tlarocque

Nice looking boat. Where are you in WA?

Was having a beer at my favorite lakeside watering hole the other day and this was tied up at the dock. Don't know a lot about these boats but this one was in stunning condition....

Just back from visiting my mom at her lake cabin in central Wisconsin. Got both of my girls up on a single ski for the first time.... both on the same day. They tried dropping a ski but neither could make that work so ended up having success with deep water starts. Very happy.

What dates? I have a new-to-me boat that I need to put in the water. San Vicente Reservoir was nice last week.

Just gorgeous. Where in Michigan? My cousin is moving back there in June. My mom said the ice is all but gone from her lake in WI. Better be warm by the time I get there in June!

Keep boat, no brainer! You can always sell it there if you find you don't need it but having a boat and lots of places to use it would be half the appeal of FL to me.

I like it.

Isn't the Air Nautique a TSC hull? I think its the Pro Air Nautique that has the wakeboard-specific hull. As a crossover, I would think that's a great boat.

$130k? Can't wait to enjoy one of these things in 15-20 years!

@oldjeep - are you on/near Balsam Lake? I have an aunt and uncle that have a beautiful home on that lake. Been a while now but used to ski there often. Lovely place. Hour restrictions aside, I always enjoy skiing on the Chain 'O Lakes near Waupaca, WI where my mom has a place. Clear, spring fed lakes. Mid-week is by far the best during the summer. Looking forward to my week there at the end of June.

I live in San Diego but have a place on Mason Lake which is southwest of Seattle out near the Hood Canal. Mid-week its like a private spring-fed 1000 acre lake. There's no course on the lake but its beautiful.

Can't believe Alonso's championships were both in Renault cars over 10 years ago. Actually, I think McLaren gave him a really good car last year. The Honda motor was a dog but getting better by the end of the season. If the Renault is reliable, could be the most interesting season we have seen in a while.

Where are you located? This looks nice. https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/boa/d/1997-ski-nautique-open-bow/6277377672.html

@bikesrus - I just spoke to the Recreational Office at San Vicente and she said, yes, the course is open.

@jimski, @gcam4 - here is the contact info for my guy in WA in case you need it. Its a little far so probably not really practical but I have purchased and had 2 hydraulic lifts installed from Gabe and he is a heck of a nice guy. Gabe Tacker GATCO 18215 9th Street E, STE 111 Lake Tapps, WA 98391 P: 253.640.5800 F: 253.862.4820 E: BoatLiftGuy@Live.com

@shansen345 - yeah, I think that's the most likely lake option. Camp (at my house) and drive to the reservoir in the morning. I think I was just hoping to get away a bit more. San Vicente is about 30 miles from me. Thanks!

I'm guessing more along the lines of something like this... https://bastaboatlifts.com/basta-boat-lifts-landing/ I have one on my dock and its awesome. Battery is solar charged and lift goes up and down with the touch of a button. I can't help on the east coast but I do have a guy who gets these in (used) near Seattle.

Thanks all for the suggestions. By dry camp, I mean I don't own an RV so need a campsite with bathrooms and showers. But probably not a good weekend to be on public lakes and most of the campsites I looked into are booked up. Maybe I need to look into a membership on a private ski lake. For this Labor Day, I think I'll just be at the beach instead.

@shansen345 Yeah, casually listing it. I love it but I want to ski year round and that probably means salt water for me. Boat is WAY too nice to put in salt. Won't get back up to the lake in WA until next summer. Toying with the idea of going after an older 176 that might fit in my garage. I have the 206 at my dad's place.

@Glock - I would call it adequate but not exceptional mostly due to being a bit underpowered for the job. It was very stable. I wanted to be able to load up my gear (not just for water skiing but down to the beach or up to the mountains) and go for a weekend WITH the option to bring my boat if I wanted AND to be something that could function as a daily driver. Not many options if those are your criteria but I think its a good compromise for all of those things. I bought the 4x4 version. It will also essentially provide an extra bedroom when we are up at our cabin in WA. The van is being upfitted right now with basics... upgraded electrical system, solar, sound/insulation package, LED lighting and 12V outlets galore, ventilation, storage cubbies, 3-panel bed, decent stereo, etc. They have become very trendy in my part of the world. @keithh20skier - yes, I have seen some videos of MB towing an MC.

Usually its my Diesel Touareg but recently picked up this which hauled my boat 1200 miles from WA to CA.

VERY late in the game here but my Sprinter van conversion is going to be done ahead of schedule so toying with the idea of a road trip over Labor Day weekend. I'd love to tow my ski boat somewhere fun to hang for the weekend with my family and maybe do a little boating and skiing. Anybody have any ideas? I don't know much about the lakes up in the central valley.

Todd LaRocque, age 43, Ob/Gyn in San Diego. Grew up in San Diego but got to visit my mom's family's old lake cottage in Wisconsin a few times as a kid. Learned to ski but never did more than a couple days every few years. Every time I did spend time on a lake I couldn't believe that people actually got to live that way. Met my wife and got married in Phoenix, AZ. Got into boating shortly afterwards and loved every chance I had to be on the water. Did more wake boarding than skiing but always had fun. Moved to Seattle area a few years ago to do some work and quickly found a cabin on a nice lake that I still own. After a few bad falls on the wake board decided to focus on skiing. I have never skied a course but feel the skiing is coming along and hoping to try it soon. We now live in San Diego but I was lucky to spend 4 weeks up at our cabin this summer where I got both of my girls (8, 13) skiing and having fun. Think they are hooked. Back in San Diego now and sad that I probably won't be back on the lake in WA until next summer. Now trying to find a way to continue skiing all year. Brought my boat home (2006 Ski Nautique 206) but don't want to put it in salt water. If there are any San Diego Ballers who want to ski/drive, please get in touch and let's figure it out.

Mason Lake (Grapeview, 98546)

Just a recreational skier here but had a wonderful 2 weeks up at our cabin in WA. Got both the girls skiing double and at least trying to slalom which was as much fun as skiing myself. Can't wait for the next trip!