View Full Version : 98 ProStar Question
Hello sports fans,
I am looking at a 98 prostar with the Corvette motor option. I currently own a 86 190, (love it but want to get something newer.... I think).
Regarding the Corvette engine... are they reliable? I'm use to turn the key and ski with my 86... never worrying about getting stranded out there... Or are they like any other hi perf machine that needs a little TLC to get the most out of them... This boat has 370 hours on it...
regarding the hull..... It has those what-cha-ma-call-it -fins on both sides in the rear... and yeah I know, that speaks for it self... but would like to hear the pros and cons from the gallery...
thanks...
scot
AirJunky
01-18-2005, 02:46 PM
If your considering the boat, then you don't want to hear the cons.
Mag_Red
01-18-2005, 02:46 PM
I know nothing about the boat , but if it's an LS1 Corvette motor, it should be trouble free.
bradamerry
01-18-2005, 02:51 PM
Farmer's 98' with the vette motor is awesome. Great boat and you will never use all the power as far as sking. It also rides and drives like a dream. I have an 87' 190, but would buy Farmer's boat in a second (when he gets that 197 he wants).
Professor
01-18-2005, 02:52 PM
Scot,
I think the 'vette engine is reliable. I have not had any trouble with my '98 (w/LT1 option) nor have my friends who have that option. I have 252 hours on it. I had a '94 Pro 190 before and found the '98 wake characteristics to be a little different but fine. The engine provides plenty of horsepower. I also have the "inserts" on the sides - below stern. I am sure that some of the others with more experience with this model can provide...both of us...with some advice on our boats. Good luck on your purchase.
bradamerry
01-18-2005, 02:52 PM
If your considering the boat, then you don't want to hear the cons.
Don't look at this post Farmer :uglyhamme !
Professor
01-18-2005, 03:01 PM
Scot,
Tells us more about what you are looking at...other boat options/trailer,etc.
east tx skier
01-18-2005, 03:02 PM
Scot, a wise man once said, "you've got to test drive these things and ski behind them." If your seller doesn't want to do this, you need to find another seller. Once you've skied behind the boat, if you are satisfied, and if the price is right, you've found your boat.
Mag- MC only offered the LT-1 'Vette engine, not the LS-1.
Scot- if you're willing to do routine checks on your boat (impeller, oil cooler for weeds and clogs, oil topped off and clean, etc), this motor will work fine for you. You absolutely need to make sure the oil cooler is cleared regularly and the impeller is in good condition so it doesn't overheat. The LT-1 has aluminum heads so they don't like excessive heat and are expensive. I really like this motor, though. Very smooth and a lot of fun to drive. Ditto on the test drive/ski behind. If they don't want to do this with you, go somewhere else to buy a boat. You need to like it, not just have someone tell you, "It's great, buy it!"
Professor
01-18-2005, 03:23 PM
Mag- MC only offered the LT-1 'Vette engine, not the LS-1.
Scot- if you're willing to do routine checks on your boat (impeller, oil cooler for weeds and clogs, oil topped off and clean, etc), this motor will work fine for you. You absolutely need to make sure the oil cooler is cleared regularly and the impeller is in good condition so it doesn't overheat. The LT-1 has aluminum heads so they don't like excessive heat and are expensive. I really like this motor, though. Very smooth and a lot of fun to drive. Ditto on the test drive/ski behind. If they don't want to do this with you, go somewhere else to buy a boat. You need to like it, not just have someone tell you, "It's great, buy it!"
So how often is "oil cooler cleared regularly?" Thanks...
Footin
01-18-2005, 03:26 PM
Scot,
I had asked the same questions a few months ago as I was looking at a 98 or 94 PS205 and wanted to know the pros and cons of the LT1.
If you do a search for prostar 205 or even better, search for threads I started and I am sure you will find it.
Good luck and if you find one in good shape at a fair price, buy it quick, as these boats are popular and will not last long.
Evan Jones
01-18-2005, 03:31 PM
I've got the '97 Prostar and love it. The wake is great, with plenty of power, and that's with the std. engine. The LT-1 should be incredible.
Professor- If I'm not wrong, the manual says the oil cooler should be checked every time, before the boat is taken out. Unfortunately, when it's still in the water, the pressure under the hull makes a really nice fountain when the hose is removed. The easy way around this is to have someone go under the boat and hold a plastic bag up to the through-hull fitting to cut off the water while the cooler is checked/cleaned out. If it's on a lift, no prob. I wouldn't recommend adding a valve inline before the cooler because the flow would be reduced.
east tx skier
01-18-2005, 03:32 PM
The 97 and 98 Prostar 190s had different hulls.
Professor
01-18-2005, 03:40 PM
Professor- If I'm not wrong, the manual says the oil cooler should be checked every time, before the boat is taken out. Unfortunately, when it's still in the water, the pressure under the hull makes a really nice fountain when the hose is removed. The easy way around this is to have someone go under the boat and hold a plastic bag up to the through-hull fitting to cut off the water while the cooler is checked/cleaned out. If it's on a lift, no prob. I wouldn't recommend adding a valve inline before the cooler because the flow would be reduced.
