DynaSkiPete

I measured the existing platforms. 22" by 16". They could be made bigger but the question is what is the minimum size that would work? I don't own a double boot slalom ski or have anyone that really slalom skis so keep that in mind.

Carpet is most practical for the interior floor. Carpet is the cheapest solution. Unfortunately carpet quality varies widely. Many snap in carpets used were cheap and they shrink often. Yes moisture is retained under snap in carpet. I think in some locations Sea Deck will create problems long term. Sprayed on non skid has its advantages. Many textures to choose from also creates questions about which to use. Buyer preference is always the determining factor. Ask your wife what she wants! B)

Carpet is timeless. Sea deck will date the boat. Snap in carpet tends to shrink and not fit well eventually.

Full width swim platforms on an outboard can be done. It is not easy and won't be cheap. I have sold Dyna-Ski Boats to slalom skiers. We leave the boarding ladder off one boarding platform. Buyers have responded "it works better than I expected it would". If we ever get caught up from building custom ordered Dyna-Ski Water Ski Boats & Recon Fishing Boats we have talked about making larger platforms for starters. The engineering for a practical platform that will last a lifetime and molds to make them is not easy or cheap.

If you are interested in trying a Dyna-Ski you should contact info@dyna-ski.com. People even fly in to try them. Lots of info on my blog at www.dynaskiboats.com Having a dealer network adds about 33% to the cost of boats in the end.

17.6 weighs in around 2000 lbs. Boat & Motor water ready. 20' weighs in around 2700 lbs. Boat & Motor water ready. The flooring they use on pontoons looks like it belongs on a pontoon not a water ski boat. Removing the carpet on a Dyna-Ski is not difficult. Our seats all have fiberglass bases. Unscrew them along with the side panels. 15 minute job. I don't care if it is hard on other folks boats perhaps they should allow for it better? Professionals have techniques and equipment that makes it much easier. Some things it is better and wiser to pay a professional to do. Sorry DIY people. I'd spent my time skiing not fixing old boats.

It is interesting to read all the comments. Dyna-Ski Boats has addressed many of them already. I will make some improvements. The old 18' (17. 6") and 20' (19' 4") are very different than the new 20' 1" (20') and 17' 9" (17.6) designs. A modern Dyna-Ski does not have speed holding problems at any speed unless the marina did a bad set up job. We now avoid selling to dealers to avoid this problem. Dyna-Ski boats turn very short. When your outboard gets old you can easily replace it and get modern improvements without having to sell the old boat. The used market for Dyna-Ski is nonexistent because owners seem to keep them forever. Even old Hydrodynes seldom hit the used market. Three Rivers Industry last built Hydrodyne outboards in 1991 or so. Dyna-Ski Boats handle big water and rough water well. Rough water ride is excellent. Several customers use their boats on the oceans of the world. The driver, spotter and passengers can touch the water in the boat. Sorry but snap in carpet is a joke. It shrinks and never fits right in a short period of time. Best bang for the buck is good old fashioned carpet. Cheap to replace also. We have built a couple boats with non skid floors but it is only when the customer insists on it. To rough for my tender old feet. The manufacturers need to once again produce better vinyl to solve an industry wide problem of short life span. I tell everyone the seats will go bad first. Covering the interior vinyl when not in use really helps. We use fiberglass seat bases to make it easier to redo the seats. The Dyna-Ski back seat comes out fairly easy as it is held in by two pins. GPS Speedometer and a dash full of analog gauges has been our standard since GPS Speedometers came on the market. I love them. The Dyna-Ski Blog should have moving wake pictures as we did a video for a 17.6 & 20' Open Bows. I honestly don't remember but I will figure out how to get pictures and maybe videos this summer. Blog is www.dynaskiboats.com. 17.6 with a 115 Evinrude pulling two barefoot water skiers. 75' lines with 3 people in the boat.

I would not sell an outboard without hydraulic steering unless it has a 75 or 90 on a 17.6. People that live on horsepower limited lakes love our 17.6 Open Bow. It is a real ski boat! Some outboards come with power hydraulic steering as standard equipment. Dyna-Ski Boats have hydraulic steering almost always. See above. A Dyna-Ski 20' Open Bow with a single 250 hp outboard will weigh in around 2500 lbs. wet. The Dyna-Ski 20' closed bow model can be had with three 350 hp outboard motors. I don't know that you'd like the wake shape at slalom speeds. The triples are heavy in the transom area and often weighted in the bow a lot. A single slalom skier will not slow down a triple or pull it in a slalom course. A twin might be a better boat for the slalom course. Never tried a 20' Closed Bow multiple motored boat in a slalom course. Might be interesting. My area lacks slalom courses and skiers obviously. We have been approached about building a 20' Open Bow with twin motors. Never had one ordered yet. Crosby and 18' Hydrodyne twin motored boats were used for many years at AWSA tournament events. Hydrodyne had AWSA approved 20' Outboards back in the 1980's and even a 17.6 or two as I recall. There is one show ski team driver that does 8 people around the boat with a Dyna-Ski 20' triple so they do handle well. Pulling up only one skier with a triple or even a twin is a bit of a challenge with so much power. A new water ready triple or twin will be less money than many new top of the line inboards. Dyna-Ski holds many multiple skier towing Guinness World records. Making a bigger ski platform on an outboard can be done. We have boarding platforms. Never had a customer seriously ask for one. I'll have to look for some pictures I have somewhere for examples. Keep the info coming.

