1988 Mastercraft Prostar 190- Good buy or not?

georgiatiger · Newbie Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

I've been struggling weather to buy a 1988 Mastercraft Prostar 190 for $7K. The hull is in excellent condition, the interior is new, and the engine runs fine. Includes bimini, trailer, cover, ski's... It has 790hrs, though. Any feedback is appreciated.

Bowen · Posted: Oct 18, 2004 10:12 am Post subject:

Check the compression!!!...Take it to a boat dealer and have them check the compression for you, it is a must before you buy any used boat. After you do that, then start struggling whether or not to buy it.

Brit Rider · Posted: Oct 18, 2004 10:20 am Post subject:

agfan12, I second that.

Get it checked, if it come out fine; go buy Cool

with baots of that age its tough to find anything with low hours, 790 is about right.

georgiatiger · Newbie Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

thanks for the info! I'll get it if the engine checks out. Planning to add monster towers and some weight for an economical wakeboard ride.

acurtis_ttu · Soul Rider Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Posts: 499 City: Houston

I've got a 96, check the profile. It throws a decent wake w/ about 1200 lbs in it. I've had up to 3000 in it, not recomended. the water must be glass to even try it. The cons are that it is small, a tower is a must have, to get the clutter out of the way. They have a good power to weight ratio and are very responsive. A good rider will pull the boat a little when they cut.

Wendy Wilcox · Criminal Joined: 13 Jul 2004 Posts: 91 City: Long Beach

I would do it. I almost got an air naut. w/ 1400 hours for way more than 7k

alanp · Criminal Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 52

heck no. i repeat NO. i had a ps of a similar year(couldve been an 88 just dont remember). the wake was HORRIBILE. i had to put well over 2k to get a decent wake. while that doesnt seem like to much weight in those boats the hull is super shallow so by the time you put that much weight in it the rub rail is inches(literally) out of the water. it felt really dangerous driving that low. i worried all the time about being swamped and the boat sinking. i had an i/o i paid 1500 for and threw a much better wake than that. for 8k you can get a nice i/o or save up another 2k and look around for a newer ps 190(with a deeper hull) or a 2001. actually just shop around for 8k you can get either of those or something comparable. just save yourself the headache of that boat.

georgiatiger · Newbie Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

Thanks for the input. Well, I'll delay on going do the deal while I look for another boat. Seems like a fair price, but I thought this boat maybe best for slolom skiing/tubing. I really want something I can do my wakeboarding with as well. I may up the ante and search out another boat.

zorro · Newbie Joined: 17 Sep 2004 Posts: 31 City: Milano - ITALY

I read many comments about Mastercraft Prostar (years 1988-1994) wake and there seems to be really different opinions that range from "horrible" to "nice".
Can anyone tell me where the truth lies?
Are the personal parameters so different to produce such different evaluations?
How can the wake be horrible and nice for two persons owning the same boat?
It should be a matter of weight but it seems that who said "horrible" put a lot of weight in the boat.
How is the matter?

Sledneck · Outlaw Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 162 City: Shitby

alanp, How do you just not remember what year your boat was.? Are you kidding me.? So when you called your insurance company for insurance you were just like I dunno what year it is but it's blue..

Anyways.. Here's my opinion..

I own an '87 ProStar 190....

If you're looking for a giant be all end all wake sorry to inform you, you won't find it here, nor will you find it on any boat of that vintage in that price range, facts are facts you want the biggest best wake out there.. get your wallet out..

Anyways, I use the boat for an all around boat (wakeboarding, skiing, etc.) and I love it.. Some of my more seasoned riding friends have no trouble pulling inverts off the wake..

check these threads for wake pics, and more details:

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?t=30824&highlight=

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?t=28956&highlight=

alanp · Criminal Joined: 06 Oct 2004 Posts: 52

well sledneck, i never registered the boat nor had insurance on it. i purchased the boat 3 years ago, kept it for about 2-3 months due to the crappy wake and got rid of that thing as quickly as possible. sorry next time ill write down the vin #, and other vitals to accomodate your needs.

i call the wake horrible due to its lack of size. it was solid however. but to even get it rideable i had to put and unsafe amount of weight in it. for some people maybe that wake is perfect for their needs. however i had a fourwinns i/o that threw a much better wake at a fraction of the cost. and if i were getting into wakeboarding that would be the route id go and recommend to someone who may not wanna dump an arm and a leg into get a starter direct drive which is 1) gonna limit the number of riders a person can take(assuming most starter direct drives are closed bow) 2) gonna throw a crappy wake.

