a good boat for skiing?

[gwade]

i have read many of the threads here and clearly this forum has helped out a number of folks. b/c no two situations are the same i wanted to ask for a similar level of help for my particular instance.

a friend who has done little or no skiing is selling an 18ft bowrider with an o/b 85 hp merc on it. i have young kids and recognize that this will serve their needs for the next few years, but i am 6'2" 195 lbs and wanted to be able to go for a toot around the lake on a single ski on the odd occasion when my kids are done tubing for the day (and after they have learned to ski). we boat on fresh water that is often calm as glass.

any sense as to whether this boat would be a match for my needs is appreciated. similarly, if this is not a fit, if people were able to provide some generic advice around length of boat and matching o/b power suggestions would be appreciated.

thanks in advance to all.

 

[OhWellcraft]

Re: a fit for skiing?

Re: a fit for skiing?

If the merc is not got a bunch of hours on it and is in good tune/running cond. With the right prop and the boat not totally loaded down I would think you could slalom behind it. It's not going to rip your arms off by any means and might struggle a bit on take off. I think your best bet might be to give it a try and see how it goes. Usually an 18' openbow has around a 115 to 135 and up depending on the boat, and what it is designed for. I have an older wellcraft 196 and it has a 200 hp outboard on it. It has a lot of hours on it but it will still pull me at about 32-33mph, and throws a pretty small wake given the size and hull design of the wellcraft. I have a prop that is about right in the middle I lose a bit on top speed but gain a bit out of the hole. Good luck and I'm sure others will come in with advise as well.

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: a good boat for skiing?

I would recommend more power, if you have not written a check yet.

(It is a buyer's market.)

Can you get up behind that boat? Yes, (if you drag the rear foot and hang on).

I run simple very old Mercs from an era when they were underrated as measured against the actual power they put out.

I have an old fairly light 18' boat with an old 100 hp inline six that is a very good ski boat with a lot of extra power.

Any ski boat should be able to pull any sized skiier at least 35 MPH, and pull them out of a deep water start. Can that 85hp run 35MPH with a skiier under tow?

Hope that helps. JR

 

[spudwrench]

Re: a good boat for skiing?

You should put it in the water (with a few people in it, if possible) and see what it does before you buy it, as a poster above me stated, you want it to do 35. Or at least very close to that. If the boat wont hit 30 then I would look at something else.



It really depends on the shape of the engine. I have a 16' tri-hull with a 75 horse outboard and it will pull 2 people up with no problem. And I am about 195 lbs myself. It will pull me up fast even with 3-4 people on the boat. My friend has a 125 hp straight six (its getting tired) on his 18 footer and it takes him longer to pull me up, my 75 will leave him behind pretty easily.

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: a good boat for skiing?

Too big of a boat and too little of a motor, IMO.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: a good boat for skiing?

I would look for at least 115hp
By the way, welcome to iboats.

 

[smclear]

Re: a good boat for skiing?

Too big of a boat and too little of a motor, IMO.

18' is too big in your opinion???? Just what size would you recommend?

For a purely skiing use, 18' is fine, but you'll use the boat for much more than skiing and in any water that has even small chop, 18' will beat you to death unless trolling. Of course hull design is a critical factor. On a lot of lakes, I believe 18' would be to small.