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Does anyone water ski with their toon and a 150?

Sharkwood

Sharkwood

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Any tips or tricks to skiing behind a pontoon? I didn't grow up water skiing but I've always wanted to try it. I have a 22 ft Benny tri-toon with a Yamaha 150. I would think it would have enough power but I'm not sure. Any advice? I would like to hear from the voice of experience.
 
We pull both 10 yr old grandkids on jr skis. We pull an 88 yr old on regular adult skis and we have a pair of large person skis for our larger friends. We have a 22' with the Merc 150. The hole shot is good. We have only pulled people on 2 skis. For the grandkids it would have enough to get them up on a slalom. For an adult it probably would not pop them up but an experienced should be able to get up. Also don't have 8-10 people in the boat. When we were looking for skis for the grandkids, they were hard to find. Nobody stocks them anymore. We found our local marina on Lake Cumberland had a good selection at very fair pricing.
 
Yes you are able to ski behind your boat!!! My wife is able to slalom and both adult kids wakeboard behind our Mercury 150! It has more torque than our previous 220hp I/O and easily pulls them out of the water! What prop do you have on your motor?!?
 
As Daril says, prop is everything. If you don't have the grip on your current prop you can try swapping in another with more diameter/blade area that can get those skiers up quick without giving them too much of a facewash. You might lose some top end speed but that's a small price to pay vs any other alternative.
 
I love to ski behind my 21LL tri-toon. I have the F150 with a 3 blade SS 14.5X15 no problem getting up and I'm, 6'3" 220. To be honest several friends have ski boats and some including me prefer the tri-toon, almost zero wake. The only very minor issue is it's a small double wake. I'm switching over to 4 blade SS 14.25x14 for better control since I boat on the Columbia river. Going to put the new prop on today and take a ski run.
 
Sharkwood said:
Any tips or tricks to skiing behind a pontoon? I didn't grow up water skiing but I've always wanted to try it. I have a 22 ft Benny tri-toon with a Yamaha 150. I would think it would have enough power but I'm not sure. Any advice? I would like to hear from the voice of experience.
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I use to ski all the time behind mine with a 115. I now have a 150. Slalom is easier now. Just be sure you have a watcher which is required by law everywhere.
 
It's a 3 bladed black prop. I'm thinking aluminum but not sure. The only numbers on the prop I could find say 15 M.
 
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Sharkwood said:
It's a 3 bladed black prop. I'm thinking aluminum but not sure. The only numbers on the prop I could find say 15 M.
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Yup, you have an aluminum prop. I wouldn’t go with that with any 150HP and up motor UNLESS worried about sticking rocks and obstacles, lake bottom. 150 and up should otherwise be a SS prop to avoid flex and loss of grip. Also, good suggestions above on props, maybe a 3 blade SWSII or Enertia and hub kit. Probably in the +/1 14p range with either of those. . Switch to one of those, and you’ll have overall better performance for your motor and boat, as well as popping those skiers up with no problems.
 
JAMS said:
I love to ski behind my 21LL tri-toon. I have the F150 with a 3 blade SS 14.5X15 no problem getting up and I'm, 6'3" 220. To be honest several friends have ski boats and some including me prefer the tri-toon, almost zero wake. The only very minor issue is it's a small double wake. I'm switching over to 4 blade SS 14.25x14 for better control since I boat on the Columbia river. Going to put the new prop on today and take a ski run.
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You're right Jams! The little double wake behind our boat bugs my wife but she's used to it now! She grew up skiing behind her father's Mastercraft boats so she was spoiled!
 
Angela & Michael said:
I use to ski all the time behind mine with a 115. I now have a 150. Slalom is easier now. Just be sure you have a watcher which is required by law everywhere.
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For what it's worth, a wide angle rearview mirror for the driver suffices here. Actually, as long as the skier has on an approved PFD, I think that's the only "requirement" in NC. Or a watcher, or the mirror.

"To tow someone on water skis, a surfboard, or similar devices, there must be a competent observer on board, or the vessel must be equipped with a wide-angle mirror to observe the skier being towed, or the person being towed is wearing a properly fitted USCG-approved PFD. The towing vessel must have room within the vessel’s maximum capacity, for anyone being towed behind the boat."
 
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BigD said:
For what it's worth, a wide angle rearview mirror for the driver suffices here. Actually, as long as the skier has on an approved PFD, I think that's the only "requirement" in NC. Or a watcher, or the mirror.

