Gonna try water skiing behind my XP...

[scooper77515]

I found a set of full-size fiberglass skis at the Goodwill store for $10, so I snagged them. I am fairly sure the 110 HP will pull me up, but I wonder if my weight will pull the back end of the jetski up out of the water causing it to suck air every few seconds...

Especially if I try it slalom.

Any experience with this?

If so, any suggestions, like maybe trim angle?

I hunted for really cheap skis, so if it doesn't work behind the jetski, I can donate them back and not lose a bunch of money.

If it DOES work, I will start shopping for a wake board!:hurray:

 

[All Things Custom]

Two things....

1.) Yes it will pull you up but you would be better with a wake board. (more surface area for the ski.

2.) That ski is not designed for pulling skiers, or anything other than tubes. Reason: in most states any time you have a skiier in the water you also have to have a spotter and somewhere to put the skier when they get tired.
SO in otherwords it is illegal to pull a skier with anything smaller than a 3 seater. With a tube you can get away with it by bending the rules and saying that the tubers can rest in the tube when stoped.

Regardless you must at all times have two people on the ski when towing..... A driver and a spotter with an orange flag. Please check your local laws and regulations regarding this but I do know for fact that CA,AZ,NV,FL and VA all have that same law as I have lived in all of those states and checked.

 

[scooper77515]

Rules...???

We don't need no stinking rules!

I drove this thing for 6 months without tags, so I doubt I will have a problem skiing behind it. (I am not an habitual criminal...it just took that long to jump through the hoops to replace a lost title, then get it transferred to my name). Even drove it past the game warden, pulled over, adjusted the low speed mixture, and took off again, and he didn't bat an eye at me. And this was with NO registration stickers on the hull!!!

Gonna try it anyways. Then play dumb when I get busted (glad I am using an alter-ego for this forum so they cannot "use it against me"...)

I tend to mess with it in the most obscure places, and I have yet to see another warden or other law enforcer.

I am pretty sure our laws are similar (maybe not...TX is pretty laid back on the rules, and definitely not as strict as CA, NV, and AZ!!! the Nazi ski capitals of the US!!!), but I see people pulling surfers up all the time without a 2nd person on the ski, so this shouldn't be much different.

So, pulling the jet intake out of the water is NOT an issue?

 

[All Things Custom]

No not pulling the intake out.... But it will pull the ski around like a rag doll... when you lay into a turn....

I must say I know you are half heartedly joking about your "We don’t need no stinking rules"

However I do hope you will take care and consideration when you are around other skis and boats. We as a watercraft community as a whole have a bad name due to renters and inexperienced riders giving the lot of us a bad name.... Have you ever noticed the down their nose look you get when you see boaters on the lake and at the ramp?????

Its because of all the close calls and bad experiences they have had with PWC's in general.

I own boats and ski's both and I tell you the renters in the area scare the crap out of me daily......

So PLEASE don’t go out and contribute to this stereotype that all boaters already put us in!!!
:rant:

 

[scooper77515]

I'm cool!

When I mess around, I ALWAYS stay away from people, other boats, skiers, etc.

I remember being a skier and having rude jet-skiers cut us off or get uncomfortably close.

I ESPECIALLY remember being a surfer and having jet-skiers ride around just outside the break and mess up the shape of the waves and just zig-zag around and be rude. Sometimes scaring us surfers in the lineup thinking they might jump our way and land on us or just not see us and run us over.

Dad and I are good at going WAY down the beach to a secluded area to mess around without bothering the other beach users.

We also have a secluded fresh water bayou to mess around in, which seldom has other people on it other than us.

So, YES, I jest, most of the time...

So, I do not "half-heartedly" joke, but do so FULL-heartedly...

 

[kustomkarl]

Another point to make is if your being pulled by the seadoo and the driver isn't too experienced at getting back on the after a fall, will only make things worse. When you cut to the outside of the wake even on 2 skies it yanks the pwc with it ...I used to be wise a** and have my buddies pull me with there pwc's. With me on a slalom ski I could roll them over and laugh my butt off seeing the barrel roll. I only weighed 160#. The heavier you are it easier it is to yank the ski...be careful ! I only did this stuff on a privet pond of my neighbors, Back in upstate N.Y..

Karl

 

[scooper77515]

It is an experiment...

...and if it fails, I am only out the $10 skis. And I can donate those back to Goodwill

But it is common consensus that a tube would be OK? That is what the wife wants to use.

 

[kustomkarl]

Yes, and she will love the idea of being along for the ride so to speak.

 

[Mirage]

Try a knee board, I'll be 40 this Aug. and I love knee boarding behind a SeaDoo...

 

[scooper77515]

Nope!

I am a surfer primarily, but also have a history of skateboarding and slalom water skiing, and regularly engage in snowboarding. I HATE being on my butt or knees!!! I don't feel like I have the control that I have when standing upright.

I have tried kneeboarding, and innertubing, and didn't like either.

If the skiing works, I will start looking for a wakeboard that will hold my fat butt. 210 lbs at 6'-1", will need a pretty good sized board:ack: I held 275-285 for several years, but right after I turned 30, I gained 30. Cannot seem to lose it, so I had to buy a bigger surfboard (6'-6") after riding a 6'-4" for the past 15 years. Based on this, I need to find a wakeboard expert that can tell me how big a board I will need.

 

[scooper77515]

Success!!!

Not only did the jetski get me up (on two skis) but my wife got brave and took the jetski out today for the first time...twice...:hurray:I am so proud of her:cheers: She actually said that she thought it was "fun". Hmmmmm, wonder if that is why I spend so much time and money on this damned thing....:reddevil:

The ski lifted me out of the water easily enough that I am pretty sure it can pull me up on a slalom ski, but dad, who was driving, was "forced" to come out and drive when he wanted to be home taking a nap, so I didn't have time to try it out on one ski.

To answer an earlier question, I am using about 45' of rope, and it puts me RIGHT where the jet stream comes out of the water and it was a hassle trying to ski off to the side to stay out of it. So I will have to add another 20' or so to get behind that turbulence.

 

[ScubaDoo]

I'm glad it worked out for you, and the wife thinks it's cool also. That's very important if you want to keep her from being jealous of your hobby.:hurray:

 

[TMP]

I'm taking a 6ft surf board with me to lake conroe. I'm not as healthy as you are. 5-9 180. Got the ski tuned and ready. Next time you go to conroe contact me. TP