What was the first boat you single skied behind?

[riverman140]

Learned to ski behind our ‘86 Crusader W/ Merc 200 at Red Rooster on the Colorado river. Shore start and rip your arms out of the sockets. Engine used to load up so you would have to make it through the cloud of 2 stroke smoke. Love that smell! Good times

 

[oldschool]

Learned to ski behind this around '73. I don't remember how long it took to get up on a single, but it wasn't too long.

View attachment 675690

Learned to ski behind this around '73. I don't remember how long it took to get up on a single, but it wasn't too long.

View attachment 675690

That scoop looks familiar, H/M?

 

[Wavemaker]

I learned to waterski at Lake Arrowhead in the summer of 1962 behind my uncle’s Chris Craft. Used Taperflex skis. By the end of the three day weekend I was skiing on one ski, as I had a hard time keeping my left ski on. My uncle made me try on one ski only, explaining to me that “it kind of like skateboarding, only on water.” Got up on the third attempted start. Many happy times at Lake Arrowhead with my cousins on Holiday weekends waterskiing for many years.

 

[LazyLavey]

1963, Lake Isabella

16' Glaspar

My Bad... Isabella was doubles....

Singles.... 1974

BILs Avenger in Blythe

 

[RogerThat99]

It was behind this 1968 v-drive built by a guy in NorCal. It had approx 450 HP 454. I think they only built this 18' and a 21'. I can't remember the guys name. My Dad bought the boat new.

 

[Big Chorizo]

My dad's 1976 18' Tahiti Tri-Hull, he still has it. Powered by a 4 cylinder Mercruiser I/O.

 

[jesco]

25' Boston Whaler with a Merc hangin off the back on Havasu (Springs side of the lake). My best friends dad threw me in the water, told me I couldn't get back in until I got up... I had just turned 11. He drug me around for an hour or so, I was so tired I couldn't lift my arms. He would pull up next to me, tell me what I was doing wrong and let me rest off the back of the boat, but couldn't get back in. I ate a sandwich, had a coke, some chips, all floating off the ass end of "BIG BERTHA" (thats what all us kids called his boat). Finally I got up, went about 100yrds and he killed the motor.... hahahaha. Made me get up one more time to prove it wasn't luck and than he let me back in the boat. The next day I skied all day!!!

 

[Wicky]

77 Hawaiian jet boat...got up first time on 2 skis....and went directly to a single that same day. I was 12. Got up on the third try.

 

[Rayson1971]

1980 21' Tarva. Lake Mojave in 1980 on a wood plank of some sort . Kinda like lake p.a.l showed . Felt like you were hauling ass on it . Rode like a flatty in rough water

 

[boatpi]

Btw; I noted in my earlier post I first started skiing around 1960 behind my late uncles Owens with an outboard.

To prove a point and then I still had a few balls left, couple of years ago I hop back on my fat boy [but I am NOT fat] ski at the dam and skiied nonstop to the far side of the island probably 40 miles.

I went through two cans of beer is I kept in the pockets of my board shorts ‍

 

[throttle]

my dad's stoker.

I wonder what they had in those dr pepper cans that they wouldn't share with me. getting me up on one ski was like an abba zaba pulling your teeth out. even more classic, my first boat was a mastercraft and I couldn't afford a ski so I learned to barefoot off the boom with a handle.

 

[KevinR]

That scoop looks familiar, H/M? View attachment 675861

Sweet! What hull is that? Sure does look like a Holman-Moody air scoop on top of that 427 FE. My dad had a Tiger wood deck flatbottom with a 427 sideoiler. Loved that boat!

 

[Justfishing]

68 Larson 16' with 40hp johson

 

[Kailuaboy89]

1985 19' Bayliner cuddy Cabin with a Force 125 hp outboard, in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, next to Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station in 85'-86'
Boat was a pile and couldn't get out of its own way, but man we had FUN!

 

[Demoman]

1981 19ft Silverline with a 350 merc

Flathead Lake MT

Summer of 81 I was 7

 

[Bowtiepower00]

Early 80's 16' Bayliner with a force 90 outboard lol... Crystal Lake Iowa (more like a pond)

 

[TCHB]

Rat Hole
1965 Stevens Flat with a Buick!!! No reverse.

