TOPIC: merc 150 & GW Invader

indianapolis.craigslist.org/boa/5697864898.html

Bet that rig will fly!! Thats what the GT-150 will look like once i get the 1500 on it.

Saw a running rig set up just like that with a "115" the decal said...and it went over 70mph in a 1000' radar shot...It may have hit 72 or 74, but memory fades me. I think waves/handling within that 1000' that limited speed. I walked up on if floating and it was just a little bow-high. Sure looked exciting! I missed one of these with a 65hp and I should have bought it...I just don't see many of these models.

Once the stringrs are repaired this rig should hit mid 80s and run rings around most other boats

So how fast will my rebuilt GT-150 go????

that all depends on weight and set up=ballance, and prop, I would expect 60 on a good day gps readings. I know alot of people say they see 70+ but I allways call bullshit on them. how much will it weigh after rebuild? or even now? is the bottom strait?any hook or rocker in the last 5'

I saw one on the old GW forum w/ a 115 Johnson and he was claiming 70s with it. From everything I've read these are VERY fast boats. I'd love to have one myself.

I will concur with what Paul Said as I saw one like that run in person in Three Lakes, Wi. at the threelakesshootout.com event. Pretty cool event. You can see my buddies and I waterskiing behind snowmobiles on that site under the gallery.

Barefooting behind a snowmobile??!!?? Crazy talk! I almost killed myself learning how to barefoot. Was riding the boom and I hit some chop that bounced me so hard and fast that I flew right over the boom and landed in front of it! My buddy slammed it into neutral so fast he thought the tranny was going to drop out of his ski boat. That was enough to convince me that it wasn't for me!

Yikes - that sounds bad. I have been barefooting for 42 years now...maybe I should retire from that. I will try to give you a link to a couple of Youtube videos of me doing it...one big time wipeout because we got going too fast, so double cartwheel.

(Just search: wausauwaterki091)

Then look at the next video that says "Barefoot skiing behind a snowmobile" by R. Scott Blamey to see how we do it.



Then check out "Lets Ride!!" by lorali779 That's our Wisconsin Sledfooters group doing our thing at the threelakesshootout.com radar run boat event. We filled in between morning and afternoon boat runs.



Hope the links work.

ok - back to that invader. When I saw how little it looked floating at shore when I stood over it, it just looked like the minimum amount of floatation required to point the big motor down the 1000' run like you were almost strapping it on your rear and likely running on less surface than a waterski...WAY cool for sure!

That is crazy! Hopefully not too deep of a lake for when you need to go swimming for them. Looks like a lot of fun!

25'-35' ...just need to tie on enough rope to the float to ensure the winch boat can grab it up...10-15 minutes on shore and she is running again...get hot to cook out any water from the crank/bearings, etc. Of course - "hit the kill switch" before she goes down or hydro-lock it and bend the rods and ruin the motor. I also have waterskied in winter at 16 degrees behind a sled over open water. Seasons are so short in the north that I just mix my sports through the seasons. Fun stuff, but the world thinks your crazy.

Anything unusual with the sled set-up? I saw the tear down video, but didn't see any mods to the engine in the video. Looks like deep lug powder tracks, and I imagine some picks to help with the cornering on the lake

Are these the same sleds for the winter, or purpose built for the water? Seems like a lot of stress on the engine

I thought we were nuts when we started pond skipping but none of us ever thought of water skiing behind a snowmobile. You can do it with any fast skidoo but they use paddle tracks for long distances. Like the tires on sand dragsters. I've never gone more than 50 feet on water and I've seen a few sink. These guys have some cojones. LOL.

I guess if you're not afraid to get 'em wet. I live in sled land like both of you, but the extent my watersledding is to hit the gas when there is a soft spot on the lake. I have never gone looking for trouble to give my sled a bath!

We discovered it by accident though. These guys went looking for it. We haven't had enough snow to play much the last couple years. As the planet gets warmer, us boat folk will be the smart ones when the water levels rise. Hmm. Maybe that's why everyone is sledding on water these days ? LOL.

Sleds vary track paddle depth. One was a snow cross sled with big paddles (a 440 race sled, but the 600 and 800 have less than 2 inch...I am thinking like 1 1/4". No picks in the tracks. Sleds are stock...just strip off unwanted stuff like foam seats. They run these sled in winter in the UP of Michigan. The sleds are run hard, but not nearly as hard as when I see them run them in deep winter snow for long periods. The 3 drivers have raced watercross. I skied behind my brothers sled in the winter of '79...then several years back I found the watercross racers and just asked if someone wanted to try pulling me. For crowds that have never seen sleds on water, they are surprised...but for most who never saw a 6'4", 225 pound old guy barefooting behind a sled, they find it hard to believe. I will say I am quite impressed with how much power an 800 sled has. It is easier to think of a 5'8" 165 pound person doing this. It is crazy exciting and fun to do what you think just does not seem real. We have never had the chance to practice, we just show up at places and go for it.

This Bud's for YOU

I've seen a video of a guy going out in the ocean on a dirt bike and actually surfing with the thing. The bike has a paddle/sand tire on the rear and some skis on the front.

Tried that on a pond once. Spent the next two weeks picking pond scum out of my teeth. Never again. lol.