sonofadocker wrote:
I picked up a 30 year old 19 foot eight seater skiboat with 900 hours
on the boat.
mercruiser 165hp alpha one.
i paid 1,000.00 for it.
granted it takes ten seconds longer to plain out but i didnt spend 20k.
the kids laughed just as much getting up on ski's slow than getting
their arms pulled out of their sockets.
i am very happy and the boat is solid enough to invest in.

sonofadocker

Man whatever floats your boat as they say :-) It all depends on what
one want and what one can afford.

That being said the first boat that I remember was a 1970 Beachcraft
trihull with a chevy 250 inline six, 165 hp engine. It was a 18 footer
if memory servers. We called it the aquatractor as it had so much
pulling power out first V8 was a big let-down. My Pop had five ringbolts
on the transum so we could pull six people water skiing. It was one
hell of a boat.

On the down side the prop torq could get onew tired at some speeds.
Seems like the drive was balanced at 25mph pretty well. But faster or it
would pull to the right pretty strong. I can still remenber hanging on
the left side of the wheel to go straight over thirty.

I have to say the newer v8's with power steering are more enjoyable to
run. But I will always have fond memories of that Merc 165 :-)

Capt Jack R..

Jay wrote:

I am new to boating and just got a lake house on Lake Hartwell, GA. I
am interested in a used boat, possibly a deck boat that would be good
for pulling a skier, but also comfortable enough for about 8-10 people,
and would require low maintenance. I need a primer on what features,
brands to look for. I have been advised to get something with 200
hours or less use. I was thinking of spending no more than about $23K
but would prefer less if that is attainable. Thanks for any advice.
Jay