Will this boat pull a skier

[acke61]

I have a 15 foot 1988 Bayliner capri, i really think its actually a 14 foot...real small open bow...anyways its got a 95 50 hp Johnson on it.

I've towed a tube around a couple times with no problem but i'm just curious if you guys think it will pull a skier. The motor has trim one of those plastic trim tab things on the lower unit...

Also this thing pulls to the right pretty good and i'm not really sure why...if you let of the wheel it naturally yanks to the right and will almost wanna go around in circles...that might be a whole different thread though...

thanks
Jeremy

 

[Frank Acampora]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

You would be surprised at what you can actually ski behind but the type of skiing you can do with smaller boats is limited.

I skied behind a 15 foot Glastron with a Chrysler 55 for many years until my kids got older and we all wanted to slalom.

Your Bayliner/Johnson should pull a skier on 2 skis out of the water but it will take a very experienced slalom skier on a big ski to deepwater behind it. Also, with such a light boat, you will find that it can not acheive the speeds necessary for advanced slalom AND the skier will actually pull out the stern on hard cuts. He/she will outski the boat on these cuts and the rope will go slack.

If you are married with children or single with friends, the boat will become too small for the amount of people and gear you want to carry.

So, in my opinion, the boat and engine will be marginal for the purpose. Might make a good starter boat if you get it with the intention of trading up in a couple of years.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

Isn't it easier to pull a skier than a tube? Why else do they say not to pull a tube from a ski pole? Sorry just more questions, but it sounds to me like your boat should pull a skier no problem 50hp is plenty, heck as kid we skied behind a tiller operated fishing boat with like a 15hp. on a private lake.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

pulling to the right, (known as torque steer) loosen the bolt on the trim tab above the prop, and move back of it to the right. you will have to experiment on how much to move it to correct the torque steer.

50 is marginal, but i learned to ski 14 ' plywood fisherman, '55 15 hp rude.

 

[blouderback]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

Harder to get a skier UP than a tube UP. Easier to pull a skier once he's up than a tube.

 

[Mkos1980]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

I say its possible. I learned to slalom on a 83 17ft Rinker with a 70 Evinrude on the back. Top speed was only 35. At that time my buddy also skiied off our boat but it was alot harder for him. He was 200+ lbs and he had to learn to pull himself out as the boat was having a hard time. But he did it.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

Jeremy, A skiier on two skiis needs to go 25-28MPH to have a respectable run. You can likely prop that motor down to give more power, if necessary, and still achieve the proper speed.

I always skiied behind my 14 Crestliner with a 35 HP Johnny. I could get up deepwater salom on that boat, but it took three breaths of air and being submerged between breaths before the boat got enough speed to pull me up.

 

[Wotam]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

"Isn't it easier to pull a skier than a tube? "

It depends on what you mean by 'pull a tube'.

Poking around the lake at 10 mph is easy on the boat... or even driving in a straight line at 20 mph. Trying to bounce a couple experienced teenagers off a double tube by slinging them out of a canyon you've just dug in the water is another matter. :>)

 

[oops!]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

my buddie and i knee boarded on a merc 50 with a 13 inch prop....little old 14 footer with cable pully sterring....had a ball....when kneeboarding we could allmost stop the boat when we dug in and went to the side......i skiied on it....he did to...(experianced)....he was 235 lbs....i 170....

ive seen a skieer behind a dragon boat.......

when we ski i make sure that the speed is still low enough to make the water "soft" when people hit it....a good wipeout on hard water and no ones havin fun any more

oops

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

I learned to water ski behind a 14' Whirlwind with a 28hp Johnson on it. As we got older, my grandfather (the boat's owner) moved up to a Chrysler 35hp. We used both paired skis and slalom skis but, since we were kids and the boat was light, this arrangement worked fine.

With a driver and a spotter, your boat should be ok if you just want to take the kids skiing, or even if you want to go, just as long as you are just out to have a bit of fun. If you are trying to ski at a competative level, or you want to pull multiple skiers, you may have to move up a bit in terms of both boat and motor.

