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Old 05-31-10, 07:30 AM   #1
walkeraviator
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Default Pulling Skiers with bassboat

I know that I can buy a harness that attaches to the transom eyes to pull skiers... and with just teh wife and I with our 1 child, I figure I dont need a FishnSki which are usually good at doing neither... my question is how small opf a boat and mor importantly how small of a motor can i get and still pull a skier or tube with 2 people?
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Old 05-31-10, 12:13 PM   #2
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Ughhh, skiers. Why would you want to do that?



J/k, I dont know. I dont want to pretend I know. But I want to say that maybe I've seen people try it with like a 40 horse, might be able to get a skier up with 2 people if the boat is small enough.
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Old 05-31-10, 12:50 PM   #3
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I've got a little 14' boat with a 40 hp, and that's really the very lowest I'd go to even try pulling a skier with. It does ok for tubing, even with a couple of people in the boat. We've used it for kneeboarding, but I've never tried pulling a skier. The guy we bought it from used to use it for his kids to ski, but they were young, maybe 10-12 years old.
I'd say 75 horse would be the smallest I'd look for with skiing in mind. You really need something that gets on plane quick, to go ahead and get the ski on plane and not drag the skiier through the water for too long.
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Old 05-31-10, 01:56 PM   #4
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well i am the only one who would ski... who can ski... and if i were to do that my dad would be pullin me in his boat... so i guess tubing is more what i had in mind... I want to get a bassboat in the spring after i get my taxes back, but the wife says it has to be big enough to play on too. I found a good deal on an old Norris Craft w/115 but it wont be around by then... then i considered financing a new one and like the Lowe Stinger 160, but it comes with a 40 horse... so there ya have it...

so a 16 foot aluminum boat with say a 50 horse???
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Old 05-31-10, 03:11 PM   #5
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That would be fine for tubing.
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Old 05-31-10, 04:13 PM   #6
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It's really not a matter of horsepower alone. Once a skier is up, it doesn't take a lot of power to keep him there. I think most water skiing (for those with some sense) is done between 35 and 40 mph.

I'm no expert, of course, but I think if I were going to analyze it, I would start with the size motor that would make my boat capable of 40 mph with a low pitch prop.

My boat for instance, only does about 45 mph with a 20 pitch prop. It isn't the strongest out of the hole like that, so I would think about an 18 pitch if I wanted to pull a skier, and I think it would do okay with the 115 hp I have.

I have seen numerous 18' fish and skis with 90 hp outboards, so I think that would be the bare minimum for an 18' bass boat. I can't imagine pulling a skier with a much smaller boat, but I guess it could be done, though you would hit some kind of minimum hp to pull it off...probably around 60 or 75 hp, since the size of the human and the skis being pulled isn't going to scale down with the boat.

Any of you guys with a lot of skiing experience tell me if I'm close, please.
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Old 05-31-10, 05:16 PM   #7
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again... Dads boat is an 18ft F/S with a 150 rude on it and it will pull your arms out the socket if you aint in shape.. but that is what i would ski behind. i am more concerned about pulling a tube which is much easier to get out of the water than a skier i would think...
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Old 05-31-10, 05:17 PM   #8
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Well back when we had our old procraft for skiing, it had a 115hp and it could barley lift my dad out of the water but he is a hefty man. And it was a 16'6" boat

And walker any hp motor with any boat will work to pull a tube... they dont exactly plane out ya know.
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Old 05-31-10, 06:33 PM   #9
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i agree bout the tubing set up tn bassin is saying. we had a 20' lowes pontoon boat with a 70 hp evinrude. it pulled 2 tubers at once. rpm's were at only 3000. or less i think. if i remember right.
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Old 05-31-10, 08:50 PM   #10
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I learned how to ski behind a 14' boat with a 25hp engine. You don't need to go fast at all. Pro skiers get pulled at 35mph. That's fast when you have a rope in your hand. Typically we would pull people around 20-25mph.
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Old 05-31-10, 09:54 PM   #11
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I'd have to think long and hard about the moral and ethical ramifications of a bass fisherman getting involved with skiing.
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Old 05-31-10, 10:38 PM   #12
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agreed keith. that is why you get another type of water craft. so's no one can see you towing a lake lice, hahahaha!!
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Old 05-31-10, 11:20 PM   #13
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ill have to check but i think that could be a sin! haha jk
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Old 06-01-10, 06:38 AM   #14
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yeah well, you explain to my wife why i just bought two boats instead of one... i didnt think so...

