Re: Can a bayboat tow a skier?
You will be able tow either with no trouble at all.
Driving with someone hanging onto a rope off the back takes some getting used to.
Above all, let the spotter do their job and you concentrate on driving the boat safely. There's a great tempation to concentrate on the skier to see how they're doing or just have fun watching them -- especially if it's your own kid learning for the first time.
Resist it and keep your eyes on your course, look out for traffic, and be real aware that your boat now extends from the bow eye all the way back to the end of the ski rope. Meaning, you are taking up much more water surface than without a skier/tuber, etc. and you don't want any of it colliding with anything.
My dad tells the sad story of watching a neighbour fling a kid into a rock wall on a wide turn because he wasn't paying attention to what he was supposed to be doing -- driving.
Also pay attention to where your prop is and what it's doing. Never back toward a skier in the water and definitely cut your engine any time you are boarding them or even just bobbing in the water beside them discussion the next run.
Oh, yeah...and, once you're operating safely -- have fun with it, cuz it's a blast.
