Old Ski Boats

Hi Ronny, that ski is huge!
Mate I hope I can still have a go when I've had as many birthdays as you, well done.
I can see the Chrysler heritage as well, looks like you've had some nice cars as well as boats.
A Plymoth 6, were they a side valve?
Nice boats and a nice bit of history there. A mate of mine had that was fairly similar to Presto, bondwood, had a 179 in it though, the family had an EH, bought a new motor for the EH and the one out of the car went into the boat, still going like a train over 30 years later. Don't know what happened to that boat, I'll have to ask, he did his knee in on a wakeboard about 10 years ago and hasn't been back in the water since.
The old clinkers have a style of their own don't they? Looks good behind your EH and VC Val as well.
Thanks for digging the pictures out.

Hi Cam,The ski probably looks longer the way I took the photo but is normal length for a slalom.Yes the Plymouth was a side valve.She used to pull two singles out of deep water ok,so did Hot Lips after we fitted the right prop and fixed a few things.

Yep Ronny the prop makes a huge difference (I suppose obviously) I propped my current boat down when it had the 305 in it to help it out of the hole and it's still got the same prop on it now with the 383 and fair launches when yoyu stick it too it, but it also makes it easier for the driver to sit on a constant speed. The extra couple of MPH is nither here nor there.
When I said your ski is huge I didn't actually mean the length, it looks fairly wide as well. I know bugger all about ski's, the one's my mates use they compete on and are a completly different kettle of fish. Years ago, when I could still get up on a single ski, my mate had one that had a wide front on it to make it easy to get out of the water. Made it easy for even someone like me to get up. LOL.

;DYes Cam,my brother had one of those we called it an elephant ear. probably comes out easier than mine but I found anything with a bit of concave underneath which they had you had to keep working abit or they would get a bubble of air underneath and get very flighty.Mine you can just ski in a straight line for a long time if you wanted to go for a long ride but will still hack across the wake ok if you want.Well all good fun you are getting me siked up for this years ski better have a look at Aggressor as the youngest daughter and family are coming over for Xmas.About the props we have donged a few over the years. doesnt take much to bend a blade a bit and kill the performance and cause some vibration.

Ronnie, I learnt to single ski on a Fred Williams Semi comp plank, bloddy lovely to ski on too, I buggered it up by sticking it in the roof of the shed after a heap of use and it warped, took a few goes to realise (it would hang on like a ripper when cutting right but wash out and check you off going left)

When we got back into skiing a couple of years ago, i managed to buy a Checkmate Stinger! love that old banger!

Again Ronny I'm more into the wakeboard than the ski, but from what I've seen the old wooden doubles seem to be the easiest to get a learner up on. I've got an old RM tunnel leaning up against the wall in my office as well as a real old wood ski with Fred Williams bindings on it. I'll get a pic when we get back to work.

Ronny G ,
I have done my share of water sking in the 70s and 80s and like boats but that EH I would like to see a picture of.
Colin.

wow! .."HOT LIPS" just made my night

This thread took me on a nostalgia trip back to when Sarge and I owned a boat. Not quite in the same league, but it kept up with the big boys.



It was a ski craft with 115HP Evinrude on the back. Believe it was a one-off from Skicraft because at that stage they were only doing inboards and this was built for the boat show. Or that was the line Sarge was giving me while he was ripping the money out of my wallet for the deposit.



Used to go up to lake Eildon with a group of mates. # boats and about 20 hangers on. The problem being that the hangers on were only too happy for a ski, but not so happy in coughing up for the fuel we used. A weekend would cost me $100 for fuel in the days when you could fill your car for just over $10



Sarge's Sandman was the tow vehicle of choice.

Hey Scout, nice boat, and nice line up of 70's rockets there as well.
What did you do if someone turned up in a Ford?
I've owned a couple of egg beaters as well over the years, they do have a couple of advantages even if they don't sound as good. LOL.




A little 14' Swiftcraft Stilletto I used to have, has a nice little boat



And a Glastron, it had had a hard life, even before I got near it.