Thoughts on purchasing a former club boat?

[MNhackskier]

If anyone has any thoughts on the benefits/risks of purchasing a boat that was used as the club tug for the last 3 years, I’d appreciate some input. I don’t belong to a club and I’m fairly new to the world of direct drive so I don’t know how these boats are treated at a club.

[ironhorse]

Club boats are typically well maintained, but they do not get the same personal care as a private boat. If you're happy with the condition of the gel and the interior and you know its been serviced, I would have no issue purchasing one.

[Jody_Seal]

Club boat or ski school boat?

 

[MNhackskier]

It’s a club boat. I was told it was not used for the ski school, strictly ran through the course.

[MNshortliner]

You need to get a hold of @bananaron. He lives close to you and I think he knows about every boat that is up for sale.

[oldjeep]

The main downside is going to be the hard life that the engine has had. Constantly being started up, full acceleration, shutdown and then repeat. There is a huge difference between a family boat that was also used for skiing and one that has not been used for anything but full blast passes. An interesting thing to do is to get a Diacom hour report, which will show you not just the hours but the hours spent in each RPM range.

[DW]

Numerous threads exist on reviewing or testing a DD ski boat and what to look for. Most is pretty self explanatory and basic common sense to get a feel for how the boat was used and maintained. Consider the powertrain aspect as doing the basic steps - compression & leak down test would provide mechanical health, diacom will provide the running history as noted. Maintenance records are important for a group used boat to confirm how it was maintained.

Private owner = personal boat and only one person to discuss to get a feel for how boat was used & maintained. Club boat = a tool for a group of people and you won't be able to interact with all the users. Good luck, happy hunting and welcome to the world of DD ski boats:-)

[NameUnavailable]

I bought one because I knew the oil was changed regularly. boat was a little rough and high hours. Knowing the engine was good I repaired the other stuff and sold it for what I paid for it two years later.

Get a good price to off set issues is my advice.

[Horton]

@oldjeep Tournament skiers do exactly what you are saying clubs do. My boat warms up and then idles, hammers, idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers,idles, hammers. That is what it is designed to do.

[oldjeep]

@Horton - but it makes the engines wear out faster than other uses of the boat. There is nothing special about the engine in a tournament boat, its just a V8 car engine that is used in every other type of inboard and I/O boat imaginable. There are plenty of tournament boats around here that are used both as family cruisers and ski boats.

[Kelvin]

The last 3 boats I’ve bought have all been ski school boats and I have used them like the tournament boat is intended to be used since I’ve had them. I would have no qualms about buying another ski school boat or a club boat.

[The_MS]

We had a club boat and it was always taken great care of.

 

[Interjon]

I purchased a Nautique club boat earlier this year. For those interested, 540 total hours. 341 hours at 700RPM or lower. 38 hours over 1800RPM. 79 hours over 2500RPM. 74 hours over 3500RPM. 5 hours over 4500RPM.

 

Had the boat inspected for warranty transfer. No issues, including with a compression test.

[swc5150]

Clubs generally take good care of their boats, since they rely on resale to get replace them. Look it over, and if it's clean and performing well, buy it before someone else does. Lol, it probably already sold while we're here talking about;)

[DangerBoy]

FWIW, I have a ski fanatic friend who bought a 3 or 4 year old Prostar from the local waterski club. He's only had it for a year but so far he has no complaints, has had no problems and is very happy with the purchase.

[Lars]

Which club boat are you looking at? If its a blue and white centurion, I know that boat a little bit. I will say the few times I used my club's boat the member had to check and log the oil level and hours in a google spreadsheet so everyone was aware right when it needed an oil change.

[bananaron]

@MNhackskier Sent you a msg call me.........

[jpwhit]

I would happily buy my club's boat if it fit a personal need. Our club knows that we all depend on the reliability of the club boat and we're highly motivated to maintain it meticulously. It gets it oil changes right on the 50 hr mark w/o exception and any other small issues are taken care of quickly so they don't turn into bigger issues.

 

For example, it started to show some issues with the original 40a transmission 2 seasons ago. Within 5 days, it had a brand new upgraded 80a trans installed w/ new damper plate and larger upgraded trans cooler.

[Jody_Seal]

When purchasing a used ski boat with any background of service a number of items need to be considered. First get a diacom report. If service records are available retain them.

Most importantly find out how the boat was used and particularly where and what water it was used on..

I know of a couple sites where the water composition can deteriorate engine water path components especially if they are aluminum.

 

There are many ski sites that have real tight turn islands and the boat goes around them one direction each pass it is used on. This can wear heavily on steering components causing elongation of rudder port orifices and excessive wear on cables in a short period of time.

 

Other items to consider is the propeller repaired.

 

Condition of trailer, tires, brakes and overall condition as in rust.

 

Past Gelgoat repairs?

 

Underwater hardware tight and intact. Seen many a Nautique loose its fin fasteners and leak water into the boat.

 

 

Overall if one is unsure about what they are looking at during initial inspection get professional assistance in the evaluation.

 

 

And as always keep the price you want to pay for it in one pocket and the balance of what you can negotiate in the other...

 

 

Good luck!