Water Ski Boat, further to, "It's Coming, Little by Little"

[Wayne Cammidge]

I really believe the Water ski industry is the one where Electric Drive Trains could really succeed.

The Average ski set is about 6 passes
With a drop and wait in between each pass
The wait is about 60 seconds
And each pass is only about 700m
On average you are in the water waiting slightly more than you are actually skiing

The boat is under Max loading on each take-off
Then enters High load for the pass
And then has almost zero demand while waiting

Electric Drive and Batteries would be ideal for 2 to 3 Sets
Where after, the Batteries could be charged up for more sets later in the day

But we could add Range Extenders
Where the Batteries are charged during the wait period
And help power the boat while in Ski Mode

These Range extenders could be a Multiple of different options
You could make a Hatch where the customers choice of supplemental power could be installed to suit his needs
You could use Hydrogen Fuel Cells, Diesel Generators, Petrol Generators, LPG Generators, even Turbine APU style generators
And there are probably a whole bunch of other options out there.

With Range extenders fitted, you would be able to run a complete Tournament day
And yet could if you so desire, be Zero emission

The boats would not be able to run full speed for very long
Which is so seldom done, with Tournament Water Ski Boats
But if you had to do a long distance, you could drop down to economical cruise of what the Range extender outputs

You could opt for an extra Battery Bank in the Range Extender hatch if that suited your purposes
Or you could opt not to have a Range extender, if that suited your setup

Maybe even have a Setup where the Range Extender and Extra Battery bank were swappable, quickly and easily to suit different day profiles

[DangerNewb]

Nobody skis any more. Not saying it's good, just pointing out a fact. True ski boat sales are probably 2% of the total wake/ski boat market. Wake boats get run for long periods of time since it's so physically easy compared to skiing. So i just don't see any manufacturer having an incentive to spend the money on R&D to accommodate such a small market segment.

[bouyhead]

For competitive slalom skiing the weight of the batteries is a total deal breaker. The whole idea behind ski boat design is to produce the smallest wake possible.

[DangerNewb]

For competitive slalom skiing the weight of the batteries is a total deal breaker. The whole idea behind ski boat design is to produce the smallest wake possible.

That too! Yeah, one small block v8 vs the battery weight would be an issue for sure.

[David]

For competitive slalom skiing the weight of the batteries is a total deal breaker. The whole idea behind ski boat design is to produce the smallest wake possible.

Which is why my family ski behind an outboard J Craft. The flattest wake around, much flatter than inboard boats as it's a lot lighter.

I did a quick google search so I'm not positive, but it looks like Nautique stopped building the GS22E electric wakeboard boat. I wonder if Electric John ever got his. The battery weight might not matter for wakeboarding - it would reduce the amount of ballast water needed.

It takes around 2 years for an electric car that is used daily to break even on the extra CO2 emissions it takes to make an electric car. One would have to do an awful lot of wake boarding to break even on CO2 emissions

[CUDA]

Skiing behind a Sleekcraft SST was pretty good also


https://youtu.be/TM2zNtgG-jM?si=0b5ZdBCGwqzqzddI


https://youtu.be/3Y54WBbIGJ0

[bouyhead]

Which is why my family ski behind an outboard J Craft. The flattest wake around, much flatter than inboard boats as it's a lot lighter.

I did a quick google search so I'm not positive, but it looks like Nautique stopped building the GS22E electric wakeboard boat. I wonder if Electric John ever got his. The battery weight might not matter for wakeboarding - it would reduce the amount of ballast water needed.

It takes around 2 years for an electric car that is used daily to break even on the extra CO2 emissions it takes to make an electric car. One would have to do an awful lot of wake boarding to break even on CO2 emissions

Never had the pleasure of skiing behind a J Craft as there weren't any around here and all the tournaments were pulled by inboards, at least in my era What hangs off the back of your J Craft? I'm assuming it's a pretty economical ride.

[David]

We have a 150 HO Evinrude Etec. 60-61 with a 22 Raker and it will pull a 200 lb skier out with both feet in the slalom bindings. It will easily pull out two slalom skiers with a 17" Renegade, and we do that every couple of years for grins. We are strictly recreational, but having a good boat makes it more fun.

Cuda is correct, Mod VP boats also have very flat wakes.

[Davidlake]

For tournament water skiing, there is more to the wake than being flat. Maximum leverage is had directly behind the boat so the wake needs to be a hard flat table surface which is why all tournament ski boats have nearly flat transom running surface.

[donmac]

you know when a boat had 2 speedometers it was a serious ski boat! I was never that good of a slalom skier to care about which boat pulled me, but i know most people that purchased a j craft had some skiing in mind was likely the best boat for skiing and runabout use! the Hydrodyne was for serious skiers! I think they had a very narrow beam,beyond me why that's better!

[Davidlake]

Yes, two speedometers and a guy with a stopwatch taking times at mid course and at the exit gate to verify speed. When I first started competitive tournament skiing, I thought that the pompous veteran skiers were a-holes for bitching that their run was 1/4 MPH off! Such idiots! Two years later I was that guy!

[David]

At my skill level, far from tournament, a flat wake is best. I think they got the new 21 J certified as a tow boat. Is there such a thing as boat approval?

[Davidlake]

At my skill level, far from tournament, a flat wake is best. I think they got the new 21 J certified as a tow boat. Is there such a thing as boat approval?

Absolutely!

[skialot2]

Regular boats work fine for recreational water skiing. Most lightweight fast boats make very small wakes. But there is no comparison to being towed behind a competition ski boat. The hull is designed to throw a very small consistent wake. It has to have a very flat, hard tabletop free of excessive turbulence. An outboards underwater exhaust adds a lot of turbulence to the wake. It decreases buoyancy of the tabletop making the ski sink deeper into the water, increasing drag. Yes, it is a very slight difference. But just like every other competition, even thousands of a second count. The wake is just one aspect of a ski boat. A regular boat with a 150hp motor will pop a 200lb skier up no problem. But a competition ski boat will pop 10 200lb skiers up easily. It will barely notice they are there. Then there is the tracking of the boat. A competition ski boat is designed to track dead straight. You need to be able to keep the boat dead center in the course. Every inch matters when you shorted the rope. No matter how hard a skier cuts and pulls on the rope, it should have almost no effect on the boat. Look at the hull of a new Mastercraft ProStar. No regular boat will track like that will.

[David]

The J Craft is a lot better than a regular outboard fast boat, example my Allison SS2000, for skiing. The bottom is almost flat, and there is a big fin to help with tracking. I do notice the turbulence on my trick skis when directly behind the boat, but not on a slalom ski.

Note that there is a 'double' fin on the bottom of our J Craft, and a whole lot more on the bottom of that Mastercraft. I'd expect the Mastercraft to track better. Not that it would matter at my level.