Build a better boat.

[Wish]

Ok, so the 2017 Bu thread & @MrJones got me thinkn. Of current and years past, what design ideas would you steal to make the ultimate ski boat.

 

Infinity engine placement (tons of room up front).

MC rear corner seats and easy exit to platform (or Infinitys)

MC hard top for open bow.

Bu wedge capability

Platform of CP or platform from 2001 Supra comp...SS grab rail all the way around huge platform.

SN 200 display

SN 196 drivers seat 1990s

Gekko GTR tracking

SN 196 6L fuel efficiency

Older Bu LXi front facing seating in bow area

Non CAT engine (all older boats)

SN fuel Cell

SN 196 muffler

American skier flip up platform.

 

....off the top of my head

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Andre]

Ease of use of ZO from the touchscreen display on the Mastercraft.

Way more user friendly then SN 200.

[MISkier]

To really revolutionize ski boats, design an engine that fits completely under the floor to provide the interior seating layout of a v-drive with the balance, weighting, and wake of a direct drive.

 

Instead of a 90 degree V8, make it a 180 degree inline 8 with four cylinders each side and a profile that is about a foot high. The whole deal basically lies flat under the current floorboard in the middle of the boat and no motor box.

 

There actually is such an engine design. If I find the link again, I'll post it.

[Wish]

@MISkier thats not really stealing ideas.

[Horton]

plastic gas tank that I can get to so I can see the REAL fuel level

[rodltg2]

plug and play gas tank would cool. Tired of filling and transferring 5 gal cans all the time. Not to mention those " non spill " tanks that don't work.

[mjump]

Let's not reinvent the wheel. Take a 196 haul with zo and make it an affordable ski machine.

[Orlando76]

Ugh I hate the drivers seat in the 90's+ SN. Tilted so far back makes me feel like I'm driving a Hoop-d in Compton. Can't even drive 1 pass without 2 beach towels propping me up. My vote is for the rounded bucket from my '76.

 

My '93 SN has a plastic gas tank and a super removeable back seat, takes me at most 6 seconds to get a visual on my gas level. I have a mark on the tank to indicate minimum level to make round trip and ski two sets each. I always make sure fuel stays above that line when parked to minimize prep time next trip.

 

Trunk from 02??+ SN.

[Chef23]

Do you mean a stainless steel rub rail all around the outside of the boat? I hate that. We frequently pull up next to other boats out on the water and the SS rub rail will easily scratch the other boat.

[Wish]

@Chef23 No... SS grab rail all the way around the swim platform. Hate the SS rub rails as well. Will edit post.

[MISkier]

Here is the link to the engine design I mentioned. It just needs to be mounted transversely.

 

Inline engine design

 

@Wish, I think I did steal the engine idea, just not from a boat company. However, in keeping with your theme, I would steal the MC integrated ZO screen (as @Andre mentioned). I agree with your "No Cat engine" also. I have that in my boat now. I would steal the flooring from the Centurion - no carpet. Don't forget the adjustable rudder tab on the Malibus - no grinding. I would take the throttle from my 2009 Malibu LX.

 

I don't use a 200 very often, but would the saddlebag storage be the way to go? That would allow the seating around the perimeter of the cockpit (using my under the floor engine) to remain without ski racks under the gunnel. There could be storage in the gunnel behind the seat backs (flip up like observer's seats do) as well, without the top lid that is present on the 200.

[BraceMaker]

Or a transfer pump on the boat to pull the fuel in from a can on the dock.

Flat engine could be cool - w torque tube could place it nearly anywhere.

 

modular rear seating. Coolers, seat, storage,rigid ballast.

 

Remote oil cooler/drain.

 

Single point winterization/flush

 

Integrated tarp clasps/pole receiver behind engine box

 

Integrated docking bolsters - our rub rails are below many commercial docks. Fenders don't extend up far enough to keep boat off dock.

 

Hi-lo trans or CVT - I think ski boats/speed control should eventually incorporate ECM with trans control. Engine rpm should be constant regardless of speed so that engine is similar response at variable speeds. Going back to 5.3 Convo - learning ECM. Boat should remap it's responses based on set parameters in speed control. A/B/C/1/2/3 should be repeatable since it's a speed control parameter not a boat parameter. Therefore accelerometer and speed information should inform speed control and learn to be consistent with the product line.

 

ZO launch control ala accuski- for that skier in your family who wants a hard pull to 2800 rpm and then wait for him to get up before advancing to speed... He can have a dongle to program his pull.

 

Remote zerks to service rudder/steering.

 

Factory available vinyl graphics - protection and customization.

 

Lift set up measurements in owners book!!!

 

 

 

[Porkfight]

No 200 saddlebags! That's where the cooler goes in my LXi.

 

Hmmm...Yeti-grade sub-floor cooler so 200 saddlebags can be used.

