BrennanKMN

ZO can be installed on any Excalibur engine with varying amounts of work. Could be cheaper in the long run to get a TSC2 boat and do the work to add ZO. There are a few sweet TSC2 boats for a good price on SIA. I also understand the desire for a turnkey boat if that is your style.

@Alberto Soares There are a lot more people out there that like to spend time thinking about the best motor oil, the highest rated filter or what type of gas to use rather than actually putting hours on a boat. I almost find it comical after a certain point.

Purely answering your question: TSC1 Ski Nautique. My personal opinion: Getting another boat to complement your TSC3 seems like a huge waste. I'd add some balls to your course to make a true mini course and get them on bigger skis so you can go slower. Slower speeds gives you more time to go slow over the wake (regardless of its size) and build confidence.

If you cannot travel your hands will always be tied. This is a small niche market. Few places will have an abundance of boats to pick from, causing pricing to rise. I almost drove from MN to CA to buy my last boat, ended up in TX instead. There are a decent number of affordable slalom tugs out there. There is a lot less affordable slalom tugs that can also be a family boat. Supply and demand at its finest.

Any SN or SM API spec 15w40 oil for the older non-cat engines. At 50 hour drain intervals the oil is changed long before its useful life is up be it conventional or synthetic.

Things are only worth what people will pay for them, and anecdotally people are paying the price. I check SIA basically every day and the amount of boat turnover in the 1995-2010 range is incredible. We can sit here and talk about prices all day, but money talks. Vote with your wallet has always been my motto.

I ran Valvoline VR1 racing oil in my GT-40. It has a higher content of ZDDP for the flat tappet cam in that engine.

@swc5150 I am betting it will be a hard sell. That boat is a 100% dedicated 3-event towboat. 95% of buyers are weekend worriers who need a boat that can do more than just tow skiers. The ProStar, TXi and 200 accomplish this goal much better and for a fraction of the cost.

Personally I think there are plenty of decent used tugs out there. Sure, things are more expensive than they were in the 80's, but everything is. You just cannot expect to get the last hull iteration. You can get into ZO boats for under $30k easily now and if speed control isn't a huge issue you can get into boats that are on par with modern hulls for $15k.

I started driving our boat right when we first got one at age 12. I got my boaters license at 13, the youngest allowed in MN. Most of the time I was driving my father and his friends around the bays of Lake Minnetonka. I could drive that boat better than they could. Driving that boat in a busy lake with lots of channels and markers gave me a good understanding (and respect) of how to operate a boat. If I didn't spend my middle school and high school years on that boat I can almost promise you I wouldn't be the skier and lake lover I am today.

If the owner does't know anything and you cannot get decent pictures from the owner I'd walk away. Too many boats out there to deal with that. Find a boat that has speed control and I'd bet you'll find a much more attentive owner. Anecdotal, but I find 3 event boats with speed control are often taken better care of and have owners that share the same passion we do which helps with transparency and honesty.

I think you're over analyzing it a bit personally. 80 PSI is fine and nothing to be worried about under WOT especially given your ECT is low. Analog gauge data is more of warning light with dials. If you actually want to analyze engine data you need a laptop to connect to the engine. I'd grab a copy of the owners manuals and verify what you're seeing there too. https://www.nautique.com/models/owners-manuals http://pcmengines.com/archive

Pop open the diagnostics screen and see if you have a GPS fail. When I was having issues I found that I had a GPS puck that failed. Replaced it and everything went back to normal.

The size of the wake on DD boat is a moot point if your form is good. Slow it down and get the correct body position. Once you have that committed to muscle memory, when you speed up you will only improve more.

I agree with @thager This ain't that complicated. I have bought a number of used items not one time did the owner take off the plate before I left. That is crazy. The trailer is still plated in where ever you bought it from until you plate it in your home state. Just drive it home and start the registration process then. When I buy something the registration of the previous owner is part of what I am buying until I transfer it. The bigger thing is getting insurance. I like to make sure I have coverage on my boat before I drive it home.

Ah. Yes. I didn't see bladders in the buckets in original post. I've never had an issue with just atmospheric venting, but maybe I am gambling... My favorite submersible design is a guy that used large diameter PCV pipe for his course arms and put tubing inside the pipes and inflated that. Had the weight and pressure set just right to have it be neutral buoyancy when in use and heavy enough to sink without air. Probably not something that would fair well on a high traffic lake.

One comment on the bladders/buckets. If you use buckets you will need to create a means to pump/vent the air out and displace it with water to sink the course. Then you will need to displace the water with air to float the course (the hard part). If you use bladders the pressure of being underwater will work in your advantage because they are flexible. The water pressure will force the air out when sinking the course, then all you need to do is re-fill the bladder with air when you want to raise it. Trying to displace water with air underwater is very difficult, so I would chose to eliminate that challenge if you can. Much simpler to use a flexible bladder bag then a rigid air container from a physics perspective. You'd only need one valve for the whole course. Connect all the bladders together, pump air in to raise the course. Vent the bladder air to the atmosphere to sink it. If you want to get really fancy get a Belimo, arduino and a contactor. You can start the compressor and actuate the valve with a remote.

I asked a similar question a few months ago. Answer: Not many skiers. Probably because there are next to zero lakes in the area. https://www.ballofspray.com/forum#/discussion/20339/ashburn-virginia-skiing

Brakes work.

Interesting looking boat. Looks like a decent crossover boat. Unfortunately like most crossover boats, they ski well at 28 and shorter and 32MPH and faster. Just outside the majority of the market for that boat I'd wager.

What are you replacing it with? Good luck with the sale!

While $700 is steep, just remember you are representing all course skiers now. I mean this with all due respect, but don't make something that isn't a huge issue into a big issue. The last thing we all need is giving the DNR a reason to cause us trouble.

Gas and a driver B) Those of us that use public water need to carry enough gear to be legal on the water. By the time I get all the USGC approved stuff under the bow and a few towels and gear I call it good. I've tried weighting the boat a little, but because my crew changes each time I got tired of loading and unloading weights and said screw it. I never saw any real huge improvements anyway. The 196 is a pretty easy going tug.

I tried for years to get a used perfect pass system. Unless you want to cobble one together it'll never happen. You'll be waiting for a long long time if you want to find Z-Box used. Just buy it and start enjoying it. I regret waiting as long as I did.

@Hockdog That's my style. I have done a lot of 1000-1200 mile trips in the last 5-6 years. Did all of them straight through. Leave at 3-4am and just go. Not too bad actually, but I prefer getting it done vs. killing two days.