WHAT'S NEW:  Boats & Speed Control
Paul Jurbala

Last issue we took a look at some new developments in 1996 skis, boards
and accessories. This time, we'll highlight other new developments in
boats and speed control.

The ski boat industry is a bit of a mystery. Although there are a lot
of water skiers, there also seems to be more than enough boat
manufacturers: not just the big three (MasterCraft, Correct Craft and
Malibu) or familiar local manufacturers (J-Craft), but a host of U.S.
builders whose products seldom make it to the lakes of Ontario, like
Sanger, Hydrodyne, Brendella, Ski Ray, Ski Centurion. Who is buying all
these boats?

Well, the competition is certainly keeping the builders on their toes.
There's now a wide range of entry-level boats: if the tag on a ProStar
or Nautique seems too steep, you may be able to afford something a
little less plush. Then there are the adjustable boats, which can be
turned from wakeboard-boats to slalom-boats by a control on the
dashboard. Finally, for the more recreationally-oriented skier, there
are the personal water craft and jet boats, which are being marketed
for their skiability and are growing in popularity due to their low
cost.

Boats, Boats, Boats

It's tough to sell ski boats in Ontario right now. Although they don't
like to admit it publicly, local dealers for the major ski boat lines
have been making do with thin sales since the beginning of the
recession in the early 90s. The market is now fragmented into skiers
and boarders; there are more options for towing a board, including
PWCs; economic pressures make purchase of a ski boat beyond reach for
many families. What to do?

One answer is to sell lower cost ski boats. Malibu has the Tantrum
(Canadian list about $ 24,200 with the 320 hp engine), Ski Nautique has
the 176 (around $ 28,500), and in the States you can get the Gekko, the
Brendella Ski Animal, and the Ski Centurion Extreme. These are
inboards, of course - generally the builder specifies a carbureted
model to save on EFI. And to further cut costs, various options are
deleted such as coaming pads, rear seats, stereo and so on, but as the
builders will all tell you, "we didn't cut skiability". On the outboard
side, you can still get a 17' J-Craft for under $ 23,000 - so you can
get a real ski boat' for well under $ 30,000.

If money's not a problem, there are developments at the high end, as
well. This year, Mercury fights back against the Indmar LT-1
Corvette-based inboard, found in MasterCraft boats, and Ski Nautique's
PCM GT-40 with its own Black Scorpion available in the Malibu Response.
The Black Scorpion puts out 315 hp at the prop, with special emphasis
on throttle response and low-end pull.

But maybe what you want is not so much of a ski boat, but a watersports
boat. In other words, not so much of a slalom superstar but a boat with
wakes to suit a slalom skier or a wakeboarder. It's a real dilemma for
the builders - you can't get big and small wakes out of the same hull.
But Tige found a way- they call it TAPS. TAPS is a plate under the
transom which the driver can extend from a dashboard control to modify
the wake. There's a gauge with a range from "wakeboard" to "slalom"-
just dial it in. But Tige TAPS removes an on-water compromise and
introduces a political one - the system makes the Tige ineligible for
American Water Ski Association certification as a tow-boat, so a little
marketing brownie point has disappeared. Still, the brownie point can't
be too important, as Hydrodyne is also releasing a boat aimed at a
similar market - the NexStar which also has adjustable wakes, and is an
open-bow V-drive to boot.

Could A PWC Be For Me ?

And now, the forbidden topic - personal water craft (PWC). Forbidden,
because real' water skiers don't like them very much - although the
most powerful three-seaters are powerful enough to pull a slalom skier,
they certainly lack the stability of a ski boat. Reckless PWC owners
also have an unsavoury reputation on our lakes, and the highly popular
PWCs may actually be an alternative to water skiing for the crowd that
likes to have fun with minimum fuss and expense. All in, they're easy
to see as a threat to water skiing.

So why mention them at all? Because, as low cost tow vehicles, they
appeal to more and more casual con't next page WHAT'S NEW con't from
previous page skiers as an alternative to ski boats. Sea-Doo is
marketing them aggressively in this way, featuring a skier in many of
their ads. Even low cost boats are in the $22- 28,000 range, while a
three-seat PWC is around $10,000. They tow tubers and boarders with no
problem at all. They are fun in their own right. They can't be
ignored.

Hands Off The Throttle

Well, now you know you can get a stripped-down, lower-cost ski boat, or
a more powerful ski boat, or a loaded, family-oriented, do-it-all ski
boat, not to mention a PWC. The next question: who is going to drive?
And, are they any good?

In the Summer '95 issue we ran an article on PerfectPass speed control,
a Canadian-made aftermarket system which controls speed in the slalom
(or jump) course and assures consistent passes. Although the system is
geared to competitive skiers, Randy Eisener at PerfectPass assures that
most of the sales are made to skiers who want the benefits of
consistent pulls in training - the my spouse can't drive as well as a
tournament driver' phenomenon.

Entering '96, PerfectPass seems to be consolidating its position in the
marketplace. The only real competition is the Hobbs System, which does
a similar thing, but is more expensive as it incorporates a sensor
which determines pull on the pylon and signals the microprocessor
accordingly. The Hobbs System was used at the US and Canadian Masters
in 1995. Now that Water Ski Canada has determined that speed control
will be used in its major tournaments, the Canadian market for
PerfectPass is secure, but what about dethroning Hobbs in the USA?
Well, the PerfectPass team keeps working, with inventor Eric Horton
making modifications so his system can resolve the only real problem
area left - Open class men jumpers. At a recent Canadian Masters
meeting, Larry Meddock, VP marketing for Correct Craft, left the door
open for PerfectPass use at the Masters if it resolves the Open Men
Jump problems - stay tuned.

Of course, whether PerfectPass is acceptable to Bruce Neville and Sammy
Duvall or not should not affect your buying decision. And one thing's
certain - speed control is here to stay. If you are a tournament skier,
you may want to consider this option for your boat.