just got done reading boating instead of waterski mag

[ToddF]

after looking at all the insanely expensive boats and truck comparison I started wondering about the biggest boat I ever skied behind and I couldn't really come up with anything bigger than an old bayliner cruiser.

 

anyone ski behind a big boat? what was the biggest or craziest thing you have skied behind?

[oldjeep]

23ish ft 454 powered jet boat is what i learned to ski behind.

[MISkier]

Glastron Carlson 460 Ford jet boat. 65 mph. Just skiing directly behind it, the wake felt like a gravel road at that speed.

[GregHind]

I was in position r8, just to the right side of directly behind the boat. 3150hp. One hundred and fifty three other skiers others started with me. Incredible.

Didn’t try barefooting behind it....

[MISkier]

@GregHind, I would give you more than one awesome if I could.

[ScottScott]

I think @GregHind wins.....

[Glydon]

@GregHind Congrats end of post ...

 

[Chef23]

@GregHind is there video somewhere of you guys getting up? I would love to see that. The logistics of managing the ropes must have been unbelievable.

[Than_Bogan]

@Chef23 That boat is totally not fitting through our tunnel...

[Laz]

@GregHind You win. :)

[jercrane]

I don't think I could handle being any position in that mess other than the far left or far right. R8? thats nuts.

[jercrane]

[Chef23]

That is nuts.

[Wish]

@Than_Bogan will this one fit?? This would have been easier on some jumpers. Or someone with skill.

[KRoundy]

I wake boarded behind a 28 foot Sea Ray cabin cruiser in the mid-90's. The wake was so big and sharp/steep that you really couldn't do anything with it. I think the boat was a Sea Ray 280 Sundancer.

 

 

[GregHind]

@chef23 here is the video of our 114 then skier world record from 2010. Keep in mind the boat was full throttle for 10 seconds before the video started and the footage is real time as it switches from the skiers to the captain. It took 100 seconds, more than one and a half minutes to make power and pull us up. We practiced 100 second drags endlessly for our 145 skier record.

 

 

@jercrane the easiest positions by far were behind the boat as the prop wash got you extra thrust and let you up earlier and the far left and right because it was clean flat water.

The hardest positions by far were between the boats double wakes on either side. Between those double wakes you get skiers either side of you crunched at you as they surf them, the space gets narrower as you get up to speed and crossing them

Is hard so you have to survive while each person to cross does that one by one. Once the boat finally gets everybody up it runs away and is much too fast. No zero off on a tour cat!

Once you survive the start and get through the first 20 seconds after everybody stands up, it’s pretty easy.

 

For the 145 skier run we did some hotrodding work on the boat and it made more power than we expected. It ripped 154 of us out faster than we could have imagined. We lost 9 skiers which was very few compared to others percentages.

 

I’ve had a few messages this year about pulling a 100 person pyramid and helping another team break the 145 record.....

[GregHind]

@Chef23 we had 12 full blown attempts between 2008 and 2012 to master ropes. The rope team was incredible and yes it was military precision. We don’t show video of the ropes methods or the boom design because they are two of the hardest most expensive lessons we had to master.

We had a PA on the boat that could be heard 2.5 miles away (needed it to coordinate the skiers, ropes, helpers etc). The 145 video got taken down by YouTube because I used music...

 

At about 1:45 to 2 minutes this video shows the crunch of skiing between the double wakes

 

[GregHind]

This is the old record of 100 skiers set in 1986. It took 25 years and numerous different teams attempts spending many millions to beat it.

[NikolG]