water skiing - islander

[danothemano]

i have a 2000 islander with twin 150's on the back - and i have a question.

is this a suitable setup for water skiing? my son is coming back from camp with a strong interest in water skiing and i'm wondering if my boat will work from a power, wake, etc perspective.

any experience out there? all comments appreciated.

 

[leek]

Islander water skiing

I think that your boat will not have the hole shot required, will have a very large wake (bad for skiing, cool for wakeboarding) and might not be quite as nimble for skier recovery as you would like. It does't hurt to try however.
I have skied for the last 40 years, largest boat I have skiied behind was a 24' cobalt, and that was marginal.

 

[dduflo]

You won't be as nimble as a MasterCraft but sure go ahead and give it a try. With 300hp you will not have any trouble getting him out of the water. Wake might be a little problem until he gets a little experience then he is gonna love jumping it, especially on a salamom

 

[Greg B]

I'll probably be trying it on a Islander with a 300 Suzuki next week so I'll let you know.

 

[Tuna Man]

I have skied behind our previous 24' Explorer many times. Also skied behind a Marlin once or twice. Yes they get you up no problem, no they did not accelerate all that fast (hole shot was not their strongest point, who cares on an offsore fishing trip), and yes the wake was tough for me to master. I have been skiing since I was a kid, but only a few times a year, certainly not an expert just average at best. Tried to teach our kids and a few others how to ski behind these same boats, not the best for teaching.

You might want to consider a wake board (never tried one) or a towable tube instead. Here in NJ I believe you must have at least two adults on board when towing (skier, tube, etc). One adult to drive and one adult to work the tow rope while watching the skier. Also must display a small orange flag when pulling someone.

 

[Greg B]

Pulled me up no problem (200 lbs) but the wake was an issue though conditions were not great to begin with. Teaching the kids was tough. We had other adults on board so I stayed in the water to teach.

 

[Hokie]

Greg B
please expand on your experience with the 300. fuel burn, noise level, and change in performance would be great. what did you have before
thanks
hokie