Pictures of my old boats

[Scott Russell]

I mentioned them in my post yesterday but didn't have them sized correctly. Thought I'd start a new thread with the pictures so they weren't at the bottom of the other post. 

This is the one I learned to ski behind

This was a 79 Chris Craft that came after my dad sold the mahogany boat to some nut with more money that good sense
 

And lastly, Master Craft stars and stripes behind my 79 Silverado, which would be worth quite a bit today if I'd had the sense to keep it. 

[Cooper_Trelawney]

I bet that mahogany Chris Craft sounded great!

[aupatking]

Here’s a few of mine

[03RLXi]

Only 2 for me 

2002 Response LX 310h carb and now 2003 Response LXi 340hp EFI. Can't see us changing for many years, if ever.

 

[Scott Russell]

1 hour ago, Cooper_Trelawney said:

I bet that mahogany Chris Craft sounded great!

It sure did. Pretty loud for water injected exhaust but the idle was great. 

[Scott Russell]

1 hour ago, aupatking said:

Here’s a few of mine

That black Mastercraft is SWEET! You've had a LOT of super cool boats. 😎 I've always had a soft spot for the 80's Nautiques too.

[Scott Russell]

41 minutes ago, 03RLXi said:

Only 2 for me 

2002 Response LX 310h carb and now 2003 Response LXi 340hp EFI. Can't see us changing for many years, if ever.

 

Both are beautiful. 

[Dsully]

This was the boat I learned to ski behind. A 1968 Carver runabout. It was pretty advanced for it's day with Volvo sterndrive, 289 Crusader with closed cooling system.

[ETskier]

I would love to have a boat like that Carver to run around on the big lakes here in Lake County FL.

[ReallyGottaSki]

ok, ill play boats too!

 

[Scott Russell]

1 hour ago, ReallyGottaSki said:

ok, ill play boats too!

 

LOVE the tan and brown colors on that interior. That boat looks fantastic. 👌 

Now I see what manifolds you were talking about before. I need some of those. Not only do they look great, but I'd bet they knocked a good 80+ lbs off the weight of the engine assembly. 

There not many mechanical challenges I don't enjoy, but man that fiberglass works looks tough. When I was younger I might have considered trying it, but I don't think I'd attempt it these days. 

[ReallyGottaSki]

Thank you Scott, its been a budget continuous improvement project since i acquired it clapped out in 96

 

the manifolds saved more like 55 pounds, still substantial

it skies well also, not just for me but at the speeds the smaller ones enjoy

this is the wake at 28 mph/15 off

i think the big 3 could learn that the youngsters have not seen much for boat improvements in a few decades, one could argue from a girls/boys 1 -3   perspective the ski experience is harder with these big boats. then we ponder where are the youngsters in comp skiing. Combined with costs, a couple decades of that starts to add up.  

[ALPJr]

What wake 😀 I don’t see any.

[Scott Russell]

2 hours ago, ReallyGottaSki said:

Thank you Scott, its been a budget continuous improvement project since i acquired it clapped out in 96

 

the manifolds saved more like 55 pounds, still substantial

it skies well also, not just for me but at the speeds the smaller ones enjoy

this is the wake at 28 mph/15 off

i think the big 3 could learn that the youngsters have not seen much for boat improvements in a few decades, one could argue from a girls/boys 1 -3   perspective the ski experience is harder with these big boats. then we ponder where are the youngsters in comp skiing. Combined with costs, a couple decades of that starts to add up.  

That wake looks fantastic for the rope length for sure. 

I really think the recreational skier of a lower financial demographic has been left behind years ago by the boat manufacturers. Very few people can afford to just go buy a new boat these days, and the crazy LONG term financing is just encouraging reckless spending. The interest on those loans will kill your soul if you look at an amortization calendar.  

[hacker]

Old boats… learned to ski behind the 14’ PennYan trail boat in 1968, when I was 8 years old. After that I was skiing behind the ‘63 Chris Craft custom ski boat till 1971. Sadly that beautiful boat left the family after 1972. I didn’t ski behind the white PY outboard in the lift or the neighbors ’49 CC also in the pic. 

[6balls]

That wake is crazy

[ReallyGottaSki]

Thank you Dave, very gracious 

it really surprises anyone i pull with it.  well, who doesn't poo poo and dismiss the offer for it for being too old a boat

this image 34/28, one truly feels nothing  at 28 and 32 off

my 99RCB restoration came on line last season, and just in time, as this 82ss'  stringers were getting soft.  This boat is apart now, getting a composite rebuild to remove all wood this winter, it will rise again and ill gain more skilz in the process. i intend to add some spray rails to make it usable 35 off in some breeze. i'm a chronic turd-polisher, but sometimes they come out alright.

It appears to me the new boat designs with heavier high-drag hulls, low speeds are no better or worse, and when faster, the wake is now replaced with more substantial thrust-wash mass of water, that tends to launch the skier in its stead unless skiing in front of it. That works for us, but for the less proficient the ski experience is meh.

 

[Jody_Seal]

Dad built it in 1965 , still own it today..

[Scott Russell]

26 minutes ago, ReallyGottaSki said:

Thank you Dave, very gracious 

it really surprises anyone i pull with it.  well, who doesn't poo poo and dismiss the offer for it for being too old a boat

this image 34/28, one truly feels nothing  at 28 and 32 off

my 99RCB restoration came on line last season, and just in time, as this 82ss'  stringers were getting soft.  This boat is apart now, getting a composite rebuild to remove all wood this winter, it will rise again and ill gain more skilz in the process. i intend to add some spray rails to make it usable 35 off in some breeze. i'm a chronic turd-polisher, but sometimes they come out alright.

It appears to me the new boat designs with heavier high-drag hulls, low speeds are no better or worse, and when faster, the wake is now replaced with more substantial thrust-wash mass of water, that tends to launch the skier in its stead unless skiing in front of it. That works for us, but for the less proficient the ski experience is meh.

 

There nothing wrong with bringing back old boats, or keeping them going and improving them. There are so many purely open water recreational skiers who could really have more fun with an old competition ski boat, but fear of getting one with rotten stingers scare a lot of people away from buying them. I see old Ski Nautiques and Master Crafts that have been left outside to rot for sale for $1000 or best offer. It seems a shame to let them die. It does my heart good to see your dedication and determination to keep a boat alive, and even improve it. 

I'm just getting back up to speed on where things have gone since I got out of skiing at tournament level 28 years ago, and I'm just learning that Master Craft stopped putting wood in their hulls at some point in the 80's. Is that true? If so, I'm surprised there are LOT more of them on the water today. 

I'll be very interested to see how your composite stringer project goes. I'd bet there are a lot of people who would rather do that than put wood back in the boat knowing it will only deteriorate again over time. 

[Scott Russell]

19 minutes ago, Jody_Seal said:

Dad built it in 1965 , still own it today..

V-drives are a blast! I've had two friends that raced them. There's definitely an art to manipulating the cavitation plates for the best performance. Not a boat type that you just jump in and hammer the pedal to the floor without some instruction. They sure look cool on a good pass with the whole hull out of the water with the front end looking like it would blow over at any second. The weird thing is that to ride in one, it feels really stable even though it looks pretty scary to watch.