They boys wanted to do some skiing behind my Pro V w/ 115 Etec. I was not able to pull my nephew (about 180 Lbs) out of the water with one ski.

The boat has alot of pop out of the hole, and gets up on plane very quickly without pulling anybody. I thought I would be able to pull him out of the water, or is that too much weight. Any thoughts.

neeless to say, we went fishing.

Realistically, all you need is 34-36mph for slalom skiing, so you may want to think about getting a "ski" prop, which will be 2,3,4" less pitch than what you may run all the rest of the time. Obviously, you will have to watch your revs when you're running light, but it will make a huge difference in popping that skier out.
HRG

An alternative to buying a new prop might be to invest in a little bit wider ski. Ski width (and the athleticism of the skier) can make a big difference in geting up. Just a thought.

Bill Krejca

All good advice. I would get a cheapie prop, say a 13 pitch. You should then be able to pull two guys on saloms skis.

Maybe start on two skis and drop one !!!!

Sounds like your over powered to me, check this out.:D:laugh:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCd2agnhCVE

Any time you have a boat with a mid range motor - it is very common to have several props for your rig, to maximize its performance for various uses.

In your case, I would guess that you are likely running a 19 or mayby a 17 pitch prop. If you have a very light boat, you might even be running a 21 pitch prop.

I would expect that this prop would be just fine for tubing or sking two skies. However, for popping a single footed skier out of the water, you likely need to pitch down. If you have a 19 pitch, to to a 17 oir a 15 pitch.
If you have a 17 pitch, go to a15 or a 13 pitch.
These don't need to be stainless props, just get a good aluminum prop and it will do just fine.

If running with no load on, and once the load is out of the water, keep an eye on the tach. With a lower pitch prop, it is very easy to overrev your motor. It is quite likely that after getting on plane, you might not be able to go much past 3/4 throttle without overrevving your motor. No big deal, just don't open the throttle all the way, after you are on plane.

However, your single footed skier will be very happy with your use of lighter pitch prop.

Actually, you might like to keep this prop on your boat, if you use the boat for fall time trolling. The 2-4 inches lower pitch, will allow you to troll at about 1/2 the speed you currently run your rig.

Obvioulsy you will get poorer gas mileage, since you need to spin your prop more to move the same distance. So, this is a down side.

Again, depending on how much you down pitch, you will also slow your top end. Again, this may or may not be an issue with you.

Another good thing about running a lower pitch prop, is the much better boat control, and planing ability when working big waves with several folks in the boat with full gear. You never go very fast when working big waves, and the low pitch prop, allows instant acceleration, great speed up and slow down to work waves.

Good luck and enjoy the rest of the summer.

REW

p.s.
If you aren't sure on the size of prop to get for your single footed skiing - err on the side of going too low in pitch, to insure that you get the extra hole shot that you want to get.

Also, in your prop shopping, try to go to the largest diameter prop that will fit inside your cavitation plate with out hitting it.
Generally speaking, when the pitch goes down, the diameter goes up to keep the motor load constant. However, this is a variable depending on brand. So, before shpping for props, do some measruing and determine the maximum size prop that you can fit on your boat.
If you have a current undamaged prop on your boat, measure the clearance, and compare that against the marked diameter of the prop.

Lets say that you have a 13 1/4 X 19 pitch prop. On your boat, it is quite likely that you can go up to a 14 inch diameter prop. If you can find a 14 inch diameter by 15 pitch prop for your boat, you will have a real stump puller. You will take about 7 miles per hour off the top end, but your hole shot will be great.

Remember, the larger diameter gives you a larger prop disk, or you will be able to move more water. The more water that your prop can move during the hole shot, the better your hole shot will be.


Take care
REW

Some of it can depend on the skier and how they get up. Some guys put 2 feet and keep the ski straight up and down. This puts a lot of strain on the motor. My technique is to use 1 foot in. Once the boat gets going a little the ski starts laying parrell to the water. Once that happens I was able to stand up and slip my back foot in. If he is an experienced skier he may be able to alter his start routine.

Not to age my self but I started skiing when a 50-60 hp was a bigger motor. It doesnt take that big of a motor to get someone started is they are able to reduce the pull on the boat.

agree with jokerjim and the smaller prop.

Getting up on one ski vs two skis takes alot more umph or hole shot. get him up on two skis and drop one with the motor and prop you currently have or drop down in pitch or two.