From the classifieds: Crownline 19 SS

That’s right. But Australia was once a big part of Crownline’s business, and it even once sold a boat here that was available in no other part of the world – the Crownline 19 SS ski boat.

Measuring 5.8 metres long, and with a legally towable beam of 2.33 metres, the Crownline 19 SS was marketed as a cheap ski boat for first-time owners, but with a build quality a step above everything else on the market in the same price range.

Under the boat was a proven 18-degree vee hull, while up top the boat featured an anchor locker in the forepeak (this wasn’t featured in US boats), a forward bow lounge, a dual-console helm featuring a walk-through built into its centre, a sub-floor ski locker, comfy cockpit with walk-through transom, and a large boarding platform built to suit wakeboarding.

Priced from around $55,000 new and ready to hit the water, the Crownline 19 SS came pretty well equipped. That included features such as pop-up cleats, a decent audio system, and carpets.

Crownline was a sterndrive specialist, and you can find boats fitted with MerCruiser V6 petrol engines ranging anywhere from 190hp right up to 260hp for boats where owners ticked all the options boxes.

One of the limitations of the boat is a 102-litre fuel tank. It’s probably a bit small if you plan on spending a full day out on the water, and is probably better suited to a half day.

Crownline built these boats using wooden stringers. If the boat you’re looking at has signs that suggest it has been out in the weather for a fair bit of its life, look for soft spots in the floor that suggest that water has found its way into the stringers, and the wood has rotted.

The Crownline 19 SS is rated to carry up to eight people. While you could probably stuff four children in the bow lounge, it’s probably only comfortable for two adults as the seating follows the classic shape of the bow.

Both the skipper and the observer get comfy seats that swivel around to face aft, and stainless steel grab handles are used throughout the boat.

The rear of the Crownline 19 SS is filled with a lounge that lifts up on one side to reveal a walk-through space to the rear deck with a stainless steel boarding ladder.

Other things to look for include a bimini to provide some summertime shade, any upgrades to the audio system even if the default one was pretty decent, a good maintenance record for the MerCruiser engine, and a good trailer.

That last point is important because ideal ski and wake waters are usually a fair hike away.

The Crownline 19 SS is fairly light for its size, so you’re likely to be able to tow it confidently behind a mid-size SUV.