besides... in august at 1 inteh afternoon when it is 95 outside with 100% humidity and teh sun is beating down, i would much rather play in the water than get heat stroke not catching fish...
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Old 06-01-10, 06:49 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by walkeraviator View Post
yeah well, you explain to my wife why i just bought two boats instead of one... i didnt think so...

besides... in august at 1 inteh afternoon when it is 95 outside with 100% humidity and teh sun is beating down, i would much rather play in the water than get heat stroke not catching fish...
You just might have us there walker,
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Old 06-01-10, 09:41 AM   #16
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yea i know man lol i was just kidding.
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Old 06-01-10, 10:19 AM   #17
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i really wish this norris craft was around whne i had money.. instead of now... its an 83 but teh gel coat looks insane good and has an old merc 115 on it...
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Old 06-05-10, 11:19 AM   #18
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In my youth we used an 14' johnboat with (I think) a 40 motor, with 4 of use in the boat. (3 in the boat, one skiing) we could get up bearly, but we got up. Like said above, you don't want to ski any more than 20-30mph, and tubing even less.

That boat might be gone, but I'd bet ya you'll find another when the time comes.
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Old 06-07-10, 11:53 AM   #19
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I could be wrong, but isn't skiing behind a bass boat is illegal in most southern states?
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Old 06-07-10, 09:23 PM   #20
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you just might be correct abby.....punshiable by being hung with braided line off yer favorite reel. lol.
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Old 06-08-10, 10:54 AM   #21
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hey if anybody wants to volunteer to buy me a runabout to spare the bass boat soe indignity.. feel free... but with only the money to buy 1 boat, i opt for bass boat to pull a skier and not a runabout to fish from...
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Old 06-08-10, 01:06 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by walkeraviator View Post
hey if anybody wants to volunteer to buy me a runabout to spare the bass boat soe indignity.. feel free... but with only the money to buy 1 boat, i opt for bass boat to pull a skier and not a runabout to fish from...
I got nuthin against bass boats, but, I'm loving my ski 'n fish ... so there! I don't think the fish know the difference.
But you're right....unless you got gobs of extry green to burn, two [floating] boats [holes] just might be pushing it.

My boat is older than the Glastron pictured (and OB), but the design is the same.
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Old 06-08-10, 01:08 PM   #23
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Is that banjo music I'm hearin?
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Old 06-08-10, 02:46 PM   #24
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I presently fish out of a Stratos Fish and Ski... and im not sayin the fish know the difference...but i do. Rod storage is a joke... no fish and ski has a deck large enough to lay a 7 foot rod down without worrying about breaking the tip off. And the windshields are constantly in teh way and act like a pair of sails on a windy day. I wouldnt mind the big 21' long ranger fish and ski, but that gets pricey.

I have pretty much figured out I will be stuck with a FishNSki, so how does one manage say 12-15 rods and all of their tackle without worrying bout breakin em???
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Old 06-11-10, 11:00 AM   #25
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I dunno how one manages 12-15 rods on anything other than a charter fishing boat! I'd think a dozen rods/reels on the deck of a bass boat would be a pain too.
But if you wanna get outta yer dad's boat and into yer own AND yer "stuck with a S&F" boat, guess you'll have to figure it out - huh?

I do have one thought... my boat has a carpeted rear deck with removable cushions for sun bathing. A removable rack could be installed back there that could hold several rods.

Fishin is done from all sorts of boats son...sometimes just need a little thankin to make it work best
Why I've even seen some pontoon boats rigged pretty nice for fishing.
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