Interesting comments. Thanks. Modern outboards don't require any service for 300 hours. Way quieter than any inboards and more fuel efficient too. The electronic shift and throttle are superior to any cabled throttle. A 250 or 300 hp outboard has awesome speed holding. Outboard boats have more space than inboards for similar sized boats. Slalom course skiers will always have to have the boats used in the tournaments as it is how the manufacturers sell new boats. I think the big three and the others are doing a good job for a shrinking market. The wake of an outboard can match an inboard with more weight in the boat you also get better straight line tracking. Bubbles are largely a function of the prop. Many people don't want to buy a vehicle to tow their boat so an outboard is way easier to trailer with the minivan or small SUV. Keep the suggestions coming.

Remember my interest is outboard powered boats. I'm curious how boat owners rank the importance of features and what really matters. With Mercury's new light weight V-6 Four Strokes having Smart Tow which is similar to "Perfect Pass" (I'm told) let's assume it works and not dwell on this area. Dyna-Ski is building a 20' Open Bow boat with a new 200 HP Mercury's V-6 Four Stroke motor for a customer so hopefully I'll get seat of the pants experience with it. It would be nice if respondents listed the most important ones first. Thanks!

Curious does something like this posting work?

Used on Craigslist is the best idea. Buying a whole lift with the canopy has worked for me several times. It took a long time and patiently checking daily was required.

Most people want the public to think they spent a lot of money. Most shoppers are looking for the best bang for the buck. Tough sell I think to get the buyers to come clean and be honest. Another thing to factor in is how much of a cut the dealer took for selling the boat. Some take more and some take less. Transportation also influences the prices. As a manufacturer that sells custom made to order Dyna-Ski Boats directly I don't disclose what my buyers paid. If they want to that is fine. I don't even put prices on the internet. Every boat I sell is priced according to the actual cost of building it, the outboard motor and trailer costs.

A used boat or new boat is worth what people will pay. If people stopped buying expensive boats the prices would come down.

Take a 1/2" 4' by 8' sheet of treated plywood and cut it in half. Do the same with a 4' by 8' sheet of 2" pink insulation. Put the plywood on the outsides building a foam sandwich 4" thick. Bolt it together with carriage bolts with all the round heads on one side. Two of these will float fairly large lifts. I've used 4 to float lifts across lakes several times. Do not move in rough water or windy conditions.

I understand the tournament concerns. The reason the boat companies keep changing is so you have to buy new boats to stay behind the same boats at the tournaments. It is a vicious circle. Not so for bare footers.

It will seem like a very long four days. Your hands will get beat up and all your body will ache. So you will go back again and again . . . . . .

Why do inboard boat buyers worry about resale? If a boat works great why not keep it and not have boat payments eventually? I'm serious as I don't understand the logic.

I had a guy approach me back in 2012 about building a small inboard called the Ski-Riffic. It was an inboard designed to use a V-6. I think his name was Bill Roberts. He had molds and a couple boats I think. He was in the Memphis area and would be around 76 now. I'm never wanting to build inboards but if someone wants to fully fund a new project send me an email. You also need to have $250 K available or so as that is what it will take to have your first boat on the water. Remember I own a small boat company and I know from experience what reality costs.

Modifying a boat trailer tongue would best be left to a professional. It isn't hard but if an accident occurs who's on the hook for the damages? Cutting an opening in the garage door and/or back wall of the garage are the usual easy fixes. A removable tongue might be the cheapest fix rather than a swinging tongue.

The water ski show teams around here (Wisconsin) have Learn to Ski Events. For something like $10 which covers insurance thru US Water Ski. The ski teams are wanting to recruit more skiers. It often draws lots of kids unless the weather is real crappy. Teaching a person to water ski is much easier with a boom I think.

I wonder what it costs to lease a boat for the summer or what ever period is needed?

Since you must have multiple people with access I'm curious what determines who gets to use the lake first?

The biggest liability is an accident with another boat. If you don't allow jet skis to pull anything that would be a smart move.

A call to Todd at Twin Lakes won't cost anything. I'm thinking he may be able to lease or rent the team a boat.