Other 3 Event Ski Boats of the 80s

my 89 Supra in 2006 original everything

I'm not super sure, but I am thinking those saddle bags on the centurions were billed as some kind of spray suppressor, but I could be wrong. Guy on my lake had one, which he bought from a friend of mine.

Look for an 80s model Tru-trac centurion. As the name suggests, those "fenders" were supposed to help tracking. BKH

Like this one. BKH


http://www.onlyinboards.com/Details.aspx?ID=29181

Upon further review the called them S rails and apparently were for spray only. I remember the boats well, but I guess I did not remember much about the details. The boat model is however Tru Trac II which proceeded the Falcon.

BKH

I agree Bruce. Back in the day I thought that was the ugliest thing ever.

KRoundy wrote: I thought that Tru-track was because the front fin of the boat "steered" a little bit? I could be way off on that.

I hope you don't mind if I revive this thread.

The Tru-track was a model in the 80s up until the Falcon was introduced in the late 80s. My cousin has an 88 Falcon that has been restored and is about to go up for sale.

The other tracking system that is referred to here is the CATS that was an option starting in 1990. From the Centurion history page:

Centurion turned the water sports world upside-down - this time with steering technology. Centurion developed the patented Centurion Articulating Tracking System (CATS), which featured the first articulating front fin. This design enhanced steering tracking ability.

Back in the later 80s / early 90s there weren't many Centurions in the east. My cousin decided to buy a Falcon Sport about the time he graduated from college and when he called the factory in Merced he was told that there wasn't a dealer within 300 miles of his location in east, TN. So, he purchased a 1996 model directly from the factory. BTW, he still owns that boat today (after selling it and reacquiring it) and it does have the CATS fin.

Totally agree on the fit and finish knocks, but it does have a nice slalom wake.

They still make an closed boat inboard direct drive, but target it to barefooters.



Sanger DXII

There is a relatively contemporary direct drive sanger on our lake.

I miss that show Mutual Of Omaha's Wild Kingdom with George Fowler.

Nautiquehunter wrote: Wrong George Fowler that George Fowler was Marlin Perkins.

I think that that George Fowler who you think was Marlin Perkins is really Jim Fowler

Wild Kingdom

KRoundy wrote: I was right about that steering thing after all! I wonder what that looks like - as in how it physically operated?

I will be back in my cousin's shop in the next month or so. I'll snap a few pictures so you can see how it works. Basically the steering cable goes down one side of the bilge to the rudder, the same as it does in all inboard tournament boats, but there's an extension on the cable. So after the connecting point at the back/rudder, it goes back up to the tracking fins where the very end of the cable engages the one rotational fin.

That may not be a great description. The rudder connects at a mid-point in the steering cable and the CATS fin is at the end. That makes the cable longer than normal and it goes from the steering wheel area to the rudder and then halfway back up the boat.

I'll post the pictures in this thread.

Since I know you guys love pictures, here's a couple of my recently restored 1993 Centurion Falcon. Before:

Interesting thread. Nice to see all the boats from our past. I had a 87 Ski Supreme from 1991 - 2006. Similar to the one in the beach pictures. Mixed feelings when I sold it to get the 196. Had a good slalom wake, superb trick wake which made it a pretty good boarding wake with the extended pylon. Boys wanted a tower but there was no way I was adding a tower to a classis tournament boat. Too much of a traditionalist I guess. To this day I feel it was one of the best laid out and most comfortable driver areas I have come across. Everything was right where it needed to be for spending hours driving.

dsums wrote: To this day I feel it was one of the best laid out and most comfortable driver areas I have come across. Everything was right where it needed to be for spending hours driving.

In terms of driver seat/body comfort American Skier is the best I've ever driven, period. Correct Craft was way behind until the rotocast bucket seat (still not better but very, very good) but the CC 1987+ instrument panel was also a major improvement.

Never been in a Supreme, looking forward to it.

Hollywood wrote: dsums wrote: To this day I feel it was one of the best laid out and most comfortable driver areas I have come across. Everything was right where it needed to be for spending hours driving. In terms of driver seat/body comfort American Skier is the best I've ever driven, period

Agreed, the driver seat and padded armrest were much nicer than what CC had to offer back then. We had an '87 Advance with a PCM 351.

It was a great boat. Only qualms would be that they ride a lot rougher than a 2001 of the same vintage, and the spray at slalom speeds was considerable. Shortline slalom in a head wind you were getting pelted. Great trick and barefoot hull, though. She'd run about 48 with the 240hp 351 and a 13x13 wheel. As you can see, they were quite popular in our ski club during that time:

Swatkinz wrote: Hey guys, Mastercraft--super sleek lower profile, superior slalom wake (to most brands of the day), Powerslot option, wet, rough ride. Platform seemed alot smaller than a CC. L shaped observer seat was uncomfortable as was the rest of the boat. Remember Camille Duvall? Damn she was fine.

This the one you were referring to?