Thanks JimN.
Thrall
01-18-2005, 03:43 PM
Scot, I can't comment on the hull (98), never been around one.
I have a '96 190 w/ the LT-1 vette engine and love it. My boat is only approaching 400 hrs and I've had it for 1 year, bought w/280 hrs.
The only problem I've had was a defective ECM, which proved to be a time consuming (to diagnose) and expensive repair. It's a longer story than that, but the ECM had already been replaced by the previous owner (no fault of the Indmar engine, just a dumb owner, crossed the battery cables and fried most of the electronics). The new ECM had very few hrs on it and was defective. When this was happening, I did a fair amt of research and conclude that it was a very isolated case.
Otherwise, it's a good engine. Lots of power, easy on fuel, easy starting (fuel injected).
Farmer Ted
01-18-2005, 06:02 PM
Don't look at this post Farmer :uglyhamme !
Too late, somebody fetch the shampoo/conditioner....
I'll be waiting over in the corner.....
bradamerry
01-18-2005, 06:05 PM
Too late, somebody fetch the shampoo/conditioner....
I'll be waiting over in the corner.....
I will still drive, ride, pull and ski the 98' :woohoo: Farmer!!
Farmer Ted
01-18-2005, 06:14 PM
I will still drive, ride, pull and ski the 98' :woohoo: Farmer!!
That's because you have drove, rode, pulled and skied behind the 98, every single person who brings up the "troubled" hull has zero first hand experience other than he said she said, I know this guy who heard from this one girls cousin that blah blah blah...
whatever, it's not worth getting my knickers in a twist
It would be nice to hear someone in the know from Mastercraft come out from under a rock and address this......
bradamerry
01-18-2005, 06:15 PM
Best looking boat MC ever made!!
Professor
01-18-2005, 06:32 PM
Maybe it is not the boat but the driver :rolleyes:
Farmer Ted
01-18-2005, 06:41 PM
I am getting tried of pulling that thing off the beach ;) , when I try and turn it.
$hit I can see that getting recycled as the gospel, cause you know everything on the internet is "true"
bradamerry
01-18-2005, 06:43 PM
$hit I can see that getting recycled as the gospel, cause you know everything on the internet is "true"
I might edit that post, if you do something with that damn LS WHO thing :mad: !
AirJunky
01-18-2005, 07:06 PM
It would be nice to hear someone in the know from Mastercraft come out from under a rock and address this......
There is no doubt about that.......
The fact that they don't deny anything & that the mold was only used a couple years says a lot.
rodltg2
01-18-2005, 07:19 PM
the wake is definatley not as nice , i know this , as far as driving , no experience..
Farmer Ted
01-19-2005, 07:12 AM
I might edit that post, if you do something with that damn LS WHO thing :mad: !
How's that Wildman!
ELLE ESSE EWE
GEUAX TIGERS! :banana:
.
bradamerry
01-19-2005, 08:38 AM
How's that Wildman!
ELLE ESSE EWE
GEUAX TIGERS! :banana:
.
Is that better Farmer?
georgea0731
01-19-2005, 09:32 AM
We had a 98 until last summer. We had the complete 99 retro kit added, side skirts/wings, but also a different rudder. I heard from MC that the plain 98 had trouble turning and would lock up. LT1 engine worked really well, but on summer, every once in awhile it wouldn't start. Sit 15 mins, and it would fire up, ski awhile then might or might not do it again. May be not do it for 3 weeks, dealer could never figure it out. Overall very pleased with it, awesome power and looks. there was a pretty good bump at 22 off, but we're still learning. Our interior was starting to show some separation between the threads on the passenger seat and back bench.
Good luck!
east tx skier
01-19-2005, 09:56 AM
It would be nice to hear someone in the know from Mastercraft come out from under a rock and address this......
Agreed. I emailed them last Fall about this (for the second time), but have yet to hear a word from them on the subject.
Hey, TTAdmin, surely you can shed some light on the subject.
/Decided a while back to refrain from further hearsay statements for fear of having to shampoo Tim's bits and pieces.
//With that in mind, recalls an old Louisiana expression ... "How do you know who your daddy is? Because your mama told you so."
///Ski behind it. If you like it, buy it. If not, Tim's waiting for some lather.
rmckee47
07-12-2005, 10:57 PM
Getting this thread back to basics, where is the oil cooler?
BTW, the esoterica about the 98 -2000 MC wakes is fun to read. (Esoterica, not to be confused with erotica, means discussions about obscure or little known topics. You know what erotica means, right?) Maybe dopes like me will eventually get all the '98 -'00's at great prices. I love my 2000 and no complaints from anyone I've pulled so far!
