Can i pull a skier with a pontoon boat

Skiing, wakeboarding and tubing are just three of an ever-growing list of activities you can enjoy on your pontoon boat. This site uses cookies to ensure you have the best experience. By browsing this site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Find out more on cookies and how to manage your settings on our Cookie Policy. And yes, you can waterski behind a pontoon boat.

Make sure that you always do so responsibly and away from other boaters. Skip to content The beauty of pontoon boats is that they can serve a lot of functions. The short answer to that is YES, you can absolutely ski behind a pontoon boat. Wiping out at high speeds hurts. Nobody wants to faceplant the water at 30mph. Slow it down and remember that the optimal speed for to skiing is between 20 to 22mph. Slow down even more for children.

Keep it under 10 mph. Never ski in no wake zones or crowded areas. A larger engine is required if you want to slalom.

In my experience, 70 HP is the bare minimum power you need, and HP will give you a ride similar to a typical ski boat. If you need a tow bar for your pontoon boat, check out our review of the new Universal Ski Tow Bar from Aerial Wakeboarding.

Pontoon boats that have anything less than a 70 HP engine are perfectly suited for cruising or fishing, but not water skiing. This is because an average adult weighs between and pounds, and it takes at least 70 HP to generate enough speed and acceleration, especially during the start. In reality, you can only do some basic skiing with a minimally powered boat because it lacks the oomph to do any more than keep you afloat. With a 90 HP engine, you can even begin to enjoy some slalom skiing.

This seems to be the sweet spot for skiing behind a pontoon boat. Now, if you really want to get serious and ski like you mean it, then your boat should have an engine rated at HP. This level of power is enough to get you up quickly, regardless of how many people are on the boat. Of course, these horsepower numbers may vary depending on the number of people you have onboard, the size of your pontoon boat, or the weight of the skier being pulled. The only way to know for sure is to take your boat out and see what it can do.

Generally, your pontoon boat would need to be going at least 16mph before you can ski behind it. A large skier would still be half under and half on top of the water. Remember, these are only rules of thumb. When it comes right down to it, choose a traditional ski boat if all you want to do is water sports like tubing and skiing.

Have that boat. Does about 22 mph with just myself. Pulls single tube with no problem. Pulls single skier about 17 mph with 3 on board. Did pay extra for high raised mounted ski harness. I have a Sweetwater RE with a high thrust Yamaha 50hp 4 stroke. My 12 year old skis on 2 skis behind it. Tubing is basically just riding. I think if you had a booster ball it could really help with the tubing.