TOPIC: Waterski Restoration?

Over the years, when I have boat projects, alot of them have some with vintage skis. Over the years, I have collected, picked up, been given a lot of different skis. I had them lined up on my Man Cave wall as decoration and every Winter I have started to refinish them. I know some may not like the fact and would prefer to have them original, but I enjoy using them for displays at the boat shows and have my condo adorned with a few of them.
A few years back I did a 60's vintage Maherajah, Cypress Gardens Trick Masters, just finished a 70's Connelly Comp 2 and am now working on a pair of Voit Red Slick Tricks.
Is anyone else on this board doing anything like this? If so, I would enjoy hearing from you. I am lucky to have a sign company just up the street and they make all of the original decals for me. I know I have far more invested in these project than they are ever worth, but it keeps me busy during the Winters.

Sounds like a great project. For some reason,I get the project bug in the fall. I would like to find some wooden Adirondack skis with red strips like my dad used to use.Would be great to have in the boat.

It sounds like some harmless fun! I also have a few skis somewhere around the house that I have kept because they were wooden, cool skis. I have a awesome Western Wood and a refinished Lil' Monster

These old skis were a work of art and I have my Western Woods leaning up in the corner as a display piece.

Can you send some photos of your skis? It would be great to see them,

Randy

It sounds like some harmless fun! I also have a few skis somewhere around the house that I have kept because they were wooden, cool skis. I have a awesome Western Wood and a refinished Lil' Monster

These old skis were a work of art and I have my Western Woods leaning up in the corner as a display piece.

Can you send some photos of your skis? It would be great to see them,

Randy

72Hornet,

Yes, as you can see from my pic logo, I too have a few old wooden skis. The pic is from a set of vintage Thompson Water Skis from the 50's. In the past I have posted in the classifieds, wanting a pair of vintage aluminum water skis. If you ever come across a pair, please keep me in mind. I just missed out on a pair this fall from a guy near Minneapolis. I believe they were made by Alumacraft. JC Higgins also made them, along with a few other manufacturers. I would like a set to restore and display with my aluminum boats.

Regards,
StevieB

Stevieb, I have not ever seen a set of aluminum water skis. I did not know that Alumacraft made them. I live about a block form the Iowa Great Lakes Maritime Museum and they have a lot of marine items on display. It is pretty amazing as we have alot of boats on display, a recreated boat house, hydroplanes, outboard and inboard motors etc. I will check with them as I am involved with helping them on occasion.
We have a fiberglassic collection that we are trying to make room for and get into the museum floor as space is an issue.
If anyone gets to NW Iowa in the Lake Okoboji area, the museum is a must see in Arnolds Park, Iowa.
For water skis, we have some White Bears, some Thompsons, Maha and a few others. We even have some home-made skis that we built in the 1930s from a friend of mine's father when he was a kid.
I will be on the look-out for you on some Lumies!

Hey all, I have LOTS of vintage water skis. Most made by, guess, Thompson Skis, Inc. of Crivitz, WI. This was a completely independent firm NOT affiliated with Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. I have a couple of their aqua planes.

I also have an aqua plane made by Thompson Bros. Boat Mfg. Co. that probably dates from the 1920s.

I have the Thompson water skis that I learned to ski on when I was about age 6. I have never refinished or restored any of the skis.

Yep, AlumaCraft Boats made aluminum water skis and aluminum oars. I have a pair of the aluminum water skis. They will be on display at the Minneapolis Boat Show 30 Jan - 02 Feb 2014 in an inboard AlumaCraft runabout. Part of the antique & classic boat display.

Andreas

I have an old oil can collection that is all boat,motor related of the late 50"s, I use water skis for shelves around the whole building,I would also like to buy another pair of plaid fiberglass water skis,There is some real neat skis out there,here is a pic of alum Higgins,NFS this could be a thread of its own for skis,Bill

I might have a pair of plaid skis just like the ones in the picture. If I do, they are in the boat house at the cottage. Now that it is back above zero, I will check the next time I go up there.
Bill

So, ................. Bilnan1, are you offering those J.C. Higgins Skis up to me you a price??? or, are you just teasing me ..........


That is exactly what I have been searching for!!!

HA! HA!

Regards,
StevieB

Sorry I looked for 3 yrs,,But now people know what you want,, good luck they are out there,not ment as a tease at all Bill

I'm diggin' these chairs

It is cool to see all of the collections that we all have. I suppose that it taboo in some opinions to refinish them, but in the condition that I had them, that was probably the best solution for me go ahead and refinish, then display them. I do have a nice set of Chuck Stearns that seem to be original and in good condition. I have a good friend who has an old painted Cypress Gardens Acapulco that was turned into a wine bottle holder. Pretty cool stuff out there!