 

[hibbert6]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

I have a 15' trihull with a 65hp OB. It will pull up an experienced slalom skier, and an inexperienced skier on a pair no problem. Tubing is just fine.

WHOOPS! It's past midnight and I misread. I thought you had 95hp. Just 50? Heed the other posters' advice, not mine.

Dave

 

[OldMercsRule]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

Isn't it easier to pull a skier than a tube?

Nope. A tube is very easy to pull.

Why else do they say not to pull a tube from a ski pole?

Safety. The tube is tied to the pull line. Once the person on the tube falls off the tube can dig into the water. If that happens and the skipper is not payin' attention, one of three things will happen. #1 The line breaks and snaps back at the boat, (not good fer those in the boat) #2 The pilon is distroyed, (not good either). #3 The engine stalls out due to lack of power, (the best way to learn this lesson), as likely no one gets hurt.

Sorry just more questions, but it sounds to me like your boat should pull a skier no problem 50hp is plenty, heck as kid we skied behind a tiller operated fishing boat with like a 15hp. on a private lake.

Dissagree. This is too little power for a full sized adult on one ski.

Me overpriced belated $.02 JR

 

[lrdchaos]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

Depends on the skier, My 20.5 ft boat with 5.0mpi(260hp) felt like it was struggling to get me out of the water when I was learning to salom....but I pulled like a parachute in the water. Now that I know how to get up, I can have 8 people fully loaded in the boat and get up just fine. It all depends on the skier level. But either way, that is a small engine to overcome the initial pull out of the water.

 

[1981Baja]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

Depends on the skier, My 20.5 ft boat with 5.0mpi(260hp) felt like it was struggling to get me out of the water when I was learning to salom....but I pulled like a parachute in the water. Now that I know how to get up, I can have 8 people fully loaded in the boat and get up just fine. It all depends on the skier level. But either way, that is a small engine to overcome the initial pull out of the water.

I agree. I don't think he will be doing much slalom skiing behind that.
How experinced are the skiers?

 

[edzzed]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

i had a 15 ft with an 85hp johnson. while the boat could pull me up on two skis it could not pull my buddy who weighed a wee bit less than me. he could not ski. bet ya'd do better if you pull them up on two and drop a ski. Ed

 

[Bunnerrabbit]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

Sorry to jump on the thread but didn't want to start a whole new thread on the same subject. I just bought a 17ft Carolina Skiff with a 60HP 4 stroke. Kinda wondering what I can pull. I ave plans on buying a toy of some sort. Probably just going to buy a tube.

 

[fuzzeywiggler]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

Yea you could pull a tube eaisly with that.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

My 2 cents.
Yes you can ski behind it. The lower the power the more difficult to get up but it is possible.

 

[Highlander 00]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

When I was growing up we had a 16 foot mid '60s Glaspar with a 50 hp Merc and at the time my father was flirting with the 200 lb mark give or take a few. He always said that he would nearly drown before he would completely come out of the water and I am sure we looked like were dragging the anchor but there were many days that he would ski behind that boat.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Will this boat pull a skier

I learned to slalom as a teenager and skied hundreds of times behind what we called the "batboat" carrying a 1957 evinrude 35 horse... For the record... I'm not that old yet... this was in the 1980's and the motor was so lose you couldn't get the points gapped right because of play in the crank and plate the points were attached to. I actually built the one we used the most out of several other donors from friends and people who just wanted the crap out of their yards, etc... that's where the boats came from too...

Took some practice, and good wind (sometimes had to hold breath for a good while...).

Once I really started learning to cut, I could just about make the *** end of the boat skip sideways... I probably weighed all of 135 pounds soaking wet.

On two skis, we used to get up behind a little fishing boat with a 20 or 25 horse Johnson on it if you really want to...

As long as you're not loaded down too much and you're not talking about pulling a 200 pounder out of the hole with an agressive slalom ski... enjoy it...

btw... when your buddy (or spouse???) gets on your nerves... hold back on the throttle just enough to see how long he can hold on to the rope while plowing through the water holding his breath