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Minimum Horse power for Wakeboarding - skiing

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  • Minimum Horse power for Wakeboarding - skiing

    I have a friend that is considering entering the wakeboarding/water skiing world

    He has a young family (and tight budget) and would like to get an entry level boat

    I do not think he wants to jump into a Nautique yet

    He has asked me what the minimum horsepower requirement is for wakeboarding

    I know from experience

    40hp outboard is not enough

    343 Inboard is enough

    225hp Inboard outboard is enough for skiing (but slow to get an adult slalom skier out)

    I am sure once he gets going he will then start looking at the Nautique

    Anyone know what is the minumum outboard horsepower is for Wakeboarding - and for skiing

    I think he wants it primarily for wakeboarding (for the adults) and for skiing to start for the kids

  • #2
    I am not sure there is a minmum. I have gotten a pull from an old under-powered jet ski. I have seen people on the river wakeboarding behind 18' runabouts with the 3.0 Merc thats rated at 130 hp. More horsepower is great for easier starts and added ballast, but if the goal is a cheap boat to get on the water, almost anything will do.

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    • #3
      I know a person who's high school aged son was doing basic inverts behind an orange 16 foot Fiberform boat, with a 70 Hp Johnson V4. The boat had a taller pylon, bolted to the floor, braced to the transom. No ballast tanks. Maybe the tail fins on the aft of the hull helped.

      I learned to slalom ski behind a 16 foot Tahiti, with a 135 Mercury in line six cylinder engine.
      I have also gotten up behind a 120 HP Mercury I/O on an 18 foot aluminum boat.

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      • #4
        Skip outboards for wakeboarding, the wake is so small he'd get bored with it.

        At the very least go with an I/O. I had a 5.0L V8 220 hp I/O and it would barely get on plane when we put 700 lbs of ballast in it. I'd say 220 hp minimum in an I/O. Anything less than that and he'd have to start playing with low pitch props to get on plane when loaded up.

        Or even better, look for an older inboard like the popular Ski Nautique 2001.
        2005 SANTE

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        • #5
          Ive gotten up behind a hand throttled 25hp johnboat. Slalom behind a 115hp pontoon boat. Think it depends on the persons ability. I/o would be a good start, depends what his focus would be. My family grew up behind chevy small block i/o and even 175hp outboard and we combo, slalom, wakeboard, kneeboard and tubed.

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          • #6
            I learned to ski behind an 85hp Evinrude on Larson tri-hull. It looked like an X-Star with a motor on the back;-)
            '08 196LE (previous)
            '07 196LE (previous)
            2 - '06 196SE's (previous)

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            • #7
              What is his budget for price range (It might make it easier to make suggestions for boats)? Also, suggest he thinks about, and factors in, the various post-purchase hidden costs such as insurance, fuel, maintenance, repairs, storage, safety equipment and PFDs, recreation equipment like skiis, boards, etc. Also, if he is thinking a small boat is where his budget is, does he have access to areas where his boat and crew will not be overwhelmed with traffic and "big water".

              Many years ago, (30, in fact, eesh!) I learned to ski with a group of friends on a smaller private lake behind a 16' Glastron with a 60 hp Johnson outboard. Looking back, if we were to have taken it onto any of the nearby public lakes (SE Michigan), the boat would not have been enjoyable and with such low freeboard could have been in real trouble on a busy day. Luckily we didn't because our focus at the time was not geared toward such practical thinking. Point being, is for your friend to be aware that the focus on budget needs to balance with the reality of operating costs and in what areas he can safely operate the boat he can afford. Just my $.02
              2010 Super Air Nautique 210 Team Edition

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              • #8
                When I was a teenager we slalom skied behind an aluminum john boat (we called them a bateau) with an 18hp evinrude.
                We had an old cypress gardens combo ski with the back heal ripped off. We'd use that to get up with then kick it to the side. We'd yank the back end of that boat all over the place.
                Later, my friends older brother bought a 17' trihull with an 85hp evinrude. Now that was living. We'd ski the heck out of that thing.

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                • #9
                  can definitely get away with a 90 outboard on something 17 - 18 ft, if prop'd correctly ...
                  2003 SANTE - "OG 210"

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by swc5150 View Post
                    I learned to ski behind an 85hp Evinrude on Larson tri-hull. It looked like an X-Star with a motor on the back;-)
                    Haha
                    2018 SAN 230
                    1981 Ski Nautique
                    Sold - 2011 Sport 200V
                    Sold - 2000 SAN

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                    • #11
                      Skied and boarded behind a lot of boats........some good some bad. Obviously the best choice is to find an older Nautique in that 8-10K range. As for I/o and outboards let's start with the slalom. I weigh in at 190lbs, I ride double boot on a 66" slalom. The problem with riding an underpowered boat is you waste a lot of energy getting out of the water and depending on the shape you are in there isn't a lot left for skiing. If you are going i/o you will need a 225hp for sure to get up like I do, and a 140HP in an outboard. If you are dropping a ski or get up using a kicker without the second foot in you can get away with a little less but never anything less than a 115Hp or it is just a struggle. Anyway you look at it you will be getting a pretty long drag off these boats compared to a Nautique or simalar boat. As for the wakeboarding, you for sure could ride a 130hp i/o or a 90hp outboard. I agree though, don't expect to start putting ballast in these boats as they are just not going to handle it. As for the rest of the family type sports like tubing or 2 skis, you can probably get away with the 130Hp i/o or the 90hp outboard. Again, as stated earlier, your performance of any i.o or outboard is going to depend greatly on your prop choice...........very very very important.
                      2006 Air 216 Team Ed.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by DanielC View Post
                        I know a person who's high school aged son was doing basic inverts behind an orange 16 foot Fiberform boat, with a 70 Hp Johnson V4. The boat had a taller pylon, bolted to the floor, braced to the transom. No ballast tanks. Maybe the tail fins on the aft of the hull helped.

                        I learned to slalom ski behind a 16 foot Tahiti, with a 135 Mercury in line six cylinder engine.
                        I have also gotten up behind a 120 HP Mercury I/O on an 18 foot aluminum boat.
                        Was this person you know's last name Byerly?
                        Now
                        2000 SAN

                        Previously
                        1999 Air Nautique
                        1996 Tige Pre-2000
                        1989 Lowe 24' Pontoon / Johnson 100HP outboard

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                        • #13
                          i have pics of my father and i skiing behind a 16' sea nyph with a 1965 55 hp chyrsler motor. it would pull up two slalom skiiers with cypris garden ski. zero wake.

                          i skied 15 off with a wooden ski when i was a kid. he looks at my boat now (2005 196) and cant believe how big the wake is. he will not even ski behind it. so funny
                          2016 G23

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                          • #14
                            Look at what the pros ride behind on fuel TV when they are in other countries. They go behind 14-16ft 50 hp small fiberglass outboard motor boats and still throw all kinds of rediculous tricks!

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