How you impressed the water ski babes back in the day

DangerBoy · February 22, 2019

This is from one of the 1950s Evinrude "How to Book of Water Skiing" brochures I made a couple of the vintage skiing posters I've got on SIA from. Not only does the book teach you how to ski, slalom, build a ramp, jump, do tricks and general boat safety, it also totally teaches you how to make the moves on the water ski babes. All in 10 fact-filled pages. Great book.

If only I had known it was that easy to impress the ladies. :(

I'm also quite impressed that you could pull four "average" girls on skis with a 35 hp outboard or one 150 lb skier with a 7.5 hp o.b. They must've had a lot stronger horses back then. Maybe it was just the lead they used to put in the gas.

MISkier · February 22, 2019

I had one of those Evinrude books from 1954. I scanned the whole thing before donating it to the Michigan Water Ski Association Hall of Fame.

Inside the back cover was a form to join AWSA for life for $50. It had no expiration date. I should have filled it out and mailed it in.

MISkier · February 22, 2019

And, it was the huge skis that allowed that horsepower to get people up. I learned behind a 15 HP engine on a 1949 Chris Craft.

Than_Bogan · February 22, 2019

Yep, huge, flat (no drag) skis and a lot of patience.

MISkier · February 22, 2019

Here's a page from my book on that very topic:

DangerBoy · February 23, 2019

@MISkier I've got copies of the booklet from two different years. One of them has the same pages as you've posted above. Besides the large surface area flat skis it also helps the boats they were using were small and light. Still, pulling 5 skiers with a single 35 HP is pretty impressive. I bet it was slow coming out of the hole though...

But getting back to the page I first posted, I get a real chuckle from the dudes waving to the ladies as they ski by in a foot of water 10 feet out from shore. That would be a real bad time and place to do an end=over.

DangerBoy · February 23, 2019

Hey @OldGuysRule, is that a pair of Kimball fibreglass skis like yours in that Set for Fun picture in my OP? Sure looks like it.

GregHind · February 23, 2019

We pulled 11 skiers from a deep start with a 115hp Yamaha 4 stroke 5 years ago. With a bit more playing with props we could have got 1 or 2 more I think. I would love to ski behind an old boat like this on old skis to see where we came from

OldGuysRule · February 23, 2019

Yes-Kimball water skis. I learned to ski behind that exact Evinrude model-1957 model on a 1957 fiberglass Wizard.

Wish · February 23, 2019

Learned to ski on some yellow Kimballs behind a 10hp vintage to that era Johnson with a 14 foot Alumacraft. Still have the skis.

sodbuster88 · February 24, 2019

Love the skipper’s captain’s cap.

Cent · February 25, 2019

I got my brother up for the first time behind a 14 foot boat with a 1957 5.5 hp Evinrude Fisherman. Slow going to get up but he made it at about age 8. I have that engine now and it’s still going strong. Five generations of family have had use of and enjoyment from that Evinrude engine.