NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

[jpaulson]

Hi, I am in the market for my first boat purchase. My options are limited due to budget and the fact that my towing vehicle cannot handle a heavier boat.

I am looking at a 1996 Bayliner 1600 with a Force 75 HP outboard. He is asking 3,900 OBO and says it is in great condition and comes with an extra prop along with other accessories.

My main concern is being able to slalom ski. I would likely only have two lighter adults in the boat when I am being towed. I am 5'11 175 lbs. I would like to be able to deep water start and have experience doing so. I know that the Bayliner 1600 is a relatively lighter boat especially with an outboard 75 HP. I am wondering if anyone with experience with a similar setup could comment on whether this would be suitable for what I am looking for considering my budget. I assume I would need replace the prop for a better holeshot. I just want to know if this will pull me out of the water and have enough speed to maintain a comfortable towing speed.

*** I only plan on keeping this boat for a couple years before I upgrade to a larger boat so I want to avoid anyone saying that I will grow out of the boat.

Thank you!

 

[bajaunderground]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

Welcome to iboats!

It'll do it with the right prop, but you'll more than likely not have the top-end speed to run where slalom skiers typically like to run 35mph+. What prop is on the boat now? What's the current top speed? What's the WOT? If it were me, I'd keep looking for same size boat (if that works?) and 120HP+. Not sure where you're located, but if you spend the time looking and are patient, a little bit more powerful boat will come along?

What is you budget? I know the Bayliner you mention is $3,900obo?

Also, not sure what your expertise in boating entails, but I'd recommend cruising through forums and scouring as much info as you can about buying used boats! Condition trumps brand name when we're talking 18 year old boats.

~Brett

 

[ziggy]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

welcom jp.
i don't ski much any more, but when i was a kid in my teens i skied as much as possible.
my dad stated with a 14-15' lonestar w/ a merc 500 (50hp). when i stated slalom skiing. with a deep water start, i could keep him from planning.
he then got a foot or so longer boat w/ a 75hp johnson on it. that one did pretty good for slalom skiing but the boat handled poorly so he got a glastron w/ 90hp merc ob. this one suited us ok for a while, but in the end, it still wasn't enough hp.
his next boat was a 16' trihull w/165io. this one suited him. i couldn't stop it. did deep water starts real good, pulled three one time, 2 on slalom, one on 2 skiies. this boat worked.
so imho, 75hp isn't gonna be enough. specially if ya got three on board + the skiier. imho, ya might need to be lookin at 135-190hp i/os. skiing is a pretty hard load on a boat and ya really can't have to much hp when your main objective is water skiing.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

Slalom skiing will suck behind that boat for a couple of reasons
1) 75HP - this is going to make it tough to get up, not that you can't but it'll take work. One you are up it should have plenty of power to ski behind though. Skiers ski at 28-34MPH generally and it should be able to do that.

2) 16ft I/O - if you can cut at all you will drag the back end of that boat all over the place. Even on my 19ft bayliner I can move the boat sideways a foot or so.

 

[Macfarms]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

I am your size and I seriously doubt if you propped it to get you out of the water if it would get up to speed to be an enjoyable slalom. I think for that money you could get a stronger pull that wouldn't give when you pulled hard.

 

[jpaulson]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

Thanks for the replies. My attraction to this boat specifically is that it looks like it was taken care of. The hull and vinyl are in very good condition and the owner has service records. I think I can get it for 3500 and from what Ive been seeing in my local Michigan market, it is a pretty good deal. I know the supply during the winter months is limited in this area, but I also don't want to wait until spring to purchase as the prices inflate due to higher demand. I cant seem to find a boat with more HP in as good as condition in my price range. I cant afford to spend more than 4,000 and don't want to buy an even older 1980's boat that is going to break down mid summer. I do agree however and am aware that care and service is much more important than age and make of the boat

My only other experience as a "boat" owner was with a seadoo speedster jet boat 14.5 foot. I slalomed behind that boat and dragged the back end around all over the place, but it got the job done and made for a fun summer so I cant imagine slaloming behind a 16' outboard would drag any worse.

I've been looking for a month now and am hoping this forum can help me teeter either way in regards to buying or continuing to look. The downside to purchasing in the winter is I cant just try it out and see how it performs . Thanks for your opinions, I am leaning towards making the purchase, I guess worst case scenario I can get my money back out of it towards the end of the summer and try again next year for a little more power

 

[gtochris]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

Slalom skiing will suck behind that boat for a couple of reasons
1) 75HP - this is going to make it tough to get up, not that you can't but it'll take work. One you are up it should have plenty of power to ski behind though. Skiers ski at 28-34MPH generally and it should be able to do that.

2) 16ft I/O - if you can cut at all you will drag the back end of that boat all over the place. Even on my 19ft bayliner I can move the boat sideways a foot or so.

Were you able to Slalom behind your Bayliner? My father who is 59 and was a VERY good Slalom skier has never been able to go for a ride behind my Stingray, even with my 4 blade prop tuned toward off the line power he just can't ride it out long enough. I have never successfully Slalomed however I double ski and Wake-board behind with ease.