"To tow someone on water skis, a surfboard, or similar devices, there must be a competent observer on board, or the vessel must be equipped with a wide-angle mirror to observe the skier being towed, or the person being towed is wearing a properly fitted USCG-approved PFD. The towing vessel must have room within the vessel’s maximum capacity, for anyone being towed behind the boat."
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I strongly suggest checking state laws on towing a person. A PWC law is differet than a boat per NC State law.

  • A PWC must have a rearview mirror or an observer on board besides the operator to legally tow someone on skis or similar device.
 
Angela & Michael said:
I strongly suggest checking state laws on towing a person. A PWC law is differet than a boat per NC State law.

  • A PWC must have a rearview mirror or an observer on board besides the operator to legally tow someone on skis or similar device.
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Yep. What I quoted came from NC boating law and not PWC's. But a rearview mirror also suffices vs an observer on a PWC per the written law in NC. Same in Virginia.
 
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Yup for years we didn't ski unless we had an observer on board. 95% of the time it's just my wife and I. But since we have our PTM Edge mirror I have towed my wife many times legally. Confirmed by the Iredell Co. Sheriffs Dept. water patrol.
 
A quick follow up. I purchased a pair of adult beginner skis and have successfully got up and skied several times. The wife had no problem getting me up with our stock 150 and prop. I'll be 64 in a couple of months and can honestly say that it's the most fun and rewarding thing I done in a long time.
Thanks to all.
 
Yesterdays ski behind the L21 - SPS package, Yamaha F150 with a SS 4 blade 14.25X14 prop like I noted before my buddies and I love skiing behind the toon
 

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I ski'd for years and years with various V-bottom boats we've owned. I was the same weight and height then as I am now, 6' 2 1/2" and 240 lbs. I singled with a World Team Comp O'Brian 72" and if any of you know what Caeser's Fountain looks like in Las Vegas, that's what it looked like when I was getting up waaaaaaaaaaay back then. You couldn't even see me for a good 5-10 seconds right after the boat took off. Then, I'd emerge like one of those super submarines that pops up out of the water in movies. My shoulders, arms and wrists would take a beating back then but I didn't care, I loved water skiing.

The last time I skii'd was decades ago and I haven't skii'd in years and years. I'd love to but, at almost 72, and not quite as strong as I once was, I think I'd yank a shoulder right out of its socket if I tried. As for a pontoon with a 150 on it, yeah, even with an aluminum prop, you should be able to get up. There's some tips and tricks that may need to be learned. Some do the "two skiis" take off then, kick a ski off once their up. Some "drag a foot" to help get up. Neither of those methods worked for me. I just muscled it out with both feet in the boots and would finally emerge like a drunken whale. My kids used to tell me a long time ago, "dad, you really move the boat around when cutting"!
Scott
 
FIRE UP said:
I ski'd for years and years with various V-bottom boats we've owned. I was the same weight and height then as I am now, 6' 2 1/2" and 240 lbs. I singled with a World Team Comp O'Brian 72" and if any of you know what Caeser's Fountain looks like in Las Vegas, that's what it looked like when I was getting up waaaaaaaaaaay back then. You couldn't even see me for a good 5-10 seconds right after the boat took off. Then, I'd emerge like one of those super submarines that pops up out of the water in movies. My shoulders, arms and wrists would take a beating back then but I didn't care, I loved water skiing.

The last time I skii'd was decades ago and I haven't skii'd in years and years. I'd love to but, at almost 72, and not quite as strong as I once was, I think I'd yank a shoulder right out of its socket if I tried. As for a pontoon with a 150 on it, yeah, even with an aluminum prop, you should be able to get up. There's some tips and tricks that may need to be learned. Some do the "two skiis" take off then, kick a ski off once their up. Some "drag a foot" to help get up. Neither of those methods worked for me. I just muscled it out with both feet in the boots and would finally emerge like a drunken whale. My kids used to tell me a long time ago, "dad, you really move the boat around when cutting"!
Scott
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That's why I'm the designated driver now! Not worth the hassle of getting this 225 lbs. out of the water! Loved it back in the day! People used to love to watch me ski because I never fell the same way twice!
 
BigKahuna said:
Yup for years we didn't ski unless we had an observer on board. 95% of the time it's just my wife and I. But since we have our PTM Edge mirror I have towed my wife many times legally. Confirmed by the Iredell Co. Sheriffs Dept. water patrol.
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I have the same mirror and it makes towing much safer even with a spotter. Towing is a 3 person activity at a minimum on my boat. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer!
 
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