[Nando]

Really like the SN 200 saddlebag storage. The old Nautique "rubber and rope" rub rail was the best- looked good and provided more impact protection than any rub rail I've ever seen and when it got grubby, five bucks worth of rope renewed it. Love the idea of a flat eight engine, but geez, BraceMaker- not a CVT- they're awful in cars and don't have the positive engagement we need- I imagine a pull like a rubber band.

[6balls]

Like lots of that stuff above.

 

MC Prostar bimini hook up on windshield frame, (totally agree with the MC electronic dash display as the best and the MC open bow cover and split rear seats), MC ski racks.

 

Add to above Nautique tracking and overall quality, Malibu wedge. Bubble butt the rear and taper the platform so the rope NEVER catches. Adjustable rudder. Soft touch Nautique pad for start/stop etc...I just like the feel a lot more than flat, hard surface glass.

 

Kill the stupid MC need to have the off battery switch or whatever the heck that is...just dumb and inconvenient.

 

Never used Centurion gunsight...good thing? Easy enough to incorporate.

 

Ideally for me...TSC3 196 converted to bubble butt with tapered platform having built in depressions to grip when in the water, no trunk, split rear seats, adjustable rudder, MC dash interface, ski racks and MC bimini. Malibu wedge. Centurion gunsight if it's cool. Option carpet or sea deck. Two sided gas fill. Camera in the wide angle mirror with easy download capability.

[mbabiash]

This may be a stupid question but are there rules where the pylon has to be in relation to the boat?

Having a flat engine and no motor box is not an advantage if the pylon still has to be by the driver.

Granted open water tubing and the sort could be done on a rear pylon but most of us on here wouldn't use it and pull the rear seats out anyway.

 

[brody]

@horton, bayliners inboard the ski challenger had a flip up back rest that you could see the fuel tank. I used to do it all the time cause my gauge never worked

[MISkier]

@mbabiash, I would do it as a two pylon option - both removable from their inserts. One in the traditional location forward of the engine (amidship) and the other in the trunk location as seen on v-drives. You use the amidship pylon for true course skiing and the other for recreational skiing with the wraparound cockpit seating more occupied.

[Porkfight]

Trunk/sun pad needs to, at least, be an option. Floating in a cove on Powell without one is just ridiculous. Give it the axe on a club boat.

 

[Bruce_Butterfield]

I would still to see what a 6.7l Powerstroke would do in a ski boat. The historical weight penalty with the diesel has disappeared and the 6.7l actually weighs the same as the 5.7 PCM. 400 Hp and 800 ft-lbs of torque. [insert tool-time grunt] Couple it with a big-ass propeller (or 2) and you end up with an engine turning in the ballpark of 2000rpm at ski speeds. And it won't notice the 200+ lb skier at short line on the other end, so the job of the speed control is almost nil.

 

I'll keep dreaming:)

[Waternut]

Vent windows built into the winshield like the old ski tigues! The newer the boats get, the more enclosed the driver is and out of the elements. Good for driving in the rain and cold but that's not really when we drive boats. One of the best parts of being on a boat is the wind in your hair but newer boats make you feel like you're in a car with the windows up...it's summer time and it's HOT!

[BrennanKMN]

TSC3 Ski Nautique but replace the trunk with the bubble but from the TSC1. Not much else I'd want. Oh, and teak platforms. I am not a fan of the fiberglass ones.

[BraceMaker]

@nando CVT are misapplied washy arse tech. But that's because we as consumers are used to driving with a throttle pedal and revevving an engine.

 

Which makes perfect sense with a manual trans or even a single speed trans. In gear and gas it. Shift and gas it.

 

But ideally you would have the engine and trans talk to each other and for instance if the engine makes peak power at 3100 rpm then the trans would be told to be set at a specific ratio to go 28 mph at 3100 rpm.

 

CVT done wrong lets the trans hunt and wallow. Done right it's forced into specific gear by a computer - consider you could go to altitude with out prop change. Trans just shifts ratios between 1:1 and 1.5:1 and as such your prop pitch can be run up or down in ratio and rpm shifted a few.

 

[Monkstr6100]

Anyone that doesn't want the tracking of a GTR must not have ever skied behind one or drove one!

[Stevie Boy]

@Nautique Boats a plastic tube that the Steering cable runs through for easy replacement, instead of cable ties around the cable in places you cannot get to as they were done during manufacture, takes several hours, when it could be done in 30 minutes.

[Wayne]

Along the lines of the electric boat thread I would say a hybrid powertrain would be better then an electric. A drive pack consisting of 1 or 2 electric motors with a transmission could be packaged efficiently in either a direct or V-drive configuration. Then a high voltage battery pack supplemented by a generator module to power it.

 

The generator module needs to be a high speed unit (think small gas turbine engine) get a high power to size ratio. The battery pack would be smaller than an all electric boat with this type of system. This would also eliminate the down time for charging except for some circumstances (like if the boat was weighted for surfing). However the boat would not be "dead in the water" since you have an onboard generator. You would get reduced performance but still be able to move while charging.

