Hi, I'm looking at purchasing an 18 ft ski boat along the lines of a
Sea-Ray, Four Winns, Maxum I'm not sure on which make yet but I can't
decide on which engine size.

The boat is for recreational use such as light duty water skiing and
wakeboarding of mostly kids with a few adults onboard.
I'm hearing various stories that the 3.0 inboard is underpowered and that I
should stay away from it. Some people I talk to say that that engine on an
18ft boat won't be able to even pull a 100 lb kid out of the water. Of
course these are people with the 4.3 liter engines. Is there anyone out
there that can tell me what kind of performance I could expect with a 3.0
liter inboard, can I pull a water skier out of the water?

Thanks in Advance for any input.