water sports larger boat

john john

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Nov 26, 2011
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Currently have 26' boat. Would water sports, mostly tubes for now, be any problem with a 28' sport boat such as sea ray 270 slx or chaparral 276 ssx boats?
 

smokeonthewater

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Re: water sports larger boat

that depends on if you can afford the gas

my boat could pull several tubes but at 1 mpg it would be a really short ride

since you said "sport boat" I spose there is a chance you might need to drop a little pitch on the prop but it should pull it no prob... really doesn't take much to pull a tube
 

UncleWillie

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Oct 18, 2011
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Re: water sports larger boat

If the 26 footer is doing the job for you; the 28 won't be much worse.

Skiers and Boarders won't like it much unless you can do 0 to 20 in 5 to 7 seconds.
 

rallyart

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Re: water sports larger boat

You can wakeboard, knee board, tube and hydrofoil ride behind a boat that size. Wakeboarding and knee boarding are going to burn a ton of fuel and tubing will definitely eat up what ever you wish to spend. Riding an AirChair or SkySki foil can be done at a speed where your boat will be on plane and you don't need to maneuver much after your riders get used to using them.
 

Home Cookin'

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Re: water sports larger boat

keep the 26 and get a cheap 16' for the children to use and for water sports. You can pull anything behind anything, but it's not always a good idea.

I see people in my river trying to do watersports behind boats that are too big. They drag the babies on tubes at half-speed and throw up giant wakes; they stop and start and turn all up and down getting in everyone's way; they don't have the manueverability or stopping range to be safe around others.
And ever teach someone to ski? Straighten--drag--start--turn back around 4 seconds later, repeat. You will annoy everyone on the river nearby and your patience won't last.
 

southkogs

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Re: water sports larger boat

keep the 26 and get a cheap 16' for the children to use and for water sports. You can pull anything behind anything, but it's not always a good idea.
... or tow a 2 person jet ski with ya'. There are several of those that are decent to tube behind. Some folks actually ski behind 'em, but I can't tell how well it works out.
 

tpenfield

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Re: water sports larger boat

Currently have 26' boat. Would water sports, mostly tubes for now, be any problem with a 28' sport boat such as sea ray 270 slx or chaparral 276 ssx boats?

You would need the biggest power package offered, but it is probably do-able. You may find that a 27-28 boat is not as nimble as most boats need for water sports, etc.
 

haulnazz15

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Mar 9, 2009
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Re: water sports larger boat

Not going to be fun to waterski behind a 26' boat, the wake will be huge. Tubing will be okay, but if you boat in narrow channels or in congested areas, you're going to be tossing large wakes everywhere making fishermen and small boaters a little angry. 24' is about the max size of a boat in which you can manage to do most watersports efficiently.

Not saying you can't get it done with a 26-28'er, but just be aware of the limitations.
 

JoLin

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Re: water sports larger boat

Another take on this. I don't do water sports, but... what kind of speed does one maintain when pulling a tube or wakeboarding?

My boat falls off plane at about 21 mph. My fastest non-planing speed is about 12 mph. If I try to run anything in between the boat will (within about 30 seconds) crawl up onto a plane and wham! I'm doing 21 mph or more again. Just saying that speed modulation may be either a real PITA or impossible, depending on what the 'sweet spot' is for the sport.

My .02
 

haulnazz15

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Re: water sports larger boat

Tubing speed is dependent on the age and skill of the riders. With small children you won't need to go faster than 10 mph or so (non-planing). I run most experienced tubers between 18-25mph, but that's about it. Wakeboarders usually need to stay on plane around 18-22mph. Skiers can run around 25mph for two skis, but slalom skiers will want 28-36mph.
 

25thmustang

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Mar 20, 2008
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Re: water sports larger boat

Pulled a tuber behind my 29'er. Wasn't too big of a deal, but when the tuber falls off, it's tough to spin around and pick them up quick (I'm in a narrower river).
 
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