What's the fastest you've skied?

How fast was the tow boat going at your fastest oh-shit speed

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    9
Every summer we'll see some, I assume new boaters, pulling skiers very fast. :eek: Unless you are simply trying to see how fast you can go ...all you can do is hang on and stay in the middle of the wake. Kinda boring.
A few on here are into wake boarding. It's all about big wake for whopper jumps. I just watch. I like driving. :D
 
I've slalomed at tournement speeds(36mph) through a slalom course, which I hit 1 bouy out of 6. At that speed water is like concrete! You are pulling against the boat which speeds you up an extra 15-25mph. That'll make your rear pucker up a little!!!!
 
My claim to fame was an unintended 45-50 mph run down the Illionois river behind a 800 hp blown 18' jet boat.

It was really stoopid to do so, but I survived. I was going too fast too quick to think about letting go earlier, and by the time it was nutz, I had to hang on. I coulda killed my buddy driving the boat.
 
800hp in a 18' boat. :eek: He was probably just idling to be going 45. :yankchain:
Sounds like a crazy rig. How fast did you dare to take it (without a skier)?
 
Before we put a droop snoot on it, we had a Morris cop clock us at 104. But it could go a lot faster. Then we put a 12 inch droop snoot on it. Yee-Haa! When she popped out of the water, wow. But very crazy dangerous. Not sure I'd do that these days.
 
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Back when I was younger...we took a few turns at full speed...like mentioned above...it's not fun, all you can do is hang on and feel your heart go crazy..and the tears get pulled from your eyes from the blast of wind.

Once you approach 40 and above...it becomes a "just hang on" contest.

Now for speed...riding big tubes is fun. A few years ago I had a twin engined mini-jet that had insane pull and turning ability. I had long tow lines just for the tubes...each with quite a bit of long coiled bungee cord at the end before it connected to the tube harness. This modification of mine made for some absolutely insane whip turns...the tubes would skim with insane speed as they were nudged to the outside of the turn radius. It was all you to do to hang on and keep from flipping.
 
waybomb said:
My claim to fame was an unintended 45-50 mph run down the Illionois river behind a 800 hp blown 18' jet boat.

It was really stoopid to do so, but I survived. I was going too fast too quick to think about letting go earlier, and by the time it was nutz, I had to hang on. I coulda killed my buddy driving the boat.
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How long was your tow line? Having spent quite a bit of time skiing 'n kneeboarding 'n tubing behind mini jet boats (I had a twin engined mini)...the rooster tail from the jet nozzle spray is, well, not unlike standing in front of a sandblaster machine. Mini-jets didn't do much of a big rooster tail from the jet, but the old 70's style berkley jets had a massive one that could peel the paint off a house.
 
Great girl family took me out to learn. First hit it ! I wake up before they circle back Goose egg on the forehead. I still have a 1/2 diameter bone spur. :smile4:

I went back to dance nights at the bars. Safer.
 
As a young boy in my mid teens, growing up on the river I had what was called a 16ft plywood Evinrude kit boat with a 25hp Evinrude motor that we would ski behind. (cyc can relate to this time era) So this guy pulls up to the small beach we were at and asked if we would like to ski behind his Lyman inboard. We had never skied behind an inboard. First off I was plucked up out of the water like you would pluck an apple off a tree. One thing I learned, you cannot swing the back of an inboard boat. So he makes his hard turn port, I pull hard and swing out, going how fast I don't haven't a clue. Next thing I know is I'm surfing on my back, arms and legs straight up in the air, I slowly loose momentum and sank back into the water. He left and we continued on with the rest of the day with no issues of falling. The next morning I could not move, and actually had rolled out of bed to my hands and knees.
 
I attended the Long Beach to Catalina race a few time in my late 20's... 62 mile race and I think I reached close to 70mph. Was on my old Maharaja 8' wood Ski.
 
Phillbo said:
I attended the Long Beach to Catalina race a few time in my late 20's... 62 mile race and I think I reached close to 70mph. Was on my old Maharaja 8' wood Ski.
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Did they have boats that would go that fast back then?
 
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