89 Malibu skier wake vs 91 American skier volante open bow

[Guest]

Deciding between two boats the American skier Valante 91 and the Carmen 89 Malibu skier. Like most of us the wake is the most important To me. Does either one have a bump in the middle? I love the wake of the Malibu response TSI 2003 Which one of these would be closer to that? I like the fact that the Volante has an open bow for my little one And the boat looks nicer with color and style but which one has a softer flatter wake without a bump.

$7 or 8 k for American skier volante

5 for other cause they are moving.

[lonnistanton]

Typo

common not Carmen

[LoopSki]

If you like the open bow idea you want a nice wake I would hold out for a 1992+ Mastercraft Prostar 205.

[Nashotah]

Owned an ‘89 Malibu Skier back in the day. Low but somewhat hard wake. Well constructed boat. Was tboned by a Mastercraft at 36 mph. Boat was damaged but repaired. Crazy but true. LOTS OF SPRAY!!

[andjules]

I'll be honest, I haven't skied behind either. But, going from what I remember reading/hearing about:

both are likely to have worse bumps at -22 off than a 2003 TSI

neither is likely to have a particularly soft wake - I don't think either had any of the shaping tricks that would lead to something soft by modern standards. I'm pretty sure the Malibu Skier was the narrower of the two which is likely to result in it being marginally harder. As for flatter, I can't guess/recall.

at 30 years old and wood-floor/wood-stringer construction, I'd lean heavily in the direction of whichever was stored and maintained best/spent the least time in the elements (also likely to have the best upholstery). The cost of fixing any of those things would change the economics significantly. At their peak, American Skiers were probably better built than that era of Malibu, but by 1991, I'm not as sure.

Is the Volante open-bow? $8k is 60% more expensive than $5k, so unless it was much better maintained/cared for, that's quite a premium. On the other hand, at least in my region, open-bow boats always fetch a serious premium — families want 'em.

[swc5150]

The Volante would be way more "family friendly", as that Bu is really tiny. But like @andjules mentioned, look out for soft or rotten wood stringers (both those have wood btw). I also agree with @LoopSki that seeking out a Prostar 205 would give you everything you want. You'll definitely pay more than $8k, but it's the complete package with great resale down the road.

[jjackkrash]

Both wakes will be fine and I'd disagree that wakes are the most important thing when picking an older boat. I would pick the boat in the best condition and I would also get in and drive them both. It will probably be obvious which one you want after you drive them.

[Jody_Seal]

Does it turn flat? Some of those American skiers had a unique ride quality when turning . They rolled a bit.

[RAWSki]

The Volante is a great boat. Impressive wakes for its size and that era. If it's in good shape, ----- there is still some support for American Skiers thru SkiBoatPartsOnline.com. I think the Volante may have been the first OB ski boat with a removable bow lid.

[MDB1056]

@lonnistanton - got any pics?