A good Horsepower to pull out????

jjcard41 · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 34 City: Bourbonnais

I just went boating for the first time ever in my life last year at the age of 24, pathetic I know. Anyways, I'm hooked and wanted to get a boat of my own. I have a chance to buy an older 1979 caravelle with a 120 mercruiser sterndrive engine. Would this be enough to pull anyone of any size out of the water? The boat has been maintained very well and has always be stored inside. For $2500, I get the boat, trailer, and an almost new extended pylon. Some people have said that 80 horse is enough, is this true? Any comments, suggestions, concerns are welcome.

thanks,
jc

mantaray · Addict Joined: 14 May 2004 Posts: 639

Should be fine depending on the propellor. It doesn't take alot of HP to pull up a boarder. Slalom skiing is a different story however.

jjcard41 · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 34 City: Bourbonnais

If I wanted to pull a slalom skier, would the 120 horse do the trick Cool

I believe the prop coming with the boat is a 3-blade with a 17 pitch? What would I have to do if I wanted to pull out a slalom skiing?

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

We used to slalom behind a boat with 135 horses, a 17 footer. We could pulla slalom skiier up, but it was ugly and by the time you got up, if you managed to stay up thorugh being dragged through the water, you were pretty tired.

But it can be done, sure.

ballywho · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 05 Feb 2005 Posts: 1725

I had an old 13 whaler with a 40 yamaha. I could get anything up but it wasn't pretty and I had that engine pretty tricked out Cool

. My new boat, a mako 17 with 90 johnson can get 2 of anything up, stock. It's still not pretty but it works.
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Leggester · Posted: Mar 24, 2005 7:32 am Post subject:

You won't be happy with it.

150 and up would be my minimum for sea level.

ballywho · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 05 Feb 2005 Posts: 1725

That much isn't neccesary. My 90 can get 2 wakeboarders up no problem, salom ski's is more of a problem but this is a wakeboarding site.
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Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

But think about your 90. I'm sure it's adequate, but are you putting undue strain on the motor? Are you burning more gas than a v-8 would while getting people up? Are you slowly wrecking your motor because you are demanding too much from it?

Maybe, maybe not. I don't know....

ballywho · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 05 Feb 2005 Posts: 1725

I pulled a wakeboarder witha 40 yamaha and sold it 2 years later starting w/o choke, or gas and running like, I don't know, somthin that runs for a long time. I could be wrong but I don't think it does anyhting to the engine. If it does, uh oh.
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SouthWaker · Posted: Mar 24, 2005 8:01 am Post subject:

If you buy a outboard you probably arn't serious about skiing much and arn't gona do any damage nore notice a change in gas. Im a buck fifty and a 70 has pulled me out the water just fine. Smallest motor ive eer been pulled up by was a 25 that was tricked out. I am still to this day amazed. but this is just my .02

Leggester · Posted: Mar 24, 2005 8:09 am Post subject:

I disagree SW.

Many barefoot and ski boats are out boards.

One thing about OBs, they are designed to run better at closer to full throttle rather than medium and slow speeds.

I've been up behind 90s, I just don't think you'd be very happy with less than 150 for more than a season.

ballywho · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 05 Feb 2005 Posts: 1725

It doesn't mean your not serious, just that you din't have the $$$$$$
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SouthWaker · Posted: Mar 24, 2005 8:14 am Post subject:

They guy said he has never been in a boat, i didn't figure he would jump out there first thing and just start barefoot skiing.

jonsmith2340 · Soul Rider Joined: 02 Feb 2005 Posts: 370

Back to your original question the boat should have enough power to get a wakeboarder out of the water just fine with the 17 pitch prop on it. If you decide to buy the boat and you want more hole shot for pulling a salom skier just demo a 15 pitch prop and see if you like the preformance. You will lose some top end but if you don't need to go over 40 mph it might not be a big deal at all.

