going over 160', but fine for everything else, including 36mph deep shortline. When the boats were new, the 6L was a $5k add. Most of the BA members prefer the 2010 200 to our 2018 ProStar (driving anyways; they are pretty much the same to ski behind).

 

My current 2016 single puck 5.3L 200 is the best boat I have every driven or skied. Other than for resale value, I wouldn't trade it straight across for a new Nautique, Prostar or Malibu. As an aside, I do like driving and skiing the Malibu; it seems they are often left out of the Nautique/ProStar debate despite being every bit their equal.

 

@scoke may be right about the single puck 5.7L option, but I haven't seen or skied behind one to know. I wouldn't think there are too many of them out there, as the 5.7L was getting phased out as the single puck option was being phased in. Other than converted boats, maybe only in 2015 were the 5.7L and single puck paired together, but I could be wrong about that.

[dave2ball]

6liter all the way if available.

[A_B]

@Bruce_Butterfield totally agree with the 196 commment. I really like our 2007 dual puck Exclalibur. I also drive a brand new MasterCraft 6.0 and Nautique 6.0, and while the new technology is bedazzling, I don't see a reason to throw a ton of money in for an upgrade. Especially with my tournament days likely being over. I just hope we can keep picking up satellites with our old dual puck system.

 

The guys that own the other boats ski mid to deep 38 on the new stuff and ski the same behind our old gal.. The one guy has a 16-year old girl who doesn't have any trouble with the wakes and skis 1-3 @38 all day long behind any of them. (It is a shame she may not get a chance to ski in Jr Masters this year).

 

[unksskis]

5.7 is great for slalom, please leave the 6L's for the jumpers.

[Andre]

5.7 RPMs @ 34 mph ? @ 36 ?

[swc5150]

I'd prefer a 6.0, but jump on a good deal on mint 5.7 boat. My brother has one, and it's awesome...just pulls a lot of rpms at 34/36.

[The_MS]

I see older 5.7 200s trying to cash in on the 6l pricing. So if your selling a 5.7 you are happy that the newer boats with the bigger engines are giving you a better price.

[TEL]

I ski behind a 2012 200 with a 5.7 dual puck and a 2018 200 with a 6L Sometimes ski one in the morning and the other later in the day, I ski the same. The 5.7 gets up to speed easily on my short lake. What is odd is the 2018 28 off I hit the roster tail like i do at 22 off. The 2012 at 28 off is smooth at 32 off they both feel the same smooth. So i would say ski behind before you buy. Both boats have under 100 hours so their like new. I love my 2008 196 with 5.7 but realy like the 200's they have less movement when driving skiers through the course they just take a little time to get use to after driving hundreds of hours with my 196

[BlueSki]

If you are worried about RPMs, change the prop. Who cares what prop was used in the 2012 testing?

[bigtex2011]

The 5.7 in my 200 is awesome. I am at low altitude. I dont think you can go wrong with one

[aupatking]

My 196 is a single puck 5.7. I haven’t found anything that skis better. Ever. Now, I don’t yet ski beyond 32 off, but a couple of my ski partners do, and they love it too. I wouldn’t be dropping your 196 for another non-tournament boat as they are both out-of-date for tournaments. I love the look of the 200. It’s my favorite to look at, but to ski, keep your 196 and update to single puck.

[JackQ]

The 6L, is a more modern engine and lighter than 5.7. Everything being equal, and price I would prefer the 6L.

 

Ski's better, not so sure. I ran 39 in tournaments behind both last year, couldn't tell a lick of difference. I upgrading my 196 from two puck, to a one puck system predominately because of a dead puck. Does the single puck ski better? never felt any difference. If you expect a difference, you may "feel" it, but if you just ski...it don't think it does.

[lakeside7455]

I like my 5.7L, however, now have an exhaust manifold leak, and after checking blogs, I guess is quite common on the 5.7L, so I'd get the 6L if available.

[mlange]

I just dropped my new-to-me 6L WITHOUT cats into the water for the first time last week and was surprised at how much pull it had out of the hole. Prior to this boat I've had two RTXIs w/ 6Ls with cats yet my 200 seems noticeably quicker.

 

I'm wondering if there's any real difference between a 200 with (vs. without) cats. Never driven one with cats before. Only a 5.7.

[dbutcher]

I have a 2015 5.7L 200 which is a great boat. It gets to 36 mph with room to spare on a 1900' lake. If you are on a short lake, make sure you have the right propeller. Some 200 owners changed the factory prop (Acme 654 on the 5.7L if memory serves me) to an Acme 422 to get better fuel economy. That's fine except on short lakes. The 422 has a weaker hole shot and takes a little longer to get to speed. I know of a 2010 5.7L 200 that is strong with the Acme 422. It does not have cats. Whether "no cats" is the reason it is strong or whether it is just an unusually strong engine I don't know.

 

I changed my 2015 from dual pucks to single puck Version S and really cannot tell any difference.

 

The 6.0 is definitely better if you are a jumper or pull jumpers.

[Alberto Soares]

6.0 for sure

[jimski]

Long live the 5.7