In my quest to potentially, eventually get a twin rig (or triple - who knows?) I have been researching boat and engine options. One of the issues that comes up is how much power I really need. I'm not driving for a ski team (although I might as well be - I have been pulling skiers for 30 years and I come from a 3rd generation waterski family). When I hear people talk about how many skiers a particular boat/motor combination will pull, I never see any reference to whether the pull is from deep water versus from a dock. The presumption is that it is from a dock, I assume. We all know that most large ski show acts are pulled from the dock. I don't happen to have a show team-sized dock, and I can't pull 10 people from my dock - So I pull them from deep water. My Hydrodyne 18 with a 225 Optimax will pull 6 to 8 people on two skis from deep water - with effort - sometimes, and then only if I pull some of them from a harness and some from the tow pole. Granted, I have a 19 Mirage Plus prop, so I could probably help myself by using a 15 or 17. The question is - has anyone ever compared the number of skiers you can pull from a dock with the number you can pull from deep water given the same boat/motor combination? In other words, if you have a boat that can pull 30 from the dock, would that same boat pull only 15 from the water? Or 20? I know there are a number of variables - but just in general terms is there any industry formula on this? When I built my current boat, most people wondered why on earth I would need the power of a 225 on an 18' boat for non-competitive sking. However, I have learned that I could use a lot more power than I have. Afterall, when is the last time you wished you had less power on a pull? Sort of like building a swimming pool and then wishing it was smaller. Or buying a sports car and then wishing it was just a bit slower... Seems like an interesting question if anyone has ideas...
well, i don't know if this will help but here goes. I had a 20 footer with a 250 H.O. etec. with a 17 pitch 3 blade rebel prop. I could pull 8 easy 10 working hard from deep water. all depends on the skiers size and ability. I have seen a team twin rig pull 24 from deep water start with opti 200's. don't know what prop they were using though. I know I have personally pulled 16 from deep water start on ballet line skies (slalom) with a twim 150 opti. woorked hard but did it and probably could have had a few more thrown into the line as well. it had 17 pitch 3 blades with small blade ears/flutes. I.E. not a large diameter prop. i don't know if this helps but good luck.
We are probably the only team that pulls our opener from deep water starts. Any where from 30-40 people, with a triple. Our single pulls 6 swivels from deep water, with no problem. 20' Tom miller, 250 Merc Pro XS, 17 pitch, 4blade. You can almost pull anything off the dock, if the initial speed is fast enough. Skiers get freaked out when the coils move so fast off their hands though. In the last 3 years, we have used 200 optis, 225 optis and now 250 pro xs. The pro xs wins for torque and top end. With the pro xs the wakes our small at faster speeds. There are so many variables in pulling deep starts. Skier size, technique and driver pull. Get the biggest you can afford. It also will save on fuel. Use less throttle for normal skiing.