As with a number of the other posters I learned to ski behind an outboard 70 hp and have skied behind a friends Rinker with a 4 cyl mercruiser. This was a big boat that only put like 135 hp to the prop and it had little trouble pulling me, at 200 lbs, out of the water on a salom ski (I don't know what pitch prop he had on the boat:(

jjcard41 · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 34 City: Bourbonnais

It had taken me about 10 times to get up on the wakeboard when I tried it last season. I was pulled behind a bigger boat with a 90 horse on it. No one really told me how to do deepwater starts. So I was plowing through the water and could not plane up for the life of me. I quit that day after the 7th time because I could not do it. Went home depressed, watched a wakeboard instructional video, went back to the lake. The thing I was not doing at first was keep my butt as close to my heels as possible. Once I did that, I got up like nothing but took a good dive after about 5 seconds up!! It was the coolest feeling ever. I was pumped.
This is my point. If someone knows how to get out quickly, is that much easier when pulling someone with a smaller motor. When I couldn't get up before and was plowing through the water, the guy said I was jerking him all over the place for a good minute. I am fairly strong(not to be conceted or anything) but I could hold on for a long time when I was plowing throgh the water. After I could get up, the driver said he could barely feel me pull the boat at all.
Would anyone agree on that people who know how to get up faster would be easier to pull with a smaller engine? Question

jason2454 · Outlaw Joined: 18 Feb 2005 Posts: 240 City: austin

i think a lot of this depends on the person your towing and how experienced they are. A good skier/wakeboarder doesnt need much to pull them out of the water. I can get up on a board behind some of the puniest jetskis. But for people learning its a little harder because they dont have the technique right yet.

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

I found that it was very hard to teach beginners behind our Imperial with a 135 horsepower motor and no tower.

With 310 horses and a tower, beginners usually learn MUCH faster now that we have an inboard.

So I think that beginners definitely get the hang of it with more power and a tower. But you can learn behing almost anything. I learned behind a jet ski and a 135 horse '84 citation.

(we blew the engine on the 84 citation. I suspect that years of poor maintenance by my father in law and our constant full throttle use to pull a boarder up were just a bad combination.)

joedirt00 · Posted: Mar 24, 2005 9:15 am Post subject:

If your on a budget, and just getting started, It will do. You will soon want more though. There are alot of people here who had a boat like that at one time and had a lot of fun with it.

Just out of curiosity, is that the limits for you budget?

Schmo · Posted: Mar 24, 2005 9:20 am Post subject:

Also remember that throwing additional weight in that boat will pretty much not be an option. That boosts up the HP/torque requirements dramatically. I have no idea what an unweighted wake would be like on that thing.

bmartin · Addict Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 794

HP is adequate as others have stated. I have pulled my kids up behind a jon with 9.9HP and I learned to ski behind a 40HP. I also learned to slalom and wakeboard behind very similar boat.

I guess what I would say is shop around and do not buy the first boat. That is a really OLD boat and think you could find something 10 years newer for about the same money. Back in the 70s everything was made out of wood and subject to rot.

Welcome to the sport!

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Liquid*Force*Rider · Posted: Mar 24, 2005 10:18 am Post subject:

Put a HI Five Stainless Steal Prop on in and you will be good.

jjcard41 · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 34 City: Bourbonnais

B martin - I know the boat is old but I know it has been taken care of. I have looked at boats newer than this one and some of them are in worse shape and they want more money. The floorboards have been replaced, the seats and the engine has been compression tested and everything is great. The boat is made of fiberglass and not wood. I would assume to get an older caravelle over a 85-95 year type bayliner or rinker. I would like to get a four winns or a chaparral but that is out of my price range for now. Has anyone here been pulled by an older boat that is in great shape and they would have no problems owning it? Idea

let me know what you think about buying an older Caravelle for $2500.
thanks

Neognosis · Ladies Man Joined: 13 Jan 2003 Posts: 17617 City: Webster

Are you paying cash?

How old are you and what's your financial status/responsibilities?

Some people, like me, will always have a very small car payment, in exchange for a very big boat payment.

