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2019 Ski Nautique Walkthrough


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The crew at AWS did a very thorough walkthrough of the 2019 Ski Nautique (Correct Craft) waterski boat. It has been a long time since slalom skiing has seen this level of inovation in a boat. If you get a opportunity to ski behind this vessel you should definitely take it! Correct Craft has set the bar once again with this top of the line product.

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Hmm yes one of the most talked about features of the new design was talked about even more and despite the camera guy standing right next to them - just couldn’t bend his knees a little to show us.

If someone who owns one could show us that would be appreciated!

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With all due respect and appreciation to Correct Craft for many, many years of dedication to the Ski boat business, this boat is a tub. It is too wide will not fit in any of the dock slips at our lakes, too heavy, requiring a large expensive engine, and too heavy. It is a further departure from what the Slalom community has been saying they want and seems to be a crossover, compromise with all of the "ski Locker" storage. Because of the shear size and weight, the hull has gimmicky solutions that add unnecessary cost to mitigate the wide wildly bubbly wake. Where does this end? Will we have to widen the boat guides for the next rendition of the boats? This boat needs to go on an athletic diet.

 

My $.02

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I've read a lot of questions about the comparative weights of certain boats, i.e. the new Ski Nautique, the Nautique 200 and so forth in various discussion threads, as well as doubt or skepticism expressed in some instances concerning the accuracy of manufacturers' claims. Isn't this easily resolved if a few helpful owners/group members of these boats trailer them to any truck weigh station and weigh their rig with the boat and then again without the boat on the trailer to determine their actual boat's weight and report the results? For accuracy the amount of gas in the boat should be noted and any difference the truck's fuel level between weighings should be accounted for. It only costs a few bucks but would eliminate a lot of speculation and would be appreciated by many. I've read where modern digital truck scales will read accurately to +/- 5 pounds even for smaller loads. It goes without saying the boat should be emptied of all personal equipment and gear that didn't come with the boat.
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If it doesn't matter then why is there so much concern about it? Seems I've read all kinds of talk of it on various threads, how much the tower adds and whether the tower is advisable because of the added weight alone, certain boats being pigs because of their weight and so forth, comparisons of boat weights one brand/model to the next, whether the new Nautique 200 weighs more than the older Ski Nautique 200 and how they compare to the new Ski Nautique etc. I'm not saying I think that it matters so much, but it seems to generate a fair amount of discussion and even criticism of certain boats. So it appears it matters a lot to some. I was just suggesting an easy and accurate way for those who may care to put the issue of how much a boat actually weighs to rest if the manufacturers' specs are not to be believed.
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If you can make the boat wider and a bit heavier with the same or better wake than the previous boat I suspect that might make the boat less weight sensitive, which is a good thing, IMO. Especially if you get the gas tank centered or slightly forward of center.

 

But I am still curious how much all these boats really weigh.

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@Cnewbert I doubt that weighing a single example of a model would be a good yard stick. It would be interesting to weigh a statistically significantly sample size to determine weight variance between supposedly identical models. Even more interesting would be a front/rear and right/left weight distribution analysis of identical models. I would bet there is much more variance than most people would expect. Even when fluid flow tests are consistently performed and flow rates tweaked on computerized paint robots there is significant film build variation in auto manufacturers paint booths. How much variation do you think there is when fiberglass resin and chop are hand sprayed for the entire thickness of a fiberglass layup by humans?
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@skiinxs, so true, I worked in a glass chop shop / layup shop one summer many moons ago, and I know first hand (at least at that shop) that the hull thickness and consistency of each boat depended mostly on how hung over/still drunk the guy running the chopper gun was that day.
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skiinxs, good point. Thanks. It didn't occur to me that there might be a significant difference in the hull weight of one boat to the next of a certain make and model. That kind of renders manufacturers' specs unreliable from the get-go I would think. I wonder how much this can actually vary? If there is a significant difference between boats of the same model and if added weight of a specific hull shape increases displacement compared to a lighter version, presumably creating a bigger wake, it makes me wonder how one can ever generalize about the wake characteristics of a given boat model as so many do. i.e., if there is concern about the added weight of a tower, or an extra person, or how full the gas tank is, etc. affecting the wake, is there enough variation in weight resulting from the imprecise hand layup process to make it impossible to make subtle comparisons between boats at all, or to really know what you are getting if you buy a boat without personally skiing behind it? Or is the variation in weight really too small to make noticeable effect? And what might be too small? +/- 50# could result on one hull differing from the next by 100#. Would an expert skier notice that difference if an added passenger is perceivable by them? I wonder if the manufacturers even know or monitor this? The more glass and resin, the higher the materials cost, so you'd think they'd pay some attention to it. Anyhow, I'm just curious about all this and I appreciate everyone's insights.
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This is all good dialog and interesting perspectives as to what the boats actually weigh. The question that keeps popping up in my mind at least is: Has the steady progression upward of weight and size improved the performance of the boat and wake?
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My only concern with the width of the new boats is whether or not they will fit in my garage for winter storage. I think the width is 104 inches. My 196 fits OK, but it's a little tight. Not sure the newer boats would. That would ne a huge deal for me.
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@Cnewbert : Not only is there variation in boat mass primarily due to the human process' involved, there will also be performance variations across multiple molds.

