Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

[fish46]

I bought a 1974 strcraft with a 70 hp evinrude. I've been restoring the floor and still need a couple thinks before I can put it in the water. But my question is do i have enough power to ski or tube?

 

[Isaacm1986]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

How long is the boat? You should have plenty of power with the 70hp unless your boat is really long or something.

 

[Pugetsound]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

I would think you have a 16 or 18 ft boat??? HP should do the job if your weight is evened out and the boat trimed out correctly. Weight distribution is important if you are lookikn at higher speeds and the number of people in the boat makes a big difference. You should get a few responses on the site. Also check to see if the prop is right for high speed. It will make a big difference also.

 

[Bob Gilvary]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

For what you want to do with your boat, you should have a tach, to be sure you're prop'd right for the aplication.

Using too much pitch on the prop will shorten the life of that engine, causing it to work too hard by not being able to reach max rpm's, and when not pulling a load, (Skiers or tubing), you don't want to be over revving.

 

[starcrafter65]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

My parents had a 1961 16' with an Evinrude Starflight 75. I had a 16' Nassau with a 80 HP Merc.

I would say this....tubing absolutely no problem as to pull a tube onto plane is easy and you only go about 20 tubing.

Pulling a skier with 2 skis - samething.

Pulling an adult with a competition slalom ski - probably have a little trouble yanking him out of the water - but unless your ripping bouys - you should be going fast enough - 26-28 MPH. We either jump dock started or dropped a ski.

 

[GeneH]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

I learned to ski in 1962 behind a 12 foot aluminum runabout with a Johnson 25 on it and two pretty good sized people in the boat. You didn't say (and nobody asked) specifically what your boat is. Length and material will make a difference. A glass Starcraft is a bunch heavier than an aluminum Starcraft.

 

[fish46]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

The boat is a 16 foot and the prop is a 17 pitch. I gess I'll be ok with what I have. I thank you guys for your help and time and hope to have the boat in the water in a couple of weeks. I'll put a post ones I do. Thanks again.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

Is the boat aluminum or fiberglass?

 

[fish46]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

aluminum.

 

[GLG fishing]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

Water skiing in winter must be nice. For some of us the water is too HARD to put the boat in. Lucky for me the water it is salty and doesn?t freeze here. Now if the wind would die down I could go out and fish.
Have fun.

 

[fish46]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

South Texas hardly has a winter. Are winter is like in the 60s. And we have salt and fresh water so we fish year round. Like you say when the wind lets us

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

aluminum.

Then in my opinion you have the perfect motor for a 16' Starcraft. The 3 cylinders had the best power-to-weight ratio. I had an 85HP V4 on my Jupiter and while it had tons of power, it also made the boat fairly stern-heavy. I think the only thing that might beat your motor would be one of those newer 3cyl 90HP Yamahas.

 

[prestigegunleather]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

fish46,

you will have NO trouble pulling 2 or more waterskiers with that rig, imVho.

fwiw, i have a 8.5x11" color picture in my scrapbook, circa 1965, of my boat pulling FOURTEEN "young lovelies" (from a local beauty peageant) on skis at a east TX county fair & "water show".

the boat was a 16' Cartercraft (molded plywood) runabout with a Mercury Mark 78A (w/"power prop") . - took us "quite a while" to get them all up (without messing up their hair & makeup) , but we managed.

GOOD LUCK.

yours, PG

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

fish46,

you will have NO trouble pulling 2 or more waterskiers with that rig, imVho.

fwiw, i have a 8.5x11" color picture in my scrapbook, circa 1965, of my boat pulling FOURTEEN "young lovelies" (from a local beauty peageant) on skis at a east TX county fair & "water show".

Now you can't go and mention that without posting the photo

Sounds like a great one for the scrapbook prestige, I need to get some to show the grandkids someday mself

 

[fish46]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

Then in my opinion you have the perfect motor for a 16' Starcraft. The 3 cylinders had the best power-to-weight ratio. I had an 85HP V4 on my Jupiter and while it had tons of power, it also made the boat fairly stern-heavy. I think the only think that might beat your motor would be one of those newer 3cyl 90HP Yamahas.

I think the 90 Yamaha are asome I got one on my bay boat. Before I have a 90 Evinrude cant compair. Yamaha has more power and wast less gas. Or maybe its cuz it's lighter.

 

[prestigegunleather]

Re: Do I have enough hp for sking and tubing

Huron Angler,

the next time that i go to Mother's, i'll get the local office supply store to make a GOOD, full-size, digital copy of that photo & post it here (along with some other "bathing beauties" skiing.
(on last Thanksgiving weekend, i saw the scrapbook; thus, i know where it is stored.)

fwiw, i got LOTS of "smoochies" from the peageant GRRLS later that day. - that was a really FUN day.

btw, i must have burned at least 50 gallons of gas, giving "boat rides" to & "pulling" various people.

yours, PG