 

[rmarion]

78, Needles, 16' Flattie... 60 degree water... my balls are still shrunk from that cold water....

 

[DEEZNUTS]

19 Daytona. 13.5:1 468. Full race pump. Dominators on a tunnel ram and dry shorties.

 

[74 spectra20 v-drive]

Summer of 1977' Kings River behind Dad's boat. 63' Spitfire w/ 401 nail head...I had no idea how cool this boat was, I wanted to ski behind the Sanger Bubble deck. Boat has looked the same since 65', lost the mid deck and bench seat in 2000.

 

[wishiknew]

And where?

For me it was my friends Rayson Craft.

Lake Havasu, just outside of Crazy Horse. Back when the lake was flat, even on the weekends!

Edit: 74 or 75 me thinks

1961 glasspar 75 Johnson toms landing Parker 1961

 

[Nokomis]

1982 Steury Tri Hull with a 75 Chrysler. Blue Spring Lake, Jefferson Co. WI.

 

[f12517]

1981 22 foot Searay Sundancer cabin cruiser at 7 years old. 100ft rope behind that monster. We didn’t know any better.

Best memory I have is my grandfather, my dad and I skiing behind that boat at the same time all on slalom ski’s at Lake Naciemento

 

[rivermobster]

Super stoked, all these skiing threads got my daughter to want to single ski so I picked one up today at a used sporting goods store for 30 dollars. It's a 64in, on the max length for her weight but mine is 70in so this will do, bindings are in great shape.

View attachment 675639

That's awesome!!!

 

[brgrcru]

Super stoked, all these skiing threads got my daughter to want to single ski so I picked one up today at a used sporting goods store for 30 dollars. It's a 64in, on the max length for her weight but mine is 70in so this will do, bindings are in great shape.

View attachment 675639

very cool .
Its nice seeing parents taking the time to teach the kids to ski. just see to many just pulling tubes.
great times. my kids had to ski first, before any other water activity was played.
they both got it right away 4/5 yr double skies and then 7/8 yr single ski.
funny how they picked it up right away, with right equipment.
took me 1000 times to try to get up on one. with my dads size 12 boot and 71" ski when I was 9. lol

 

[Sharp Shooter]

That scoop looks familiar, H/M? View attachment 675861

Nothing better than a H/M Ford in a 60's flatty!

 

[kelsey]

The first time I singled was 1963 on Havasu. When there was only two ways to get on the lake, by the Parker Dam or drive around to black meadows.
We owned a house on the river about a mile an a half down river from foxes on the California side. However, about 1962 instead of going to the house for summer vacation my folks decided that we were going to camp out on Havasu on one of the islands. When my folks went on vacation to the River....3 or 4 other family's, relatives, friends, also came along. It was fantastic!!!! In those days it was almost illegal to be in a boat with out a beer. Not me, the adults. No body had boats or even knew about the River or Havasu or Lake Mead. We had everything to our self's.
Everyday we skied, fished, tubed and whatever else we could think of.
My folks had a 1959 Chris craft Ski Boat.
The original Ski Boat that master craft and all the other knock offs were designed after. Solid mahogany with 283 punched out to a 301. It was the first Chris Craft that didn't have a full straight seat. You could walk through.
Anyway, I had just finished skiing, on doubles, I was 9 yesterday old! I asked my dad if I could try a single? He said " you can't single, besides we don't have a single for you!" My mother chimed in, "Bo, let him try! He can use my ski!" My mom started singling last summer so, for Xmas she got a custom Velmar ski!!! All wood with her name, Donna, in-layed down the middle in mahogany. Beautiful skis. All hand made. We all got Velmar skis for Christmas, when we learned to single the summer before.
The folks argued for a few minutes about me singling. My dad didn't have any confidence.....my mom won! My dad said, Steven, grab a belt and your mother's ski and get wet! In those days we wore belts, not vests. We also skied with two handles. I'm in the water. Got the handles, one on either side of the ski, dad's idling out to tighten the ski line. It's now drawing me through the water and I yell HIT IT!!!! and that ol Chris Craft popped me out of the water like no-bodys business. I was singling! I had to learn how to control that ski. I was on the outside of the wake and that's where I stayed! The wake behind a Chris Craft is big, especially when your 9.
Dad pulled me for about 10 minutes and then pulled me back by the island real fast where I threw the handles up in the air, like I'd seen all the adults do, and cruised almost to the sand. All the adults, and my cousins were clapping and praising me.
That was my first single ski ride. I live in Tucson now for the past 34 years had to leave the state I love because of what the f in democrats were doin. Now, they are running from the state they allowed to get f Ed up and coming here trying to push their bullshit here. That's ok, we carry guns and there's lot of desert here.
I'm 70 years old, still work construction everyday except, when I'm at the River and yes, I still ski. In 3 weeks in bhc.