 

Now you can "distribute" the powertrain modules to obtain multiple interior layouts in the same hull but have different interior configuration options while still maintaining a "tournament boat" weight balance for ski wake quality.

[JAG]

my needs are simpler:

 

Small Block Chevy, about 330 horses, throttle body, and that lovely Detroit V8 sound

old style PerfectPass (with the blinking red light)

smooth wake at 32 off

Beautiful Faria gauges, rimmed with titanium bezels

heater

shower

 

wait, I already have that in my 2002 MB Sports 190 :)

 

 

[Wayne]

@BraceMaker and @Nando when I worked for ZF in the passenger car division we looked at adapting our CVT for the marine division. We couldn't take enough cost out to make a business case to produce them for the boat manufacturers. We did however make a 1-off demonstrator for a diesel tug boat.

[DaveD]

How about adding Accuski’s pull-up control to ZO so you don’t get yanked out by one driver and dragged by another.

 

Stealing from other industries:

Taking the gun-sight to the next level, HUD for course alignment

Hybrid powertrain (hopefully this would require a smaller engine opening up interior room)

Automatic stop/start for the motor (put it in gear and the motor starts, take it out of gear and the motor shuts off)

Camera mount on the windshield that follows the rotation of the pylon to track the skier (no more video vibration caused by slack hits)

 

[DW]

@Horton @scotchipman : I moved my fuel tank from transom to in the between front seat ski locker. In addition to fuel gauge, I have a simple dowel marked and simply drop in to get an exact fuel reading if needed. Wake stays the same no matter how much fuel, although not a 30 gallon tank so it would not make a good long distance cruiser. Where the fuel tank was is now a ski locker & shower hose pops out of original transom fuel fill.

[BraceMaker]

@DaveD Like your camera mount idea. I was playing with the "delrin" insert on my prostar with machining one with a lobe shape instead of round. The lobe then always points towards the skier. That with some form of sensor and a servo camera tracker.

 

Like @DW dowel dipstick. Might copy that and make a combo deck key/dipstick.

 

My current tanks have electrical tape every 6 gallons up the tank so I know how many cans to add.

[Jdubs]

With so many sharing the ownership in a boat as well as club boats trying to accommodate multiple skiers, I would love to see the manufactures add in software to show who is using the boat. This could be accomplished already with the key-less pin code on Nautiques. I think that it would bring a lot more accountability to the one's with the most usage in regards to gas, maintenance, and hours.

[ToddL]

I see a lot of skiers stand on the platform to put on their ski binding, then sit on the rear edge of the boat to put on gloves or ride to the point to get in. Some boat's rear deck is rounded or sloped making this difficult. So, add a rear deck edge that you can sit on. (Like TXi/LXi)

[spicoli]

Never have figured why they don't have a tube for sliding steering cable threw .it would be nice

[ToddL]

conduit!

[Wish]

Electric steering with cable backup if electric fails.

[Orlando76]

@Wish dislike the electric steering idea. My wife's Honda has electric steering, two years and I still can't get used to the feel.

 

I must doing something wrong because it takes me less than 45 minutes to change my steering cable.

[Orlando76]

@DW pictures? I'm intrigued.

[Dacon62]

If not already mentioned...Port side ballast tank to even boat out when only driver in boat. Creatively placed so as not to displace storage space.

[BraceMaker]

@Dacon62 no budet dynamic hull balance system with ability to rebalance boat with ballast on both sides.

 

Gauge to show hull level. Rocker switch to transfer side to side

[andjules]

4.0L aluminum V8 Lexus from the '98-01 Toyota Epics (updated of course).

Smart fuel- and weight-efficient power, more than enough.

[Roger]

I'm with @Orlando76 I have changed out 4 steering cables in SN196s and it never took more than 45 minutes.

[Porkfight]

A small rudder position indicator would be nice for new drivers.

[swc5150]

I agree it doesn't take all that long to change a steering cable on a 196, but it could be made easier with a wide conduit. I just did my '06, and fishing it from helm to stern is a pain.

[DW]

@Orlando76

Center mount fuel tank, actually (2).

[UWSkier]

Real gauges

A key

Rocker switches

A Soloshot 3 included (this might be our solution to video guys)

Response LX handling

Mini-tower with ski racks

[Ralph Lee]

@DW Do you ever have a problem smelling gas?

[DW]

@Ralph Lee - no, cap seals and vents go to back of boat or same vent as original.

[Roger]

@swc5150 - "I agree it doesn't take all that long to change a steering cable on a 196, but it could be made easier with a wide conduit. I just did my '06, and fishing it from helm to stern is a pain."

 

How are you doing it? I tape a piece of rope to the old cable when I pull it out, then tape the new cable to the rope and pull it back through, never had much of a problem "fishing" it through that way...

[rq0013]

Cut the rack off the old cable. Tape the new cable to the old one and pull the old cable out from the rear