95-96 Maristar Comparison (condition vs. engine option)

[jnellie2020]

I am new to this site but I am in the works of buying a 95 or 96 Maristar 200 vrs from a marina I used to work at. I am looking for some opinions, mainly if the upgrade to the Corvette engine is worth dealing with slighty less of good of condition. I am sorry the pics aren't too great since they are still in storage.

The Black and Teal boat (1996 hull) has the upgraded LT1 Corvette engine option, 327 hours. It has the wood dash. The boat isn't in as good of condition as the Purple one, little bit of dock rash... but it's not in poor condition. It looks like it wasnt always dried out real well, maybe some mildew build up (looks like might come out) and the cup holders are a bit brittle, and the board under the dash is warped a bit. It does have 2 small tears in the back deck. I do like the black and teal colors though.

The Purple boat (1995 hull) has the 275 hp EFI, 357 hours. It has the dark gray dash. This boat is in really good condition. I am just not as big of a fan of the color (dusty in the pic since the cover was taken off earlier for pics), and not sure if the less power is going to be a factor weighted down.

Either boat will be getting an aftermarket sound system, Fly-High Pole and Fat-Sacs, new cover

I guess my big question is... Is the purple boat that is in a bit better condition a better choice than the upgrade in engine with the black and teal boat? Or is the Corvette the engine to have with these boats if putting a lot of weight in them? In a few years I might want to upgrade so resale is also a factor...

I do like the black and teal color better... I don't think hours are much of concern since they are both low. I am going to be using the boat for wakeboarding and surfing (putting a good amount of fat-sac weight in it), tend to have a fair amount of people in it (6 or 8), do a little tubing and wakeboard, cruze on the lake...

Also, what is a fair price for both of these boats in the Midwest (WI)? Nada prices seem low on all different boats I have looked at.

Thank you in advance!

[mikeg205]

I would go better mechanical any day of the week over cosmetic...there's always vinyl ...

[supreme112279]

it looks ok to me but get it for a good price

[88 PS190]

I don't find the base engine too limiting in these boats - they don't have the freeboard to really ballast hard.

The $ is important, if they're the right price get both, clean both up and sell one.

[Traxx822]

I own a 95 just like the one you have here. 275hp. I have a big prop on it. I've put over 2500#'s in mine. I have no problem with power. Although the LT1 would be cool. I have heard of issues with it but no experience.

Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Tapatalk 2

[jnellie2020]

Thanks for the information.

I am taking out a loan so I will only be buying one. Neither has been advertised so I am basically going to get to pick what one I want before they go on the public market. Sorry for my lack of knowledge but what do you mean 'freeboard to really ballast hard'?

Traxx822,
How is yours for surfing? I am assuming that is what you do with all that weight in it. How much should I expect to spend if I go to a big prop?

Has anyone else heard issues with the LT1? I thought I saw some other people with concerns on other threads but never saw any details.

[u bet shes wet]

I had a 96 200 with the LT-1. Never had a problem with the motor or anything else to speak of. They are both great boats. After having the LT-1 I wouldn't go with less horsepower especially if you are going to be loading the boat like you said. Sold it last year for 16K with 550 hrs on it.

[Traxx822]

Thanks for the information.

I am taking out a loan so I will only be buying one. Neither has been advertised so I am basically going to get to pick what one I want before they go on the public market. Sorry for my lack of knowledge but what do you mean 'freeboard to really ballast hard'?

Traxx822,
How is yours for surfing? I am assuming that is what you do with all that weight in it. How much should I expect to spend if I go to a big prop?

Has anyone else heard issues with the LT1? I thought I saw some other people with concerns on other threads but never saw any details.

Mine is great for surfing. In fact I have guys with X25's telling me my wave looks like theres. I have tried to surf behind a 205v and that is a joke. The intigrated swim platform helps a ton with surfing on this model maristar. Since it doesn't stick so far out like the teak platforms it doesn't cut off the top of the wave. I surf with about 600 pounds in one side, in only one locker. It does about the same as slamming the boat with thousands of pounds that doesn't seem to make that much of a difference. The wakeboard wake is big but a little rampy (thats where more bow weight comes in handy) I run 1080 pounds in the rear and about 400 up front for boarding.

My prop is the 14x15.5 (correct me if i'm wrong here guys I'm going off the top of my head here) big surf prop for ballast. I have 0 issues launching with that prop and that amount of weight.

Ski's pretty well too.

[Ski-me]

Thanks for the information.

I am taking out a loan so I will only be buying one. Neither has been advertised so I am basically going to get to pick what one I want before they go on the public market. Sorry for my lack of knowledge but what do you mean 'freeboard to really ballast hard'?

Traxx822,
How is yours for surfing? I am assuming that is what you do with all that weight in it. How much should I expect to spend if I go to a big prop?

Has anyone else heard issues with the LT1? I thought I saw some other people with concerns on other threads but never saw any details.

The issue with the LT1 is the aluminum heads and overheating. If the engine somehow was overheated, it is possible to get some hairline cracks in the heads. If it's been taken care of, there isn't really too much to worry about. But if you do buy it, just watch the temp gauge and be aware that it's tempermental in the heat area.

With that said, I love my LT1 (94) and it's been a fantastic engine for me!

I like the black and teal combo personally. Looks a little more timeless and hopefully will clean up.

[wheelerd]

Thanks for the information.

Sorry for my lack of knowledge but what do you mean 'freeboard to really ballast hard'?

I don't think anyone answered your question . . .
In simple terms, freeboard is the distance between the waterline and the deck. On older boats this distance was less than on newer wakeboats since there was no expectation that they would be running 1000+ lbs of ballast. Greater freeboard allows for more ballast weighting with less risk of taking on water over the gunnels or the bow.

On the 205 hull, for example, MasterCraft increased the freeboard in 1996. This is one change that allowed the hull to evolve into the original X-Star and X-2.

[jnellie2020]

Thanks for all the good information from everyone. If the Black boat with the LT1 was in as good of shape as the Purple boat, I would buy the black one for sure. I will see when they will be out of storage and maybe look at them side to side. I will make sure to really look at the engine and mechanical parts. Anything specific (besides the aluminum heads) I need to look for in either boat?

Sounds like either boat will do what I am looking to do though.

[mzimme]

Make sure you look at both boats when they're clean, and in the sun. A clean boat makes a WORLD of difference over a dusty dirty boat. If it were me, I'd go for the big motor with expectations that I might be using a little elbow grease to make it look pretty. I wouldn't want a purple boat, no matter how nice of condition it was in. Will the guy selling these boats pay for a compression check/mechanical inspection or at least credit that cost towards the purchase price? If not, it would be worth the money to have a mechanic come tell you everything is in order with the drivetrain. Also, lake test them both, there might be vibrations or something on one that aren't present on the other. That will give you an indication on condition of prop shaft, strut, etc.

Don't take out a loan on a boat that you are not 100% sure it runs perfectly. Cosmetic stuff, while it won't look pretty, will still allow you to use the boat and get it into great condition over time. A boat that doesn't run or has tranny/vdrive issues will just sit around while you pay for the boat as well as mechanical costs.

[wakeX2wake]

i say go with the one that takes a little elbow grease and is what you want mechanically. Cosmetic issues you can live with longer and when you do get them fixed ita like you've got a brand new toy.

[jnellie2020]

Well I decided to go with the Black and Teal boat with the Corvette engine. It was being detailed last week and was really turning out nice. They also installed a new Fusion 600 deck and speakers. Once I get it home I will have some better pics but here is what I have so far. Thanks for everyone's responses!

[Traxx822]

Sweet ride. Hit me up if you have any questions. I own the same model.