Time For the Vice Admiral to Ski

[lncoop]

I think it's time for the Vice Admiral to start skiing and she concurs. Do I need to add a ski bar to the barge somehow? What kind of skis do you recommend? Any other input?

 

[oldjeep]

You are going to ski behind a 50? HP pontoon? Might as well just get a Y harness like what you pull a tube with, no point in getting fancy. As for skis, get something bigger and wider than you would normally used for her weight since the pontoon doesn't have any power out of the hole and you are going to want to minimize dragging.

 

[lncoop]

No, it has a 90. Fairly decent hole shot for what it is. Been toying with trying to get into a deck boat but I don't think the admiral would go for it. So the Y harness on the lift eyes wouldn't be too low?

 

[oldjeep]

No, it has a 90. Fairly decent hole shot for what it is. Been toying with trying to get into a deck boat but I don't think the admiral would go for it. So the Y harness on the lift eyes wouldn't be too low?

Used to see lots of folks skiing off y-harnesses on boats that didn't have a loop up high, so I would assume it'll be fine. Worth trying first anyways since finding a raised tow point for that pontoon might not be easy or cheap. (Not enough room for a tripod style). My folks have a 50hp 21 ft suntracker, can't say that I've ever been bored enough to try to ski behind it, but 90HP should help some.

 

[southkogs]

Coop - If you want something kinda' light grade to start out playing with, take a look at this goofy thing: http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...tivities/water-skiing/644289-towable-ski-disk We made one last year and it's fun to play with and easy to try.

I actually have an old pair of wooden skis that my kids have been learning on down here. When we go up north to the lake I have a set of mid-grade O'Briens, and the kids all tried those too.

 

[lncoop]

Coop - If you want something kinda' light grade to start out playing with, take a look at this goofy thing: http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...tivities/water-skiing/644289-towable-ski-disk We made one last year and it's fun to play with and easy to try.

I actually have an old pair of wooden skis that my kids have been learning on down here. When we go up north to the lake I have a set of mid-grade O'Briens, and the kids all tried those too.

How did I miss that before??????? We'll be all over that! Gracie will flip when I tell her about it. Thanks Bro.

 

[H20Rat]

Height of pull point makes very little difference for a person on 2 skis... And if you REALLY want to get it higher, just attach a Y harness around the fence corners in the rear.

 

[rbh]

You are going to start her out on 2 skis first, right? You can't go wrong with an old pair of wooden skis to start with, and if they have the back foot hold she can do the ski drop thing when she gains confidence. Slalom is a bit hard if you don't have any experience.

And good life jacket that fits and does not try and float over your head is a good thing when you are doing a mid lake take off.

 

[southkogs]

How did I miss that before??????? We'll be all over that! Gracie will flip when I tell her about it. Thanks Bro.

No problem - we liked the option 'cuz it's WAY low impact. Small enough (and she probably is) and they can sit right on the disk to get going. The disk will plane out behind a fast swimming mallard ... it really takes very little to get it going, so if the kiddo wrecks the most likely scenario is at low speed. Good starter piece.

 

[Texasmark]

Low tow angle is fine. We used to use the transom eyes and only used one which was on one side of the boat. Later went to the lanyard with the pulley when they became available.

Two large flat skis with skegs/rudders. Skegs help to keep the ski going straight. Life jacket. Single rope handle. Keep your eyes on her. Hole shot is max throttle to give her something to pull against then when she is up ease it back as described below. She will have to learn how to control her balance which is usually to fall backwards, but hang in there with her. Over time she will adjust. Transition from hole shot power to running power slowly, no fast cuts of the throttle. Smooth water is best even if you have to look for it. Once you get her up watch her skis. You don't want her bogging down, you want the skis skimming across the water with like 4" of drop at the rear max. 25 mph is a great speed. Once she gets the feel of it, tell her to signal you as to what she wants, faster is thumbs up, slower down. When she wants off just have her drop the rope. Tell her to let go of the bridle if she is under water during the hole shot; tell her don't hold on for dear life....she has a jacket for that.

Some folks mount a pole at the side of the boat, maybe 15' out, for learners so that you are right there with/for them.

HTH,
Mark

 

[Texasmark]

This is supposed to be an edit of what I posted earlier but the software didn't think of it that way!!!!!!

She obviously needs to have her head up looking at you, giving you a nod when ready to go. Her arms need to be on the outside of her knees. Ski tips on the front are roughly 4" above the water surface to keep from becoming a submarine. She is supported by her life jacket, knees in her chest, arms as I said, tips up and gives you the nod. You hammer down on the throttle. Very slowly all she has to do, when she gets 75% of her body out of the water is to just (slowly) stand up. Expect the urge to have the skis run out from under you and causing you to fall backwards. Keeping your knees bent, the more the better initially, will help to prevent this. Trial and error. Keep at it, she will make it.

Mark

 

[UncleWillie]

This is supposed to be an edit of what I posted earlier but the software didn't think of it that way!!!!!!
She obviously needs to have her head up looking at you, giving you a nod when ready to go. Her arms need to be on the outside of her knees. Ski tips on the front are roughly 4" above the water surface to keep from becoming a submarine. She is supported by her life jacket, knees in her chest, arms as I said, tips up and gives you the nod. You hammer down on the throttle. Very slowly all she has to do, when she gets 75% of her body out of the water is to just (slowly) stand up. Expect the urge to have the skis run out from under you and causing you to fall backwards. Keeping your knees bent, the more the better initially, will help to prevent this. Trial and error. Keep at it, she will make it.
Mark

+1 With more details.

Rope between the ski tips. Knees bent and Arms straight and on the outside of your Knees.
Absolutely Hammer 100% full throttle until the boat is going as Least 20 mph. Soft on the power is hard on the skier. Level off at ~25mph.
Expect an initial BIG pull. Do NOT pull in on your arms. 5 second seems like a long time. Let the boat do the work. Be patient
As you come out of the water Do NOT stand up straight.
Just as you start to plane you will want to fall backwards, it you have already pulled in on your arms you will have no way to pull your self up.
You will be on plane before the Boat, remain Knees Bent, as the boat hits plane it will launch, and want to pull you over the front of the skis.
Stay Down until at cruise speed. 10-15 seconds.

Error Synopsis....
If you Fall Backwards, you pulled in your arms at the beginning.
If you Fall Forward, you straightened your knees too soon.

A Neoprene Ski Vest ($60+) with a Zipper Front will stick close to your body and stay in place Much Better than the Nylon/Buckle Vests.( $15)
Wearing a T-Shirt Helps too. If you don't get up after 3 tries, take a rest.