We want to ski...

[Bleeding Green]

After a heap of fun with the biscuit this week, we'd love to try skiing. Problem is, with a 70hp outboard I'm not sure it will be enough to pull an adult up and out of the water. I think it will come close, but I'd hate to buy some gear for skiing to them find it's not going to work.

So, as a back up, is it possible to change my prop to increase torque and lower some top end speed? Or will this do harm to the engine? Th current prop is the oem alu 13 1/4 X 17K. Will a S/S of the same size and pitch make any differance, or a smaller pitch maybe?

Opinions please, don't hold back, tell me what you think.

[BFB]

A 70hp will pull a skier. It will take a while to get the skier out of the water but it will do. You can drop a prop size, I used with my 60hp, to help but you have to be careful that you do not over rev the motor. It is worth trying and a lot of fun. Good luck

[Bleeding Green]

Thanks BFB,

Sounds promising.

As I and most of us willing to have a go have never skied before will it make it harder to learn becuase the boat will be a bit slower to pull the skier out?

If I was to change the prop I assume it would just be a case of making sure that the revs don't go over the recommended and there wouldn't be a problem. Am I correct?

What type of speed would a novice to average skier ski at? Currently with 1 or 2 on board the boat will hit about 40 knots at w.o.t and under 6000rpm (assuming all gauges are correct) which is within rev range. I doubt we would need to get upto 40 knots, I'm thinking about 20-25 knots would be suitable?

[BFB]

The longer it takes to pull a skier out of the water the harder it is for the skier. It makes it especially hard to learn as the skier needs to be dragged through the water a lot longer before enough speed is gained to get on top of the water. This is why most ski boats have large motors so that the speed can be gained quickly. As far as the speed goes whatever your boat can do will have to be enough. I have skied up to 100kmh. Hope this helps

[Bleeding Green]

Any info is helpful, even if it's not what I want to hear. No point spending money on ski gear if my boat will be useless.

Sounds like we'll be able to give it a go, but we need to expect that it's going to be a slow learning process.

100km/h ?? wow! I hate to stack it at that speed.

[spotterone]

I used to ski all the time with my 15' Monark Apollo that had a Chrysler 75hp on the back. With 5 in the boat and 1 in the water, it would get the skier up, but it was a struggle with a big/inexperienced person.

The thing that made the biggest difference was fitting good strong wings to the cavitation plate. The boat got up on the plane a whole lot easier, and made it much easier to pull a skier out of the water. With those wings fitted, I could get 2 competent lightweight skiers on single skis out of the water at the same time.

It's also worth trying to get the biggest skis you can find. More surface area on the water means the skier gets out of the water easier and faster.

It's worth noting that competition slalom skiing is done at a maximum of 36mph.

If all else fails, get a kneeboard. It's a whole lot of fun, and easy on the boat!

[Bleeding Green]

Thanks spotterone.

So it's easier to pull a kneeboarder out of the water then? I'd like to get a kneeboard too, I gave it a go once as a kid and it was great fun.

But would definately still like to try the skis.