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I've had a lot of time in various friends' Nautiques, and even convinced people to buy them; I've had free and open access to several, but yet never actually owned one. I've had an older Supra direct drive for the past 12 years while I've been squirreling away money and taking good care of the Supra, waiting for the right boat to come around.
Every time my wife asks me, "need anything from the store?" or if she asks what I want for my birthday or something, I invariably say, "hmm, a Super Air Nautique?" just as a joke.... but not really a joke.
Today, I bought (well, I still have to pay and pick it up...) on a nice 2003 SANTE. It's been well cared for, but it's not a garage queen. It's got an unusual gel coat color scheme, in that the cap is the same color as most of the hull; that's great except for the inevitable fading that comes with a colored gel coat facing the sun all the time. Overall, though, the boat is great, and I really like the colors despite the endless fading that I'll be chasing; I've also never seen another one in these colors. I'm sure my family will love it for many years to come.
I also worked at a marina for 8 years, and I've been in and out of thousands of boats in various conditions. There's nothing like a Nautique. I will say MasterCrafts are well made, I just don't like the style as much; they are good boats, though. However, if I could go out and buy literally any boat for my family, it would be a 2003 SANTE. So that's what we did. I wanted a vdrive Nautique with a tower, bimini, heater, and a good stereo; ballast was a bonus but also on the list I guess. This boat checked every single box.
I've read countless threads on this forum in the past just out of general interest, and I can't wait to learn more and contribute something of my own.
This boat needs a little cleaning and a little buffing, but that's about it. Mechanically, it's all sorted. Can't wait to pick it up this weekend and take the family out.
Every time my wife asks me, "need anything from the store?" or if she asks what I want for my birthday or something, I invariably say, "hmm, a Super Air Nautique?" just as a joke.... but not really a joke.
Today, I bought (well, I still have to pay and pick it up...) on a nice 2003 SANTE. It's been well cared for, but it's not a garage queen. It's got an unusual gel coat color scheme, in that the cap is the same color as most of the hull; that's great except for the inevitable fading that comes with a colored gel coat facing the sun all the time. Overall, though, the boat is great, and I really like the colors despite the endless fading that I'll be chasing; I've also never seen another one in these colors. I'm sure my family will love it for many years to come.
I also worked at a marina for 8 years, and I've been in and out of thousands of boats in various conditions. There's nothing like a Nautique. I will say MasterCrafts are well made, I just don't like the style as much; they are good boats, though. However, if I could go out and buy literally any boat for my family, it would be a 2003 SANTE. So that's what we did. I wanted a vdrive Nautique with a tower, bimini, heater, and a good stereo; ballast was a bonus but also on the list I guess. This boat checked every single box.
I've read countless threads on this forum in the past just out of general interest, and I can't wait to learn more and contribute something of my own.
This boat needs a little cleaning and a little buffing, but that's about it. Mechanically, it's all sorted. Can't wait to pick it up this weekend and take the family out.
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