Powaman · Outlaw Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 170 City: escanaba

I Would pass on the boat if I were you, for around that price or maybe 500 -1000 more you could get a mucher newer I/O witha bigger engine. For 3500, we got a 1989 20 foot I/O that as a 4.3 liter chevy with 185 horses.

bmartin · Addict Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 794

jjcard - sounds like you have done your homework and that boat will work for learning wakeboarding and with the prices of gas it will save you money in more ways over the summer. Having been through a boat like that as a starter boat myself, as have most people on this site, if you feel like you really want to get into wakeboarding there are better choices that are pretty close to the same price.

Here are some boats on this forum that are pretty much entry level budget wakeboats that will probably be the type of boat that will be better suited for a wakeboarder.

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?t=39941

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?t=40166

http://forums.wakeboarder.com/viewtopic.php?t=40202

jjcard41 · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 34 City: Bourbonnais

I found a older 1984 Baja boat that is in fair shape? Does anyone have any good information on Baja boats and what quality they are compared to Caravelle boats. The boats is a 17' with a 120 horse engine. Not in the greatest of shape and wants $1800 for it. Any suggestions??
thanks Cool

KurtInCincy · Addict Joined: 06 Mar 2003 Posts: 645 City: Cincinnati OH

go with the Caravelle if you know the guy who currently owns it. And you said you already know it's in great condition. That's smarter than buying an old boat from a stranger. Sounds like you're not hardcore at wakeboarding quite yet so just get one that's inexpensive and in good shape. Later on you can decide if you want to upgrade to a tournament wakeboard/ski boat.

DadKid · Outlaw Joined: 21 Jan 2005 Posts: 140 City: Ottawa

I have a 1984 Mercruiser 120 (2.5 L) on a 16.5 foot boat. It was a good deal. If the boat and motor you’re lookin at is in good shape and includes an extended pylon and a trailer it sounds like a decent deal for a starter boat. An installed pylon is a big bonus. Get the engine inspected by a good mechanic. If it’s not in good shape be prepared to spend $$ on repairs. A 4 cylinder 4 stroke is pretty good on gas.

I bought my boat for the family. I went slalom skiing a few times and it took so long to plane that my arms were tired. So I rented a wakeboard 2 years ago and haven’t used the slalom ski since. The boat pulls me out no problem (I weigh 190). It just takes a little longer for the boat to stabilize on plane. The wake is OK considering the size of the boat and I can get w2w. But a 120 won’t take much extra weight if you’re lookin to make the wake bigger. We’ve taught lots of beginners. Personally I think it’s better to pull a beginner slowly and they can learn proper technique without trying to muscle their way up. I think a tower/pylon helps and they don’t worry about scraping their knuckles on the board.

My opinion is that there’s nothing wrong with starting out with a smaller older boat if the deal is solid. You can decide later if you want to upgrade and have a lot of fun in the meantime. Good luck.

jjcard41 · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 34 City: Bourbonnais

Thanks for all of the info everyone, I plan on getting into wakeboarding very serious in the next few years. Plus, I will have quite a bit of extra money by then so I can upgrade to a serious wakeboarding boat.
thanks Cool

dirtysparks · Wakeboarder.Commie Joined: 07 Jul 2004 Posts: 2428

I hate to get off topic but didn't anyone else think the title of this thread was funny? Anyway, welcome to the sport!

jjcard41 · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 34 City: Bourbonnais

Well, I got the boat and everything seems to be turning out fine. The fly high extended pylon is a major feature of it. The boat ran about 32-35 with about 600 lbs of people in it and it ran fine. Just wanted to update you all in here. Cool

gus_jd · Outlaw Joined: 18 Aug 2003 Posts: 140 City: Milwaukee, WI

Congrats on your boat purchase! I'm sure you'll enjoy being on the water. Like many of us, you will likely find yourself looking to upgrade in the next couple years, and that's just fine!

jjcard41 · Newbie Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 34 City: Bourbonnais

Hi there all,
The boat is running very well, but have not tried boarding yet. The river is still mighty cold. If I had a wetsuit I would have gone. I may even go this weekend if I desperately want to go out. The boat puts out a better wake than I thought it would. Does anyone with an older boat ever have problems keeping an engine with a carburator idling steady?
thanks