 

@Golfguy: increase in weight absolutely not, increase in width has helped flatten the wakes and the improvements in hull design is also a major contributor to the wake improvements over the years creating the lift to offset the mass increase. It does have some to do with water displacement, even in the dynamic state of being in motion so a heavier hull with more displacement can be offset via wetted surface area with a wider wake being the result. Another factor is the center of gravity of that mass and moving it can offer a benefit to the wake, particularly by changing the running pitch angle.

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@Golfguy somebody pretty smart made the comment to me yesterday that boat width is measured at the top of the gunnel. You might be surprised if you compared all four boats at the water line.

 Goode  KD Skis ★ MasterCraft ★ PerfSki ★ Radar ★ Reflex ★ S Lines ★ Stokes

Drop a dime in the can

 

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@tjs1295 ...boats are getting wider yes but I think (boat) trailers legal road max width is limited to 102”.

That’s why you see the newer boats higher on the trailer sitting over the fenders and not cradled nicely between the fenders.

 

Don’t boat manufacturers have meters on the resin and gel guns for consistency?

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@BraceMaker, I recall, some years ago, that MasterCraft specifically mentioned all their boats were hand cut/hand laid cloth and resin and were not chopper gun products. They considered it a distinguishing quality of their boats and specifically touted the consistency of doing it their way. Not sure if they still do it or not, but I would assume they would only have changed if a better method existed.

 

Edited:

 

Perhaps this may help:

 

http://www.mastercraft.com/page/index/factory-tour

 

The worst slalom equipment I own is between my ears.

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I was fortunate enough to go to the factory when they were building my 200. I watched the hull in the mold, where they spread cloth, and were spreading resin with rollers. Never saw the cheap chop crap. Everything I witnessed was first class. Even had their own sewing shop, making there own interiors. Very impressive !!!!

 

 

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Concerning width. My garage (pole barn) doors are considered 9 ft doors. That' s the width of the door. I've never measured the exact opening, but my 196 on a Ramlin trailer has about 4" to spare on each side. I could never get a new Nautique in my doors. Measure your intended storage and boat lift before you buy one of any brand new boat. You may be looking at a lot of work/expense/seeking new arrangements.
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@leonl as another mentioned trailer matters. I have a 196 on a Ramlin. I cannot back it into my garage, whereas I can back my Centurion Falcon in there. Boats are similar width I’ve had each on my boat lift with rigid guideposts they fit about the same. Ramlin trailer is way wider.

I store in a hangar so no biggie...but for those thinking storage restrictions measure width of the trailer!

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On my last tour of the Nautique plant I saw all fiberglass cloth being cut by CNC cutting machines and folded up into a kit for each boat. I am confident the fiberglass content is exactly the same for each boat. On the parts that are made in a closed mold (like the swim platforms) all excess resin is vaccumed out and all should be extremely close. I seem to remember that weight is monitored as they are being sprayed, but not sure of the details there and am certainly not knowledgeable of the current process but confident of continuos process improvement.
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@skiinxs, that makes sense. In the video, it looks like they are using it on the underside of the deck and in some crevices, tight corners, and vertical surfaces. I'm sure they lay the hull itself by hand with cloth and resin. The hull shape is likely more conducive to the hand laid cloth method than some of the other shapes and surfaces on the boat.

The worst slalom equipment I own is between my ears.

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