Boating memories with Dad

Wow, Brian. Hard to believe we've been gathering here this long, isnt it?

Way to go Brian making us feel old. Before I even went on the next page to see Larry’s post I showed Aspen’s picture to the wife - she wanted to know what happened to the baby    

Great Googly Moogly.... Gary is right. I feel old. Lifelong friends made just because of a mutual love for a ski boat. So cool to see this toddler of Cali ski Bud grow up before our eyes. Hope your packing BKH cause both your ladies are just beautiful. Seems like yesterday when this little girl Aspen was hamming it up at GL jumping off the platform saying "Watch Me!"....now it's "Toss me the keys Dad"! Thanks for sharing Brian.

Dad, what have you done to me!!!

Pop was a firefighter, motorrhead, and generally a prankster. Summer of 1968 he got me good. At the West end of Donner Lake, Ca. Dad, Mom, me, sister all in 16' Dorsett runabout w/75 Evinrude. If anyone knows Donner, they know of the whitecaps that come up mid-day, often forcing the lake patrol to order boats off the lake. Our place was mid-way to East end, and Pop bet me I couldn't ski back in the rough. I gave it a good shot, fell about halfway, stubbornly refused to lose, ended up pulling my right shoulder out of the socket. I think my Dad was still laughing as he popped it back into place. I ate left-handed for about a month.

Over 50 years ago, I can still see him chuckling at me.

Thanks for the memory, Dad.

I never saw this thread till today. A great Fathers Day Read.   My Father is still with me at 92 now, so I am very fortunate.   Mom and Dad skied and loved it, our family owned a ranch that was under what is now Folsom Lake. The Ranch was bordered by two rivers, the North and South forks of the American River.   The land was condemed so the Lake could be built. As the Lake filled they would go out to the old Ranch with friends and spend the weekends water skiing. This was before too many children came along and was around 1953 or 4.   My dad wanted a boat badly but my conservative mother held the purse strings tight, she had to with 5 children to care for.   So dad and mom quit water skiing before I was of age to learn.   My Aunt got a boat when I was around 10 and taught me and my brothers how to ski behind her tri hull with a 4 cyl inboard Volvo package.   It was great in our book we were skiing.
My older brother bought a 13'9" Javalin with a 75 Evenrude on it.   The boat was rated for about 30 HP so it really rode low in the rear. ( we sank it a few times ).   He was 7 years older than me and always needed an observer so I was able to ski nearly every weekend.
Young guys won't really appreciate the effort we made to ski.   That Javelin would pull you out if you drug behind it for 100 or 200 Yards, you had to drag one leg for extra lift and you needed to hold your breath as you dipped your head down on the front of the ski to have less drag.   One of our ski buddies weighed about 250, big strong guy. To pull him up our observer had to crawl out to the nose of the Javelin and hang your head and shoulders over the nose till the boat planed out.   Not sure it was legal back then and I know it has not been legal for at least the past 30 years but we did it every time he skied. Once up it would pull you any speed you wished but you had to learn to drag forever to get up.   Great skill to have as every other boat was much easier to ski behind.
I bought my first Nautique in 1982, a 1978 model and loved it.   Got my dad to ski only once, he skied after taking 32 years off.. He showed us he could still do it and even went on a single and did really well but would never do it again.   I think he was about 60 at the time (younger than I am now) and probably hurt for a week after this run but he never said a word in complaint but never skied again.   He did have 5 hernia operations at about the same time, that would discourage most I think.
Boating/water ski trips has been a staple in my family and i hope it continues with our kids and grandkids.   Funny my children have never expressed any interest in buying a boat, one has always been at our home and available so they are not motivated at all to own one. To all of us spoiled on how great a Ski Nautique pulls you remember us old fogies that had to learn behind boats with zero power.   Long Drags, Dock or Beach Starts we had to be good at these or stay on the dock. You have not lived till you pulled in about 20 foot of rope in coils laying beside you and yelled hit it and try to time your push off to match the boat finally pulling the rope tight and jerking you off the dock or beach.
Once learned it is really not a hard skill but those first ones made your knees weak as you watched to boat taking off and your rope coils feeding out.
Thanks for this thread it was a great read. Happy Fathers Day to all.
Mark