 

[Todd Mohr]

Sidewinder 18SS jet, 455 olds, on the delta, thinking 11 years old.

 

[Andy B.]

24' Bayliner cuddie cabin.

 

[77charger]

Parents old charger.

First time I got up about 80ft was pyramid lake but couldn’t after that luck that day.

But first time I got up and could keep going was lake Yosemite in Merced as parents had a house there we used for vacations. Was probably about 82-83 or so.

Been 4 years since I’ve skied no one to pull me anymore but maybe I’ll get a break and get up again miss it.

 

[4Waters]

24' Bayliner stabin cabin.

Fixed it

 

[cofooter]

My sister's boyfriend at the time family had a Campbell day cruiser and a place in the Springs, I must have been in my last year or two of high school maybe 1980 ish. Never even tried a single ski but popped up the first time, I was pretty surprised. My daughter liked to wake board as a kid, never even tried double skis but we were goofing around one day and she tried a single ski and popped up first time!!

 

[2Driver]

It took forever to get up and if you fell the fuckers kept going.

 

[Luvnlife]

20’ Spectra 454 Jacuzzi

 

[Ultra912]

1973 SKV

 

[Andy B.]

Fixed it

I fixed it cuddie is what I meant .
I was 22 at the time so your word fits the boat better

 

[Lunatic Fringe]

A 1960's era 14' Pipestone Scout runabout with an early 70's 20HP Johnson outboard.
It was strong enough for single ski starts until I was around 10. Then it was start on 2 and drop one.

Dad finally bought something with a little more HP but mot by much.

 

[Machally]

My Uncle‘s 1965 Mandella at Lake Berryessa. Loved that boat, he’s the original owner and still has it. I have my dad‘s 1970 Mandella. It’s been in our family now for 40 years but hasn’t been driven for a while. I am coming to terms that I should probably sell it to someone who will bring it back to its old glory. Absolutely love these boats, nothing better than sitting in the water looking at the stern of these boats.

 

[Flat freak]

67 wood deck Miller flat bottom, with my 16 year old “older” brother driving. I remember not getting up my first 4 or 5 tries and him looping back around and shutting the boat off. He climbed up to the front of the deck, pointed his finger at me and said, “if you don’t F¥{king get up I’m not turning around “ that fixed my ski I got up

 

[napanutt]

I’d have to ask my dad but I think it was his 74 Kona jet. Late 70’s. Lake Berryessa.

 

[shueman]

1961 Glaspar Avalon 75 Evinrude @Ski-land in Perris Ca

 

[rrrr]

Thought you guys might like to guess the last time I hit the slalom course.

 

[Sharky]

74 Larson, 16 foot open bow that dad had re-powered with a 100HP Merc outboard.

Used to have a Johnson but dad knew a guy that could get a good deal on a new Merc.

Blue Mesa Reservoir. Even in July it was colder than shit. Hell, the water that fills it was just melting snow from 2 days ago.

 

[Boatymcboatface]

I don’t know the brand but I do know it was a jet boat in lake Elsinore and I wasn’t to happy about it!

 

[TimeBandit]

Small block v drive flat bottom @ Havasu we camped out at crazy horse.

It's good to be young.

 

[90 Laveycraft]

'73 Sanger 19' Bubble Deck V-Drive / Pudding Stone

Back when you could get off work at 5 in Arcadia and make it to the Pudding Stone Inspection Station before they closed the gate and still have 90 minutes left to ski!!

Arcadia Apache class of '80 here..