Crestliner with 70hp Yahama, is it enough

JoshJK

Seaman
Joined
Jul 27, 2014
Messages
60
Sold my last boat about 10 years ago and have only been skiing once since then. Got the itch again so I found a 1987 16' crestliner for sale and bought it. Now I am having second thoughts on wether or not it will fit the bill for me. I googled the Crestliner 1987 product lineup to find that it is a C160, with an advertised weight of 1080lbs(empty I assume). The boat has a Yamaha 70hp outboard with a 1317 prop. Is this going to be enough boat for me to start skiing again?
 

jestor68

Commander
Joined
Jun 12, 2012
Messages
2,308
It depends on how much weight you've gained in the last ten years, and what sort of skiing you intend to do.

A 17 pitch is what's recommended for that boat/motor combo.

It might be necessary to switch to a 15 pitch prop for serious water sports with the 70 HP motor.

I learned to water ski(including slalom) behind a 35 HP Johnson many years ago.
 
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JoshJK

Seaman
Joined
Jul 27, 2014
Messages
60
I weigh about 160lbs. Not a serious skier by any stretch of the imagination. Just some boring skiing, no singles. I just hope the boat will be enough for the myself and three others(about 150lb average for each person) to enjoy. The boat is a deeper v-hull but the brochure says it is formed to promote quick planning?
 

skibrain

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 17, 2004
Messages
766
Does the coast guard tag show a maximum hp rating?
Max hp is generally preferred for skiing, and I'd guess that 16' would take 100 - 120 hp

As noted above, trying a 15" prop is an inexpensive experiment and might work fine.
 

skibrain

Senior Chief Petty Officer
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Jun 17, 2004
Messages
766
You're underpowered, but see if you can find a used or demo a 15" pitch prop.
 

JoshJK

Seaman
Joined
Jul 27, 2014
Messages
60
Is it really going to be that bad? I have a friend with a 16' modified V-hull with an 80hp outboard that I personally have skied behind.
 

JoshJK

Seaman
Joined
Jul 27, 2014
Messages
60
Anyone know a good place to find a good used larger outboard? I would be willing to trade/sell the 70hp Yamaha with power tilt and trim and also have a 70hp Johnson w/o power tilt and trim.
 

skibrain

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 17, 2004
Messages
766
Did you try it as is? Craigslist in your area? How did you find your boat? Look there.
 

SkiDad

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jul 18, 2010
Messages
1,518
I think you could get up no problem with a 15 pitch. My folks started out with a 70 merc in the 70's and they slalomed. Not saying it was as good as the 115 we got later, but it was doable.
 

JoshJK

Seaman
Joined
Jul 27, 2014
Messages
60
Well gentlemen, the Yamaha blew up before I got a chance to get it to the water to try it out. Really sucks, but I found a 100hp Chrysler to put on the boat. Going to pick up the Chrysler this weekend and swapping out the outboards. Hopefully the Chrysler will work well for me.
 

JoshJK

Seaman
Joined
Jul 27, 2014
Messages
60
Took the boat out yesterday with the 100hp Chrysler on it and am not impressed to say the least. With only two people in the boat it wasn't bad but didn't seem good enough to try to ski. Boat advertised to weigh 1080lbs and had 25gl of gas on board. Best I can tell it has a 21pitch prop on it. Would this just be too overproped to even let the engine get up to speed with the boat light with only two people in it. The engine just acts like it is really laboring all the time.
 

JoshJK

Seaman
Joined
Jul 27, 2014
Messages
60
The engine would really rev up when I turned short and the prop basically lost water, and the engine really labored when loaded with 5 people and coolers. There was also a lot of what I would call prop wash behind the boat when loaded.
 

inthedirtagain

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 10, 2011
Messages
321
I've had several 90/100 OB boats and felt they were strong enough for skiers. Depends on the driver, the skier, and the boat, but you should be ok with a re-prop. 21p seems mighty tall against and old Chrysler. Post up your WOT info
 
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