Great Machines: Wake Up!

Robert Farago

06/02/2004

Air Nautique 226
Sitting on the bow of an Air Nautique towboat, watching pro wakeboarder Gregg Necrason perform somersaults in the Florida sky, I wondered aloud what happened to good old-fashioned waterskiing. “Skateboarding,” explains Ryan Lamos, Nautique’s 28-year-old marketing maven. “All the kids today want to do radical maneuvers.” It’s hard to imagine anything more radical than Necrason’s medley of flips, leaps, and twists, but then it’s hard to imagine how a company famous for its “no wake” waterskiing boats started making boats famous for their wake. “Wakeboarding went crazy in the early ’90s,” explains Lamos. “Teenagers in search of a killer wake would load up Daddy’s ski boat with bags of cement, five-gallon buckets of nails, breeze blocks, you name it. Our president saw the trend as an opportunity to build a product specifically designed for the sport.” Under W.N. Meloon’s watchful eye, Correct Craft set out to eliminate the hassle and danger of dead weight on deck. At the same time, its maritime architect designed a new hull that would create the ultimate nautical launchpad for stunt-crazed wakeboarders.

The Air Nautique eliminates the need to load the back of a ski boat with bags of cement or buckets of nails to create a sizable wake.  (Click image to enlarge)

The first iteration introduced two major innovations: an integrated “flight control tower” and a rigid ballast system. The former raised the towrope 75 inches above the deck (for maximum air time), while the latter automatically scooped hundreds of pounds of water into internal holding tanks. The new model, rechristened Air Nautique, became the official towboat of the World Wakeboard Association. Equally important, the tower-mounted wakeboard holders, kicking stereo, sports car–style cockpit, and brash graphics made the subsequent Air Nautique range the hot ride for airborne amateurs.

Lamos credits Nautique’s tower, tanks, and style for keeping the brand at the forefront of the wakeboarding game, but claims it’s “what you don’t see” that separates Correct Craft’s towboats from the competition, and justifies their premium price. “We build our boats out of AME 5000. It’s an epoxy-based resin that’s twice as strong and 30 percent lighter than the polyester-based material our competitors use. We’re also the only company using Novidamp ED, the same sound-damping material developed for Navy subs.” According to Lamos, the high-tech materials increase the boats’ comfort, performance, reliability, and longevity.  (Click image to enlarge)


For an independent view of the Air Nautique’s allure for wakeboarders, I turned to Todd Ristorcelli. The editor of WaterSki magazine had no doubt that the boat I drove, the Air 226 Team, had the right stuff for hard-core wakeboarders. “The 226 creates a wake with smooth, defined lips and great double-ups that have a nice pro booter. The transition works well for wake-to-wake maneuvers, and the landing zone is a comfortable size. Our testers were blown away with how the Air handles full ballast. It’s a ride that makes you truly appreciate the finer things in life.”  (Click image to enlarge)

When pro boarder Necrason rejoined us on deck, his praise was equally effusive. “The wake is a lot less rampy than a lot of other boats. There’s less of a trough up to the wake, so it’s easier to launch; you’re not cutting into a ditch.” If all of this lingo sounds like a foreign language, then your children probably have yet to introduce you to the sport. According to Gary Meloon, Correct Craft vice president, the sooner that happens, the better—for both Air Nautique and your family. “We love to build boats for this sport because the wakeboarding lifestyle is a healthy lifestyle. Where else can you take the whole family for four or five hours of high-quality, one-on-one time? No distractions, no TV or video games. Just good, clean fun.”  (Click image to enlarge)

Correct Craft
800.346.2092
www.correctcraft.com