its just my opinion. if you wanna haul tubers, ski, barefoot, or maybe to a little wakeboarding then go with something like that. however since the gentleman is on a wakeboarding website i assume wakeboarding is his priority not the formers.
no im not anti mc i own a 95 ps.

torquetowers · Criminal Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 95 City: pasadena

I recently built a towers for one of these boats and really got to ride behind the boat for a few hours. We put a fat seat in the rear with about 3/4 way full and 600lbs under the front, with this kind of weight the wake was what I consider small, not crappy. I could do rolls and tauntrums off it, but it realy took work. The problem really is in the width, it is slalom ski boat very narrow = very hard to sink. So fro the average rec. user it is great, a little cramed but for the money not bad. Your best bet is putting weight in any boat you are going to buy, just see if it is what you are looking for before you spend that doe. Ther are some great deals out there on 2001 naut. just got to find them, and they got a little more room and take weight a little better. Just my opinion.

Erik · Posted: Oct 20, 2004 9:15 pm Post subject:

I think the Prostar 190 makes an excellent slalom boat, but it is no wake boat, even weighted.

The MC Prostar 190 that I used to Ski behind was one year newer than my Ski Nautique 2001, which ironically was originally purchased by my family for skiing, threw 1/2 the wake of our Ski Nautique and for a little while it bummed me out! But not after I got into wakeboarding. Once the wakeboarding bug hit me bad, nothing but my Ski Nautique or my buddys twin boat would do. When we rode behind the old 190 or even early Malibu Skier, the wakes were disappointingly small and we pined for the next time we drove by my house to pick up my 2001.

Now, a 205 on the other hand is quite different. It is excellent. One of the best actually.

If you are looking to save money, go for an 80's era Ski Nautique or perhaps an older large Supra.

A Prostar 190, will not make a very good wakeboarding boat, considering the interior space and tendency to swamp when weighted, as others have mentioned.

Hollywood · Posted: Oct 21, 2004 7:31 am Post subject: Re: MC 190

torquetowers · Criminal Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 95 City: pasadena

Sorry, let me reiterate. Narrow = easy to sink, but sinking a narrow object the water that is displaced by the boat will be smaller. The smaller amount of water displaced = smaller wake. If you look at the difference in the 205 and the 190 beam, they are noticably different. The boats that have the wider beams and that displace more water will ALWAYS have the bigger wake. Physics. And yes I know nothing about water sking!!!!!!!, But have riden behind and weighted down many different boats for wakeboarding.

Sledneck · Outlaw Joined: 10 Jul 2003 Posts: 162 City: Shitby

alanp, HIN, and yes that's probably a good thing to keep in your records..

I was never contesting that the PS 190 has an ideal wake for wakeboarding.. On the flip side of that coin it does however make an ideal skiing wake(aka zero wake)...

If you bought a PS190 to be a pure wakeboarding boat.. I'm sorry to hear you were so, so misled.. Embarassed

I too went from a four winns horizon 180 to my prostar, and I prefer the wake behind the prostar.. Sure the winns was wider, a ton wider, but I don't think the wake was better or bigger and it couldn't hold speed to save your life..

I too will echo everyone's statements:
If you are looking for a pure wakeboarding boat.. LOOK ELSEWHERE.!

Now with that being said, I often wonder why people need a massive wake when they can't even TS w2w.. Colorful

Hollywood · Posted: Oct 21, 2004 8:57 pm Post subject: Re: sinking

acurtis_ttu · Soul Rider Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Posts: 499 City: Houston

another 500 in the nose will help a ton with that boat.

torquetowers · Criminal Joined: 03 May 2004 Posts: 95 City: pasadena

BLA - BLA - BLA

georgiatiger · Newbie Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 11

Well thanks for all the feedback. I went ahead and got this boat after thoroughly checking it out. So far I'm very pleased. It was in awesome condition for the year and runs great so far. Time will tell if my investment was a good one.

The wake is perfect for skiing, and will do for my current standards for wakeboarding. I'll soon install my monster tower and add a little weight to experiment with better wakes. Fortunately, if I need a bigger wake for tricks, I have a buddy with a boat that throws a huge wake.