My wife named the boat "My Mistress" after noting that presents were coming for it every day. I put the graphics on last weekend and had more stop-bys in a day than we've had in the past 5 years.
parks_jr_55
07-12-2005, 11:29 PM
We have a 99 PS190 with the Corvette engine and have had one problem and that was with the speedos. It wasn't a major problem as some of the water had not been drained.
Oh yeah, thats me....in my white tee.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y163/vw_wr/JTSKI077.jpg
bfrank
07-13-2005, 07:50 AM
This was an email I received back from Indmar about the LT1:
The two thermostats is because that engine has a reverse flow cooling system. The thermostat on the water circulating pump (160) essentially controls the water temp going through the block and the thermostat on the front of the engine behind the triangular cover (140 degree) controls the temp through the exhaust manifolds.
The LT1 was a great engine ... about 340 HP and was really the first modern technology multiport EFI engine in the marine industry. We built it from 1993 to 1998 and only stopped because GM quit building it.
Maintenance-wise, there isn't much to do. It has no distributor cap or rotor to wear out. Really about all you need to do is to put in a fresh set of MR43LTS every couple of years, change the oil every 50 hours, put in a new water pump impeller every couple of years.
The best thing you can do for your engine is to use the heck out of it. We find customers that use their boats a lot have far fewer problems. I spoke with a customer today that has 1500 hours on his LT1 and has never had a major problem. I spoke with another customer with 32 hours on his 3 year old boat and he was complaining that it didn't run smoothly. It probably has 3 year old gas in the tank!
Jorski
07-13-2005, 09:59 AM
I have an '93 LT-1 that now has 1,100 trouble free hours on it. The only problem I have had with it was an overheat problem when I tried to put in a "non-Mastercraft" 160 degree thermostat without the gasket...Since putting in the right one it has been flawless.
The only thing that I seem to have to do maintenance wise, is to clean the intake screen on the fuel pump about once a summer. It is easy to do though.
This engine is an absolute runner..torque throughout the entire RPM curve, great out of the hole and my '93 190 has a 47 MPH top end.
ski36short
07-15-2005, 08:25 AM
We have a 99 PS190 with the Corvette engine
Nice boat, I have one of your boat's twins!
thanks for all of the responses..... I'm all set with a 95 205 I picked up a couple of months back.....
scottatsmsu
07-15-2005, 02:57 PM
I owned a 1998 Prostar 190 stars and stripes edition and got it with a brand new Corvette engine (actually, it had 50 hours on it). The engine was very reliable, and I never had any problems with it. Since this was my first Mastercraft, my wife joked that it was my mid-life crisis boat - I got my Mastercraft and my Corvette all in one.
The boat had tons of power, but really sucked gas! I now have a 2002 Prostar197 with the 310HP TBI engine and actually like it better. It's smoother out of the hole (the corvette engine can rip your arms right off) and I can ski all day for $20.00 in gas. The wings on the bottom of the hull on the 1998 are supposed to reduce spray at shorter line lengths, and it worked fine. They are permanently screwed and glued on, and I never had any problems with them.
BRAZOS 205
07-15-2005, 03:41 PM
What are MR43LTS?
I replaced my 160 stat two weeks ago on the 97 LT1 and it didn't have a gasket on it, it just had a black o-ring. It seamed to be the original stat, because the paint on the bolts had no marks on them, and after I removed them, the paint was scratched up on the bolts. Works great now, no leaks.
BRAZOS 205
07-15-2005, 03:42 PM
Spark Plugs, it took me a second.
juju151
07-18-2005, 11:10 AM
Nice boat, I have one of your boat's twins!
Yep,
Me too...Mine looks identical!
Great boat...I don't know what all the fuss is about on the hulls. Mine drives, turns and pulls great. No problems here..."Knock on wood"! ;)
'98 Prostar 190 5.7Ltr EFI 308HP
wakinvol
07-18-2005, 12:14 PM
Just sold mine last month. Had it for 3 years and never had any trouble at all. I miss it.......
parks_jr_55
07-18-2005, 01:54 PM
Yep,
Me too...Mine looks identical!
Just thought id see what other changes people noticed.
From 98-99:
I noticed that the windsheild trim is sliver instead of black.
The back Prostar 190 is different (can't see because of sunset in my pic)
The interior (changed quite a bit between 98-00. In 98 it looked like the older models in 99 it looked halfway between old/new and then in 00 it was the interior of the new 01)
The 98-00 models was like a transformation into the 01's. It seemed every year they changed them a little bit until they had the 01.
I have a 1996 Prostar 190 with the LT-1 option. I could not be happier. The LT-1 has just over 1000 hours on it with no problems :) . I had to replace a water pump this past weekend but that is one of those parts that will eventually wear out with time. But it's a good motor with power to spare.
If you replaced the water circulating pump, you need to make sure it's the marine LT-1 model. This motor has reverse cooling and the heads get cooled before the block. If the pump came from a car dealer, don't run it until you get the marine pump- they are not the same part. Also, the shaft seal on the marine pump is able to survive fresh water with minerals and other garbage in it, as opposed to clean water and coolant, which acts as a lubricant.