 

[gtochris]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

Thanks for the replies. My attraction to this boat specifically is that it looks like it was taken care of. The hull and vinyl are in very good condition and the owner has service records. I think I can get it for 3500 and from what Ive been seeing in my local Michigan market, it is a pretty good deal.

It might be worth the gamble, I would be more concerned if this is a safe size for your waterway, I don't know Michigan. I've taken a wave over the bow of my Stingray and it can be harry.

 

[jpaulson]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

Im sorry I should have specified, this boat would exclusively be used on smaller inland lakes around 200 acres in size so waves and such would not be an issue

 

[bajaunderground]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

My 200hp Baja with 21P prop could pull slalom all day long at, but deep water starts with a 200lb person took a lot of work on the skier's part? I could pull in excess of 50mph!

All the really good slalom skiers I have skied with all like 35mph+, so the 28-34mph might work for weekend warrior water skier, but if you're interested in faster speeds, then as I stated, the motor is underpowered for that!

If the boats in great shape, worse case scenario...replace the motor if it proves too be lethargic!

 

[southkogs]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

It'll do it. You're going to fight it up on one ski, and it's not going to impress you - but it will do it. If you're a novice skier, it will work fine. As you advance, you're going to want something else.

At $3,500 it needs to be in really good shape. You're at the top end of what that boat might be worth.

 

[jpaulson]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

At $3,500 it needs to be in really good shape. You're at the top end of what that boat might be worth.

Ahh, bummer... I guess that is inexperience on my behalf. Just from looking at other boats on Craigslist I thought it was a really good deal. If that's not the case that might be the straw that encourages me to be patient and see what else pops up on craigslist.....I really do appreciate everyone's input. It is hard to get good advice from friends and co-workers who aren't really experienced with this topic so this is a tremendous help!

 

[Chris1956]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

Yes, that boat is overpriced and a bit underpowered. A 90HP motor would be better. I mean, you could do a jump start with that motor, and prop her for speed, but it will seriously cut down on flexibility, and only slalom skiers who can jump start would be able to ski, and that is not many.

 

[Maclin]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

I had a 15 foot tri-hull a long time ago, with 55hp outboard. I weighed 250 then and could get up behind it on a slalom, it took a lot of patience and good technique though. Most 120 pounders could get up slalom no problem, usually had 2 passengers plus skier. That boat could only hit 29.9 though (11p prop), and if it was me back there I could move the stern around pretty good. Top speed for slaloming was not very satisfying for the experienced die-hard slalomers. Although it became a Badge of Honor in our circle of boating friends if you could get up behind my boat on one ski

On 2 skis it was never a problem, a couple of times we even had 2 skiers going, lighter co-ed types.

We knee-boarded a lot back then too, boat was perfect for that. Could have 2-3 passengers plus boarder, fun times.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

Were you able to Slalom behind your Bayliner? My father who is 59 and was a VERY good Slalom skier has never been able to go for a ride behind my Stingray, even with my 4 blade prop tuned toward off the line power he just can't ride it out long enough. I have never successfully Slalomed however I double ski and Wake-board behind with ease.

I slalomed behind it all the time. It is definitely about technique when getting up behind an underpowered boat. I'm 6ft 180lbs on a 67" Radar Senate.

 

[Brian 26]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

Ahh, bummer... I guess that is inexperience on my behalf. Just from looking at other boats on Craigslist I thought it was a really good deal. If that's not the case that might be the straw that encourages me to be patient and see what else pops up on craigslist.....I really do appreciate everyone's input. It is hard to get good advice from friends and co-workers who aren't really experienced with this topic so this is a tremendous help!

Bayliner has very poor resale, and Force is the worst for resale, most people will not touch them (myself included). Just keep watching craigslist, when the weather breaks and people can get boats out of the snowed in barns you will see 10 times as many boats as there are now. Most of the stuff on there right now are dealers and boats that have been for sale for months or even years.

 

[jpaulson]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

Bayliner has very poor resale, and Force is the worst for resale, most people will not touch them (myself included). Just keep watching craigslist, when the weather breaks and people can get boats out of the snowed in barns you will see 10 times as many boats as there are now. Most of the stuff on there right now are dealers and boats that have been for sale for months or even years.

I think thats good advice, maybe I will wait a bit longer and see what else is out there.

 

[Slide]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

As an avid slalom skier, if you are able to expand your budget, I would take your time and try to track down a late 80s/early 90s Mastercraft Prostar or Ski Nautique. The smallest flavor of these boats is around 19' which is plenty as a starter, and one in decent shape should run you around 8k. The Prostars especially are famed for their soft wake, you will never have a better time than skiing behind one of those bad boys. My local dealer has one that needs a little TLC for $7200, and I have to resist the urge every time I go by. Another bonus - both of those companies went to wood-free construction in the 90s.

 

[thumpar]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

I have never pulled a slalom but have a wakeboard in my little old boat. I could get him up with no problem but when he would cut it really pulled the boat around bad.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: NEED HELP deciding on my first boat purchase, Slalom skier - HP concerns!

Thumpar, Slalom skiing and wakeboarding are different sports. Slalom skiers want flat wakes, and 34+MPH pulls. Wakeboarders want large wakes and a much slower speed.

The smaller surface area of the slalom ski plus the high speed needed, demand a lot of power